This bug is amazing!

Chapter 258 The Burning Ghost Knocks on the Door

That noon, another meeting was held at the village chief's house.

Ji Yi sat in his seat with a heavy expression, with An An sobbing in the chair next to him.

Twenty-three people attended yesterday, but only twenty-two people are here today.

"It seems we don't need to ask who disappeared yesterday."

The village chief glanced at the empty seat on the other side of An'an, while the village elders looked at An'an and her companion with a hint of sympathy.

It's clear that although Xie Ping hasn't been back to the countryside for more than a few days, she's quite popular with the elderly.

"Young Master Ji, please accept our condolences. We all know you are very sad, but we hope you can explain what happened."

Liu Zhaohua spoke, his tone somewhat heavy.

It's unacceptable for anyone to suddenly disappear after waking up from a night with someone they share a bed with and are intimately close to.

He couldn't help but wonder what he would do if his daughter were the one who disappeared tomorrow.
He would probably be so heartbroken that he would slaughter the entire village.

"I don't know anything." Ji Yi's tone was so indifferent that it seemed as if she had lost all emotion.

"Nothing happened last night until I went to bed. When I woke up, Xie Ping's clothes were neatly piled on the bed, including the slippers under the bed, all at the same angle as when they were placed before I went to bed."

"The doors and windows inside the house were all bolted from the inside, and there were no signs of anyone breaking in."

After Ji Yi finished speaking, she felt as if she had exhausted all her energy.

A thought suddenly occurred to him: Why not try massacring the village tonight, killing everyone, and see if he can pass the level?

Since Xie Ping is already dead, there seems to be nothing left to miss.

The moment the thought crossed Ji Yi's mind, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Why would he think that?

Wait, is this the evil god's test for him? Can he only pass by abandoning his humanity and falling into evil ways?

'No, something feels off.'

Ji Yi forced herself to calm down and start thinking things through.

Just then, the conversation moved on to the next topic.

"If that's the case, then he has indeed disappeared without a trace." After saying that, the old village chief turned to look at Officer Liu.

"Zhao Hua, tell me about another thing that happened last night."

"Ah."

The veteran detective's expression grew even more solemn:

"Wang Aotian was murdered last night."

Upon hearing this, most people in the room seemed to have expected it and showed no reaction.

Only a few people looked shocked, as if they had missed something.

After being interrogated yesterday, Wang Aotian was bound hand and foot inside the house.

They had originally planned to find someone to deliver food and water to him regularly to prevent him from starving to death and thus losing his value as a bulwark against disaster.

Unexpectedly, it was no longer necessary, and he was actually killed.

"The old house where Wang Aotian was imprisoned was a bit remote, so some people might have gotten up late and missed the process. In any case, the house burned all night and the whole house collapsed. In the morning, there were still quite a few witnesses who helped me put out the fire."

After he finished speaking, many people nodded in agreement.

Liu Zhaohua's tone carried an undeniable air:
"The body was completely charred, and it was almost impossible to tell that someone had burned to death inside the house. However, we could still make out a human shape, and it should be Wang Aotian."

When he said this, some people in the room felt a little sad, but that was all.

After all, Wang Aotian was a real murderer, and before that he was just an uneducated hoodlum. Why should he be pitied?

Some people even secretly cheered, thinking that the killing was the right thing to do.

"The only suspicious point at the scene is that the fire was burning too fiercely. It is likely that someone in the village had made preparations in advance to achieve such a degree."

Upon hearing this, Jung Jae-pu brushed aside his flowing bangs, revealing his gloomy, nerdy, lifeless eyes:

"Officer Liu, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to find the murderer? I think Wang Aotian died a good death, there's no need to investigate further, is there?"

These words immediately made Liu Zhaohua feel somewhat displeased.

How come these young people have no respect for their elders at all?
It's one thing for Ji Yi to be capable and intelligent, but how dare a shut-in gamer be so disrespectful?

But he did muster some patience and explained to those present:
"If the goal was simply to kill Wang Aotian, there would be no need for such a large-scale operation. I suspect that this fire is to cover up some clues."

After saying that, he didn't forget to retort to Jung Jae-pu:
"You don't want me to investigate? Could it be that you were the arsonist? I don't know. What are you trying to cover up?"

Jung Jae-park immediately shook his head repeatedly:
"It has nothing to do with me. I played games all night last night. My computer has save times. I played until 10 o'clock and then went to sleep."

