Chapter 55:

Outsiders to the snowstorm villa trope

Even the usually silent Yan Hong couldn’t help but remark, “This must be the difference between what arms dealers consider a ‘good deal’ and what ordinary people think money is worth.”

The shock from the advance payment revitalized the group, many of whom instinctively straightened up and focused.

“I was willing to volunteer to save the Earth. But when I realized that, as a volunteer, I could also earn foreign exchange for the country, I became even more willing…” declared Jin Guijuan sincerely.

Tang Song chuckled as he glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “Saving the Earth is something volunteers are supposed to do, but diving into erosion areas to rescue people? That’s an additional, billable service.”

Jin Guijuan: “For what the client is paying, I’ll give it my all!”

Old Xiao nodded silently in agreement.

Grandma Fang mused aloud, “I’m just wondering if we get to Massachusetts and none of us can resonate with the erosion area due to acclimatization issues, will we have to return the advance payment?”

“I think there’s an 80% chance we won’t.” Jing Qizhen waved the advisory team’s erosion area guide in his hand and smiled.

Tang Song nodded confidently. “Exactly. Of course, we won’t refund it. Even if we can’t enter, I’ll leave them with a fully English action guide. And I promise it won’t be machine-translated.”

Old Xiao and Jin Guijuan stared at Tang Song in disbelief.

Are all arms dealers this ruthless?

Tang Song noticed their expressions and smiled faintly. “To be fair, guides are often more expensive than the finished product. This is the classic difference between ‘giving a man a fish’ and ‘teaching a man how to fish.’ On-site guidance? Also billable.”

Jin Guijuan and Old Xiao: “…” Right. We are too naive.

After two days of intensive training, Jing Qizhen’s group, along with Tang Song and an expanded team of volunteers, boarded a flight to Boston, Massachusetts. Since it was a chartered flight, everyone relaxed. Some crammed vocabulary, others played horror games, read unlimited-flow novels, or snacked casually.

Perhaps due to the stratospheric flight altitude, even the Earth’s voice in Jing Qizhen’s mind seemed quieter. Especially as he gazed out of the airplane window at the clouds.

The Earth: “Wow, this is my first time seeing myself from this angle. Ah, I’m so adorable! =v=”

Jing Qizhen: “…”

Leaning back in his chair, Jing Qizhen gradually relaxed while he flipped through his Chinese edition of ‘World History of Civilization’. The section on the origins of the world’s three major religions was somewhat sleep-inducing.

The Earth continued to enthusiastically compliment its own cuteness from various angles.

With his eyes closed, Jing Qizhen half-heartedly replied, “There are plenty of satellite photos of you online, you know.”

The Earth: “I’ve seen them! Wow, I’m truly a flawless sphere from every angle!”

Jing Qizhen: “…”

Time passed, and when Jing Qizhen woke up from his nap, the plane was already entering Massachusetts airspace.

Manman, leaning against Si Jiayang, waved at him when she saw he was awake. “Just about thirty more minutes and we’ll be landing!”

Jing Qizhen nodded.

Looking up, he noticed that Tang Song, who had earlier been lounging in slippers under a blanket while working on his laptop, was now fully dressed in a suit and was meticulously adjusting his tie.

While Jing Qizhen’s group remained casually dressed, Lu Lingxi and the volunteers brought by Tang Song were all decked out in full combat uniforms. Some even had camouflage face paint, practically fully armed, minus the weapons.

“This is so over the top!” Old Xiao was taken aback.

Tang Song replied casually while tying his tie, “The client paid good money. If they hired mercenaries, they expect us to look the part. Of course, considering border security, I arranged for Wilcox to prepare local weapons for us. We only brought personal gear and cold weapons for convenience.”

“A sign of basic respect for the dollar and the renminbi,” Jing Qizhen muttered.

Tang Song paused his movements, clearly agreeing. “You’re absolutely right.”

The plane landed smoothly and Tang Song led his so-called ‘experienced experts’ and their intimidating ‘mercenary’ escorts in a grand procession through the airport. Wilcox was waiting with a sign-holding assistant and he immediately perked up at their arrival.

“Hey, brothers! Over here!” Wilcox exclaimed excitedly, his bright blue eyes wide.

Jing Qizhen: “… Foreigners really are energetic no matter the situation.”

Wilcox, familiar with Tang Song’s antics, greeted him warmly, though he refrained from commenting on the dubious ‘mercenary’ team. Instead, he embraced Jing Qizhen and the others. “It’s great to have you here!”

Tang Song was now in full businessman mode. He exuded a calm and shrewd air as he negotiated confidently with the families of the missing individuals. His demeanor shifted seamlessly between flattery, exaggerated claims, and careful restraint on critical issues.

After a brief but intense exchange, both sides reached an agreement to skip the small talk and head straight to the villa where the disappearances occurred.

Tang Song turned to Wilcox. “Are the weapons I requested ready?”

“Everything is prepared.” Wilcox nodded instinctively, momentarily stunned by Tang Song’s transformation.

Tang Song nodded slightly and then leaned back to rest, saying nothing more.

Jing Qizhen whispered to Lu Lingxi, seated beside him, “Why is Tang Song so… skilled?”

“Probably because our leader has a lot of experience putting on acts overseas…” Lu Lingxi murmured back.

Jing Qizhen thought to himself: Sure enough. With how smooth Tang Song is, this can’t be his first rodeo.

