Excessive ferocity due to caution

Chapter 533 "Twilight Manor" Basement

"Yiwei, what do you know?"

Fang Detong asked hurriedly.

Right now, every minute and every second is precious to them, because no one knows when the ghost will strike again to kill!

Tang Yiwei adjusted his glasses with his right index finger, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes:

"I've been reading a lot of detective novels lately, and many victims use encryption because they're worried that the evidence they leave behind will be found by criminals..."

"But their encryption methods are more complex."

"However, the encryption method used by the owner of this letter is very simple, perhaps because the intelligence of the ghost in the manor is limited."

"Look—"

He reached out and pressed his hand on the envelope, and everyone followed his gaze.

The first character of the first line, the second character of the second line, the third character of the third line...

Reading it aloud in this way reveals the key message.

Beware, the manor is haunted!

Upon seeing this news, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Although they already knew the manor was haunted, the fact that the credible person emphasized it again only deepened their fear!

"This is completely useless!"

"We already know..."

Yu Congyi was about to say those words, but suddenly stopped. He looked around at the darkness and the dim corridor with suspicion, then squeezed into the crowd and whispered:

"Is there any other information in the letter?"

Tang Yiwei said:

"Conversely, starting from the first word of the last line of the letter, the second word of the second-to-last line, the third word of the third-to-last line..."

As everyone read along in this order, expressions of sudden realization appeared on their faces:

"Yes...it's in the basement, hurry!"

Tang Yiwei nodded:

"That's right."

"If I'm not mistaken, the owner of this letter was the owner of this manor back then!"

"And in the basement, there are important clues he left behind, most likely related to the ghosts of the manor!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congyi said anxiously:

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"quick!"

"Let's go now!"

As the group set off, Tang Yiwei glanced at Zhao Yi again on the way.

Throughout, this mysterious man remained remarkably calm.

His calm demeanor even made him feel uneasy.

If his composure in the face of the manor's ghost was due to the ghost attacking him last, then what about when facing Guan Kaixian's corpse?

"Could the ghost... be himself?"

Tang Yiwei frowned.

They had encountered similar curses in the past.

This curse is presented in the form of a game.

Whether human or ghost, they are essentially acting in accordance with the rules of the curse.

We cannot rule out Zhao Yi as a suspect just because he told them the manor was haunted.

Many guesses flashed through Tang Yiwei's mind.

But he still chose to go to the basement below the chimney.

After all, he has no other choice at the moment.

Based on his observations, he found no other suspicious points.

The only thing that intrigued him was why the ghost had deliberately preserved the corpse's head and sewn back on the eyes and mouth...

Is it purely a ghost's fetish?

Or is this curse deliberately revealing clues to the participants?

Tang Yiwei stared at Guan Kaixian's head on the dining table for a long time, and something suddenly flashed through his mind.

"It really looks like it..."

"But what does it resemble...?"

"Damn it, I can't remember! I'm sure I've seen it at this manor!"

Tang Yiwei grabbed his hair, lost in thought.

Fang Detong, standing at the door, couldn't help but say when he saw Tang Yiwei still standing there:

"Yiwei, what are you standing there for?"

"Let's go!"

"This place might not be safe anymore!"

Tang Yiwei snapped out of her daze and hurriedly left with the others.

On the way, he slapped his head hard.

Damn it.

He knows it; he must have seen it!

There's something in the manor that looks remarkably like Guan Kaixian's face...

After leaving the main hall of the manor, Tang Yiwei took a closer look at the strange plaster sculptures as they passed by.

"Not these..."

He internally rejected these sculptures.

The heavy rain outside continued, cold and damp, accompanied by thunder and strong winds.

Everyone's raincoats were covered by robes underneath, which didn't cover their legs at all, and their pants got soaked.

The gravel path was also full of potholes, so the group dared not walk too fast. Except for Zhao Yi, everyone turned on their phone flashlights and huddled together.

The boring horror movies I'd watched before finally came in handy at this moment.

In such circumstances, when people are lined up in a row, those at the very front and the very back are more likely to get into trouble!

Zhao Yi led the way.

Nobody is worried about him.

But they would always unconsciously look back to see if Jing Qingdong, who was walking at the back, had suddenly disappeared.

Fortunately, Jing Qingdong stayed at the back of the group, looking down, as if he was watching the road or thinking about something.

And so, the group walked and stopped along the way, braving the cold wind and torrential rain, until they arrived at the smoke tower.

Zhao Yi took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Brother Zhao, these locks look so new, did you install them?"

Fang Detong keenly noticed that the lock on the chimney door was also very new.

As Zhao Yi pushed open the door, a strong smell of age and dust wafted out.

"Yes."

"I was invited to the manor and became its current owner."

"The thought of ghosts running around the manor makes me uneasy, and luckily the manor has a lock, so I locked the door."

Fang Detong looked at Zhao Ban for a long time, then slowly raised a thumb.

"You're awesome."

He hadn't expected to do something as unconventional as locking the door to a ghost.

Everyone entered the room, and Zhao Yi turned on the chandelier.

Shen Youyu, standing to the side, said:

"Brother Zhao, what happened to your finger?"

Zhao turned around, saw her staring intently at her fingers, and couldn't help but laugh:

"I accidentally cut my hand while cooking for you guys... Oh well, I'm all alone on this manor, there's not even a cook. I can't expect a ghost to cook for me, can I?"

After he finished speaking, he slowly tore off the bandage, showing the knife wound to everyone present.

"Feel sorry."

Shen Youyu said.

Zhao Yi shook his head:

"It's alright."

"Now, anything in the manor could be the embodiment of a ghost."

"It's normal for you to doubt me when things are uncertain... just as I would doubt you."

He put the band-aid back on and then began looking around for the light switch in the basement.

Suddenly, Yu Congyi's excited voice came:

"Very good!"

"I found it!"

Everyone turned to look, and Yu Congyi flipped over a pile of rags, revealing a lever underneath!