Chapter 8: The Path Ahead Remains Uncertain

The words Eagle Eye had spoken just moments ago continued to reverberate in his mind.

Qian Cangyi took a deep breath, forcing himself to gradually accept concepts he had previously found impossible to believe. Whether it was the blood-red text appearing on the whites of his eyes, the forced control of his own body, or the pitch-black bus—everything was undeniably real. Since such bizarre and inexplicable phenomena had already occurred, accepting long-standing concepts like the intuition of danger or the existence of the soul was, by comparison, not difficult at all.

Qian Cangyi was a materialist, though not a particularly steadfast one. He had always maintained a cautious attitude toward the unknown, believing that scientific theories had their own limits of applicability. Clearly, ever since the appearance of Hell Movie, science had failed to provide a rational explanation for anything he had encountered—unless one relied on the catch-all excuse of "hallucinations" to silence any questioning.

Is all of this just an illusion? Are Eagle Eye and Yuxi Village merely fabrications? Qian Cangyi did not believe it. If this were truly an illusion, he would rather choose to believe it was real, because everything he felt was so incredibly vivid. Bit by bit, Qian Cangyi had begun to adapt to his role as a Hell Movie actor.

"Since he's the village chief, wouldn't his house be much better?" Qian Cangyi broke the silence.

"Not necessarily," Eagle Eye shook his head.

"True, but..." Qian Cangyi’s eyes suddenly lit up as a house that had just appeared around the corner caught his attention. This new house was larger than the previous ones, had more rooms, and the courtyard was enclosed by a picket fence. In every respect, the house at the corner matched Qian Cangyi’s perception of a village chief's residence.

"It seems to be just ahead," Eagle Eye said, breaking into a run.

Qian Cangyi hurried to keep up, but the distance between them continued to grow. *So fast! Why is he so fast?* Qian Cangyi tried to accelerate, only to realize that no matter how hard he pushed himself, he couldn't keep pace. He decided to conserve his strength and slowed his speed slightly.

The sun began to dip, stretching their shadows long across the ground. A clean, tidy courtyard appeared ahead. Eagle Eye was already waiting at the entrance. By the time Qian Cangyi reached him, he was panting slightly, sweat glistening on his forehead. Eagle Eye turned to look at him, placing a finger to his lips to signal for silence.

Qian Cangyi controlled his breathing, slowed his steps, and strained his ears to listen. A faint sound drifted from the living room. It was not the chirping of insects or the song of birds, but the sound of human voices, as if people were chatting inside. The only problem was that the sound remained incredibly faint, whether they moved closer or further away—so quiet that one had to listen with extreme focus to catch it at all.

The sound was so faint that it was impossible to discern the content of the conversation. When Qian Cangyi reached his side, Eagle Eye turned to look at him, pointing his left index finger at the ground, then pointing at himself and then at the living room door. Qian Cangyi nodded; he understood the gesture. Eagle Eye was telling him to stay put while he went to check the doorway.

Eagle Eye crouched low and moved toward the living room entrance, his footsteps light, producing almost no sound at all. He reached the eaves, pressed his back against the wall, and slowly edged toward the door. As he approached, his movements became increasingly deliberate. He pressed his ear against the pale gray wooden door and peered through a crack.

Qian Cangyi couldn't help but hold his breath, even slowing his own heart rate. A few seconds later, he suddenly realized something was wrong—the sound he had heard earlier had vanished completely. The problem was that Eagle Eye, standing outside the living room door, gave no reaction. He remained in his original posture.

About ten seconds later, Eagle Eye straightened up, turned back to look at Qian Cangyi, his expression filled with confusion. Qian Cangyi spread his hands, mirroring his perplexed look.

*What happened?* Qian Cangyi couldn't fathom it.

Eagle Eye walked over and whispered, "There's no one in the living room. Not a soul."

Qian Cangyi’s mouth parted slightly; he blinked and asked, "No one?"

"No one," Eagle Eye nodded.

Qian Cangyi’s brow furrowed. He was certain he had heard voices, and Eagle Eye had heard them too; it couldn't have been an auditory hallucination.

"But—" Qian Cangyi remained skeptical.

"—see for yourself," Eagle Eye gestured with his thumb toward the back, no longer trying to convince him.

Qian Cangyi stopped speaking and walked toward the living room door at a normal pace. The pale gray door carried a sense of mystery, as if hiding some earth-shattering secret within. Above the door frame hung a Bagua mirror, tilted slightly to reflect the entryway. Qian Cangyi placed his hands on the door, leaned his head toward the gap, and pressed his right eye against it.

The entire scene inside the living room was laid bare: tables, chairs, and furniture stood by the walls. Everything was deathly quiet.

Just as Eagle Eye had said, there was no one in the living room, nor were there any cats, dogs, or poultry. Qian Cangyi didn't want to believe it. His brow furrowed into a deep crease as he continued to stare through the gap. A few seconds passed, and the situation remained unchanged. He ran to the bedroom window on the side and peered in, but again, he found no sign of anyone.

"What on earth is going on? I definitely heard voices just now." Qian Cangyi looked down at the ground, unable to make sense of it.

"Let's go inside and see," Eagle Eye said, walking to the living room door and pushing it open with both hands.

At that moment, a new script emerged in Qian Cangyi's mind. He read it immediately, desperate to understand the reason.

[Act Four]
[Around 4:30 PM, the Village Chief’s house in Yuxi Village.]
[Zhang Zi'an stands before the main door, while Bian Zhe stands by the bedroom window. The two look at each other.]
[Bian Zhe: Zhang Zi'an, what do you make of this? I trust that it's impossible for both of us to suffer from auditory hallucinations at the same time.]
[Zhang Zi'an: The fact is that there is truly no one in the house. I've already checked, and you saw me approach the living room; even if someone had spotted me, they wouldn't have had time to escape.]
[Bian Zhe: Do you think it's possible that Yuxi Village is haunted? I can't wrap my head around what's happening here, or what this 'Death Sacrifice' is supposed to be.]
[Zhang Zi'an: Bian Zhe, I think we should start considering our own safety.]
[Zhang Zi'an: Whether it's a real haunting or something else, the villagers of Yuxi have all disappeared. Even if we find the truth, the two of us alone won't be able to save them, and we’ll likely end up losing our own lives instead.]
[Bian Zhe: What do you suggest we do?]
[Zhang Zi'an: We should head back, report the situation, and return with backup.]
[Bian Zhe: Hmm, look at the dark clouds gathering; it looks like rain. We should leave as soon as possible, but we must investigate this house first.]
[Zhang Zi'an: Then let's be quick. We'll follow the previous plan and search separately.]
[Bian Zhe: Fine. Just shout if you need anything.]
[End of Act Four]

Qian Cangyi finished reading in a flash.