The area within a 1,000-meter radius of the villa had been cordoned off as a restricted danger zone.

As they approached the perimeter, several vehicles came to a halt.

The crates of weapons Wilcox arranged had already been delivered. Without a word, Tang Song made a gesture with his hand.

Immediately, the ‘mercenaries’ in combat uniforms disembarked, selected their weapons, loaded ample ammunition, and even performed test trigger pulls with practiced ease.

It had to be said that the scene was undeniably professional and impactful.

Shortly after, Tang Song motioned for Jing Qizhen and the others. “Let’s go!”

Having grown accustomed to Tang Song’s second persona, Wilcox whistled, tucked a gun into his pocket, and followed them eagerly.

His brown-haired assistant looked anxious, trying to stop him but failing. Watching Wilcox cross the cordon line, the assistant could only despair and start calling Wilcox’s elder brother, the actual boss.

Jing Qizhen didn’t carry any weapons, instead tightening the straps of his backpack. Before boarding the plane, Tang Song had specifically returned the ‘Christmas Reindeer Music Box’ and ‘Journey to Hell’ retrieved from the last erosion area and entrusted them to Jing Qizhen.

After all, given Jing Qizhen’s unique resonance with the Earth, even if everyone else suffered from a lack of compatibility, Jing Qizhen was almost guaranteed to enter the erosion area.

Lu Lingxi whispered, “I wonder how many of us will make it this time.”

Tang Song calmly gave him a glance.

Lu Lingxi immediately clammed up, unwilling to say another word.

With a similar sense of foreboding, Si Jiayang tightly held Manman’s hand and cautiously warned, “Don’t jinx it!”

At first, nothing happened as they crossed the cordon.

However, when the group reached about 300 to 400 meters from the villa, the unexpected occurred without any warning.

Just as the Earth had said, the eroded area’ boundaries were slowly expanding.

Jing Qizhen stopped in his tracks abruptly.

In an instant, most of the group around him had disappeared, leaving only a few, namely Manman, Si Jiayang, Wilcox, Yan Hong, Old Xiao, Lu Lingxi, Jin Guijuan, and a heavily armed ‘mercenary’ wearing the same combat uniform as Lu Lingxi.

Si Jiayang, who was still holding Manman’s hand, exhaled, whether in relief or trepidation was unclear. “Baby.”

Old Xiao was already furiously wiping away sweat again.

The ‘mercenary,’ whose face was obscured by camouflage paint, was the first to break the silence. “My name is Gu Leshan. Leshan as in ‘joy of music.’ By the way, my cousin is also in this volunteer team but it seems he didn’t make it in…”

“No worries, that’s normal. Even our Grandma Fang and your team leader didn’t make it in,” Jing Qizhen replied calmly.

Gu Leshan: “…”

Lu Lingxi: “…”

Lu Lingxi darted his eyes around and, sure enough, didn’t spot Tang Song. He blinked his innocent Bambi-like eyes in disbelief. “Uh, well…”

Jing Qizhen remarked, “That’s great. Tang Song can stay outside and coordinate the big picture. Plus, with so many of your colleagues out there, we don’t have to worry about getting robbed when we return.”

Gu Leshan, who experienced Jing Qizhen’s personality up close for the first time, was a little stunned.

Lu Lingxi, torn between laughter and tears: “…” That makes so much sense, I have no argument against it.

The Earth suddenly interjected, “I just saw Tang Song outside. His stern expression was terrifying. Wilcox’s assistant even tried to complain, asking why he let the young master of their family take such risks. But Tang Song just glanced at him and the assistant backed off in fear.”

“Hearing that, I’m actually quite curious about Tang Song’s current expression 0.0,” Jing Qizhen said matter-of-factly.

The Earth replied, “Oh, hey!”

Manman squinted slightly as she looked toward the villa ahead. “That villa looks like it’s sealed from the outside.”

Si Jiayang immediately added, “If it’s really sealed, wouldn’t that make this scenario like a classic ‘snowstorm villa’ from mystery novels? Maybe it’ll even follow a ‘no-one-left-alive’ storyline!”

Old Xiao, not much of a mystery reader, asked reflexively, “Snowstorm villa? What’s that?”

“The snowstorm villa trope, also known as the ‘isolated island scenario,’ is where a group of people, each with their own grudges and conflicts, is cut off from the outside world due to some reason,” Jing Qizhen explained, “They’re forced to gather in an isolated location, and one by one, people start dying under mysterious circumstances. The killer is often among them.”

Jin Guijuan hesitated and said, “If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean every erosion area could technically be a snowstorm villa scenario?”

“Exactly, which is why Tang Song always warned us to be cautious of outsiders.” Jing Qizhen nodded.

Gu Leshan asked, “So, what’s the plan now?”

“Obviously, we’ll head to the villa first and see if we can take it apart,” Jing Qizhen replied decisively.

He then chuckled. “I’ve always been curious about what would happen if the snowstorm villa trope was broken from the outside. I didn’t expect to encounter the scenario here today.”

“Be careful,” Manman reminded, “Who knows if the villa’s hiding explosives to force us into some explosive-ending scenario where everyone dies.”

“I brought infrared scanning tools!” Lu Lingxi rummaged through his bag.

Jing Qizhen gave him a thumbs-up. “Let’s go!”

Inside the sealed villa, all phones and communication devices had no signal. Even shouting toward the outside yielded no response.

Five individuals sat in different corners of the living room, their expressions grim.

“The killer is among us.”