Liu Zhaohua remained unmoved:
"Although the period between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. is dangerous, it is not easy for anything to happen unless you are very unlucky."

"Heh, I have no way to refute that. If you have evidence, then arrest me, or investigate whoever you think looks like the murderer. But I think in this game of disappearing into the shadows, it's better to play by the rules, isn't it? After all..."

"Given the current situation, the law is no longer effective, and those old ways of doing things don't work anymore. I really don't think it matters who killed Wang Aotian."

“That’s why I also said,” Liu Zhaohua interrupted, “I need to understand the killer’s logic. I suspect he’s covering up some clues that are detrimental to everyone, and this is for everyone’s benefit.”

"I think so."

At this moment, writer Ji Tuyi suddenly spoke up: "The logic behind the arsonist's actions is quite easy to understand and not worth delving into."

His words immediately drew everyone's attention.

“Look, the rules clearly state that ‘murderers must bury the body, otherwise crows will carry away the bones and bring disaster.’”

Ji Tu picked up her notebook, which she used to record writing inspiration.

Although one of the pages is messy, it clearly records the various taboos in the village.

"If we dispose of the body by burning it, completely carbonizing the bones, then the crows shouldn't come, right?"

With a single sentence, he revealed the truth to the person in charge, and everyone suddenly understood.

Indeed, preparing diesel fuel and kindling is troublesome, but it is still relatively easier than digging a pit to bury the body.

Wang Aotian was a strong and powerful man. After killing Old Zhang, he even had the time to find a place to dig a pit and bury him.

However, a heavy rain fell in the middle of the night, and all traces of the burial site disappeared. Therefore, the group could not find the burial site of Lao Zhang, and it was estimated that it had been covered by a mudslide.

Getting back to the main point, the method of killing by burning the body undoubtedly reveals one piece of information:
The person who carried out the act was likely a woman or an elderly person, as there were no objective conditions to bury the body in a short period of time.

Many people have already figured this out, but none of them have said it outright. They just silently look at the elderly people and women present, screening and guessing in their minds.

Most of the people here are indeed kind; after all, how many bad people are there?
But the method of arson and murder clearly tells everyone:
"If you don't kill someone, someone else will kill you."

This is an extremely cruel test of humanity, at least before encountering the bizarre.

However, people are not too worried about the arson murder method being replicated.

Wang Aotian died because he was tightly bound by iron chains and could not escape even if he wanted to.

If a real situation arises, a normal person still has some ability to counter it.

Ultimately, the meeting did not find the arsonist.

With heavy hearts, the group concluded their discussion, which ultimately yielded no breakthrough.

If someone kills someone, will he admit it?

Whoever has the "alive" note, would they dare to reveal it themselves?
Unfounded suspicions without any evidence are pointless and will only make things worse by turning into a war of words.

In these two days, all everyone has learned is to set up their defenses and be wary of anyone with ill intentions at night.

Besides that, all I could do was pray that I wouldn't be the next one to disappear. That evening.

Ji Yi and An An sat facing each other at the square table, neither of them speaking, and it was clear that neither of them was in a good mood.

Ji Yi has managed to pull herself together, at least for now.
Regardless, the dungeon must continue. Besides, Xie Ping is just a person from another world. If it weren't for the game dungeon, they wouldn't have any connection.

Xie Ping is a good person, but unfortunately she has a bad fate. Ji Yi wants to save her, but he is powerless to do so.

After thinking it over, Ji Yi took out two candies from her pocket and gave them both to An An.

Seeing An'an's low spirits, Ji Yi comforted her:
"Have some candy and don't think about it anymore. Maybe your sister was taken away by God to be his wife because she was too beautiful."

He didn't know how to comfort people, but making up a fairy tale could always have some effect.

An'an picked up a lollipop, tore open the wrapper, put it in her mouth, and remained silent.

Everyone says that children are easy to coax and that you can just distract them, but why doesn't it work?

Left with no other option, Ji Yi dropped a bombshell:
"An'an, do you know where I bought this lollipop?"

An An lowered her head and slowly shook her head.

"I bought this from your grandma. I saw her the night before last and last night. Do you want to see your grandma?"

Upon hearing this, An'an's eyes lit up immediately, and he raised his head:
"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you? I can take you to see Grandma right now, but I can't be sure we'll see her, since she always opens her shop in a different location."

"It's alright! Then Brother Ji, please take me to find it!"

