Buddhist player

Compared to the desolation of the first floor, the second floor, besides being as dark as the tide, was filled with a rotten, sweet smell.

The air here seemed stagnant. After trying to take a step forward, Yuanqing frowned and covered her mouth.

Just as she was about to turn to the person next to her and make a suggestion, she noticed that someone wearing a gas mask was busy setting up a camping light...

"...How many lights did you buy?"

"Hmm? Five or six, that's not many."

Because he was wearing a gas mask, Bai Chen's voice sounded somewhat distorted.

"Don't just stand there, come and help."

As he spoke, Bai Chen casually tossed a gas mask into the other person's hand.

Yuan Qing: "………"

It must be said that the quality of the camping light is excellent. When connected to a power bank and the light is turned on, the second floor of the villa is immediately illuminated.

The layout on the second floor is similar to that on the first floor, except that there is no kitchen; instead, there are various rooms that serve as bedrooms, dressing rooms, or studies.

The corridor was covered with a thick carpet, which was filthy because it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. In some places, the carpet was even frayed, and stepping on it felt like sinking into mud, which was extremely disgusting.

"broken."

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when, as if suddenly remembering something, he stopped and looked at Bai Chen with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

Yuan Qing turned her head and looked at him.

At this moment, she also put on the gas mask. In this special environment, the two of them wearing gas masks looked even more eerie...

"The people below are in trouble."

Turning around, Bai Chen looked towards the stairwell.

"Since there's carpet on the second floor, and given how thick it is, it would have been impossible for us to hear the sound of chairs being dragged down from upstairs when we were downstairs."

"So, what's the origin of that voice...?"

Unconsciously, Yuan Qing paused for a moment.

Because of the series of unexpected actions by someone next to her, her reaction was noticeably slower.

"Obviously, it can only be the ceiling."

Bai Chen nodded thoughtfully.

"Thinking about it carefully, the way that candle on the coffee table went out was also a bit strange. At the time, we all thought it was the wind, but the doors and windows were all closed properly, so where did the wind come from?"

"...So at that time, the danger didn't actually come from the second floor, but from above us."

Yuan Qing gently exhaled.

"The first floor is currently the most dangerous place."

.............................................

"Ahem... Alright, let's hurry up here too."

Watching Chen Bai and Yuan Qing disappear into the stairwell, the bard coughed slightly, feeling a little guilty, and then called out to the others.

Actually, if we were to divide them into groups, there should be three people on each side, since it's just exploring the first floor, and we wouldn't need four people anyway.

However, their fear of the unknown overwhelmed their rationality... Since two people had already gone up, why should they join in?

That's what he thought, and others probably thought the same way. Humans are actually a race that's very good at self-comfort.

While inwardly mocking himself, the bard began assigning tasks to the group.

Ultimately, there's not much to explore on the first floor. It's basically a three-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom layout, with the living room and the dining room near the kitchen connected.

Half an hour is more than enough time for four people to explore these places.

"...Outside the villa?"

"Well, since the gate can be opened, we can't rule out the possibility that our backpacks were actually thrown outside... We should at least search around the villa."

Faced with the question of "the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao," the bard nodded.

"So, which of you is willing to come with me?"

"Tch...boring."

With a cold sneer, without even glancing at him, Tiger King got up and walked towards the kitchen, clearly having made his choice.

As for the fallen maple leaves, after hesitatingly glancing at the dark, gloomy downpour outside, she first gave the bard a somewhat apologetic smile, then quickly got up and followed behind the Tiger King.

"Fine, I'll go with you."

With a sigh, Dao Ke Dao Can Chang Chang stood up. However, before the bard could show any emotion, the other person leaned closer to him and asked in a low voice.

"By the way, I didn't have time to ask in detail before... By the way, if you join the official organization, is it really possible to get a permanent position? And with full benefits like social insurance and housing fund, and a promotion path?"

The bard: "..."

At the same time, Tiger King had already stepped into the kitchen.

As the powerful flashlight pierced the darkness, illuminating the deep, dark space before him, the dust in the air was disturbed by his movements as he entered, twisting into various strange shapes under the light.

The sound of the torrential rain outside seemed to have no effect on this place; the kitchen was eerily quiet.

Looking at the kitchen so close at hand, Tiger King unconsciously swallowed.

...He suddenly regretted accepting the invitation.

In the real world, his true identity is a moderately famous fitness coach, but in the face of those filthy things, the so-called fitness coach is nothing more than a larger live target.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of those troubling thoughts, Tiger King stood a few steps away from the kitchen door and scanned the kitchen in front of him with his flashlight.

The kitchen layout is quite simple, without any bends or twists, and it's easy to see at a glance. It has everything you need, such as a refrigerator, sink, trash can, and gas stove, but it's covered with a thick layer of dust because of its age.

(...Thankfully, nothing unusual... That's right, there's no way to hide anything in the kitchen... Let's hurry back to the living room and wait for the others to come back... No, that would give people something to talk about... Right, we can send that Maple Leaf girl ahead; if there's any danger, she'll be the first to suffer...)

A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind. Hearing the footsteps coming from behind, the Tiger King made a decision in his heart.

When you encounter a tiger in the wild, you don't need to run faster than the tiger; you just need to run faster than the people around you. This survival strategy still applies today.

Thinking of this, Tiger King no longer hesitated and quickly turned around with his flashlight.

"Maple Leaf, it's your turn next..."

As if something had abruptly severed his words, the Tiger King's speech came to an abrupt halt.

Although the footsteps had almost reached him from behind, there was no sign of falling maple leaves in front of him.

—At this moment, all that appeared before him was a thick, suffocating darkness.