Ji Yi glanced at the clock on the wall; there was still some time left.

"Okay, but if you don't find it, you must be back before 10 p.m.

"Ok!"

The two quickly locked the door and walked out onto the country road in the dim night.

Regarding the existence of Grandma An'an, Ji Yi already has some speculations:
"Based on the rules and Xie Ping's words, a person might become a strange being after death, but..."

“This kind of strangeness is harmless to people under certain circumstances, and An’an’s grandmother is such an exception.”

As for the reason, Ji Yi also had a guess:

"An'an, what illnesses did your grandma have before she passed away?"

An'an thought for a moment: "She died of cancer, but if you ask about other illnesses, I remember my sister saying it was called something like 'Ah something something'."

"Alzheimer's disease?" Ji Yi asked.

"Yes, yes, that's it! Grandma forgets a lot of things. Sometimes she doesn't remember who An'an is, and sometimes she doesn't even know anything. She can't even eat."

I see, that makes sense now.

If someone is in a state of "forgetting everything," and then becomes eerie, they won't even have the thought of harming anyone.

"Does this mean that Alzheimer's disease is a disease of the soul? Or that An'an's grandmother had a problem with her soul, which is why she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease?"

There's no point in getting bogged down in the cause-and-effect relationship here, and Ji Yi quickly stopped thinking about it.

He took An'an for a walk around, and it was already past nine o'clock at night.

"An'an, we should go back now."

An An's face immediately fell, as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Maybe your grandma isn't out at her stall today. Write her a letter when you get home tonight, and if I happen to run into her next time, I'll take the letter with me."

The reason for saying this is that Ji Yi strongly suspects that Grandma An'an is clinging to him, and that she might not be able to find him in the presence of other people.

"OK then"

Surprisingly, An'an didn't cry or make a fuss; he became unusually sensible.

He took out the last lollipop from his pocket and put it in his mouth, perhaps thinking of his grandmother who always had a kind smile on her face.

Soon, the two returned to the courtyard.

It was almost ten o'clock, and Ji Yi didn't turn on the lights inside the house. Instead, she entered the room by the light of a flashlight.

"An'an, are you scared to sleep alone? Do you want us to sleep together?"

"No need, Brother Ji, An'an can manage on her own."

He tossed the lollipop stick he had eaten aside, went back to his room, and locked the door.

Ji Yi felt a pang of heartache for no apparent reason.

This instance is just too cruel.

He returned to his room, his mind replaying the information from the past two days, and fell asleep with heavy and complicated emotions.

Hopefully, he and An'an can both get a good night's sleep tonight and sleep soundly until dawn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The heavy knocking woke Ji Yi from her sleep.

Startled, Ji Yi opened her eyes to find the room pitch black.

While he was still pondering questions like what time it was and where he was,

An extremely strong, acrid smell filled his nostrils.

It smelled like something was burnt, and the pungent odor made him cough uncontrollably.

"Cough cough!"

But just as he coughed, the guy outside seemed to realize someone was inside and started knocking on the door again!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

The eerie knocking sound, mixed with the acrid smell, instantly gave Ji Yi a great shock to her hearing and sense of smell.

He was wide awake and immediately realized his current predicament!

What time is it now?!

Ji Yi dared not turn on the light, nor dared to make any rash moves, but the being outside the door seemed unwilling to give up, persistently knocking heavily on the door.

'Wait, I need to calm down. If I'm awake after midnight, according to the rules I'll be dead. I have to figure out how to get the people outside to leave, and I need to fall asleep again before midnight!'

Ji Yi immediately mustered his courage, took out a flashlight, and illuminated the scene inside the room.

Then, he walked to the window and gently opened it a crack.

As the window was slightly opened, the strong smell of burning became even more pronounced.

Suppressing her discomfort, Ji Yi turned off the flashlight and stared intently out the window. Once her eyes readjusted to the darkness, she was finally able to see clearly.

At the main entrance of the house, there was a hunched figure. It was an elderly person, but Ji Yi had never seen this face before at the meeting.

'I feel like I've seen his picture before. Wait, who is he?'

Old Zhang!

The dead have turned into ghosts and are knocking on the door!
Opening the door in this situation would be tantamount to suicide, and not everyone is as special as Grandma An'an.

And just then.

With a loud bang, the latch on the main hall door was pulled open, the crossbeam fell to the ground, and a short figure rushed out of the room:
"grandmother!"

(End of this chapter)