Chapter 59:

Jing Qizhen: This guy is definitely not all there.

At that moment, Wilcox, who had just settled his younger cousin, also joined the group.

With his striking blue eyes and radiant blonde hair, he immediately caught attention as he spoke, “Yun Shuanghua, what are you doing alone in this villa?”

While Wilcox’s question was offhand, Jing Qizhen suddenly recalled another subtle detail.

The Boston Villa erosion area was gradually expanding. When Joyce and his group first entered, they were trapped in the vine-covered villa. However, when Jing Qizhen’s group entered later, they started on the road near the villa.

Based on previous experiences, while time within an erosion area might be chaotic, the spatial correspondence between the erosion area and the real world outside it remained consistent.

Since Joyce’s group hadn’t encountered Yun Shuanghua, it could be inferred that Yun Shuanghua had entered the area outside the villa. Furthermore, Yun Shuanghua’s entry predated Jing Qizhen’s group.

Observing Yun Shuanghua holding a solid, hard baguette that could double as a weapon, Jing Qizhen surmised it was intended as a meal. Who, under normal circumstances, would willingly challenge their teeth with bread that tough unless they had no other options?

Yet, Yun Shuanghua appeared content to isolate himself in the villa, completely indifferent to the commotion Joyce’s group caused in the nearby house. If Lu Lingxi hadn’t spotted him earlier, and if Jing Qizhen hadn’t called his name directly, Yun Shuanghua would’ve remained passive.

His behavior puzzled Jing Qizhen further.

His team’s goal in the erosion area was to locate and destroy the erosion core, thereby eliminating the erosion area. Meanwhile, the dark web hinted that more people might deliberately enter those areas in search of energy-infused artifacts to exchange for wealth in the human world.

However, Yun Shuanghua seemed utterly uninterested in the villa most connected to the erosion core. He stayed in his corner, detached and unconcerned.

Countless thoughts swirled in Jing Qizhen’s mind. Meanwhile, Yun Shuanghua’s cold demeanor softened slightly as he unexpectedly asked in a detached tone, “Do all of you… know me?”

Manman studied Yun Shuanghua’s expression closely, frowning slightly.

Si Jiayang, on the other hand, took out his phone, opened a video featuring Yun Shuanghua, and turned the screen toward him. “Here, just watch this video.”

The clip showed Jing Qizhen holding cash while complaining to the female ghost Miss Li about not being thieves but was unable to pay due to a malfunctioning cash register. In the background, Yun Shuanghua looked lively and curious as he stood watching Jing Qizhen’s antics.

Yun Shuanghua watched the video intently and then shifted his gaze back to Jing Qizhen, surprised. The calm and reliable young man in front of him seemed worlds apart from the person in the video who spouted nonsense to a ghost with a straight face.

“You just…” Yun Shuanghua began, seemingly wanting to accuse Jing Qizhen of casually lying to the supernatural. However, midway through, he hesitated, realizing they seemed to have known each other well before. Swallowing his words, he stiffly added, “Hello.”

The absurdity of the situation left Manman and Yan Hong silent, while Si Jiayang, who had been holding his phone up for so long, looked baffled. “…???”

What kind of conversation flow is this, man?

Jing Qizhen: “…???”

He stared at Yun Shuanghua, silently rubbing his temples.

Jing Qizhen couldn’t help but think that all those complex thoughts he had earlier were useless now. There was only one conclusion he needed to pay attention to—this guy is definitely not all there.

Meanwhile, Joyce and his group remained in the courtyard of the vine-covered villa, watching intently from afar.

Gu Leshan, still aiming his gun, noticed no signs of a confrontation breaking out and muttered to Lu Lingxi, “Hey, bro, what do you think is going on there?”

Lu Lingxi’s sharp gaze and concise logic cut through the conversation, “If he’s neither friend nor foe, just keep a respectful distance.”

Caroline couldn’t help but turn to Joyce and ask, “What are they talking about?”

“How would I know?” Joyce retorted irritably.

Caroline argued, “Your cousin Wilcox brought these people along!”

Joyce frowned. “Open your eyes and shake your head a bit. Do they look like the type to take orders from my cousin?”

Joyce observed clearly that Wilcox had been following Jing Qizhen earlier. The group of strange-looking Easterners seemed to discuss everything among themselves and no one appeared to make decisions unilaterally. However, Jing Qizhen was evidently the most proactive and had the highest authority among them.

Meanwhile, Gu Leshan, who had been quietly listening to the foreigners’ bickering, couldn’t help but chuckle. He whispered to Lu Lingxi, “These foreigners are so funny. They’re still arguing even in a situation like this.”

Lu Lingxi glanced at Professor Jones.

Professor Jones, who had been carefully observing the surroundings while keeping an eye on Jing Qizhen’s group, noticed his look and responded with a smile.

Lu Lingxi also smiled. When he wasn’t holding a sniper rifle, his innocent and Bambi-like eyes concealed his sharp decisiveness. Without hesitation, he remarked to Gu Leshan, “Haven’t you noticed that this Professor Jones actually understands Chinese?”

Gu Leshan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Professor Jones: “…”

After speaking to Gu Leshan, Lu Lingxi smiled at Professor Jones again.

Over on Jing Qizhen’s side, after confirming that Yun Shuanghua was suspicious yet harmless, he chose not to dwell on it further. Nodding slightly at Yun Shuanghua, he turned and headed toward the vine-covered villa, saying succinctly, “We need to thoroughly inspect the situation inside the villa. Also, to prevent the vines from sealing it again, not all of us should go in.”

Manman glanced at her companions and quickly suggested, “I’ll go with Jiayang and Little Jing. As for the foreign kids, Wilcox is probably the best at keeping them in line. Guijuan isn’t very familiar with foreign culture, so there’s no need for her to take unnecessary risks.”

“I’ll go in with you,” Old Xiao volunteered as he wiped his cold sweat. “When it comes to memory, you young folks might not be as sharp as I am.”

Yan Hong nodded in agreement, acknowledging everyone’s strengths. But he expressed concern, “With just the four of you going in, won’t your combat power be too limited if you encounter danger?”

Manman, being a girl, was at a natural disadvantage in physical strength despite her fitness training. Jing Qizhen and Si Jiayang were young and strong, but Old Xiao, a typical intellectual middle-aged man lacking physical conditioning, seemed fragile.

As they discussed, the group returned to the villa’s courtyard. Lu Lingxi pointed at Gu Leshan and said, “Send him in!”

“I’ll go with you,” Gu Leshan immediately volunteered, “I’m better at fighting than Little Lu!”

Without hesitation, Gu Leshan holstered his gun. Lu Lingxi punched him lightly and joked to Jing Qizhen, “This guy never lost a fight in military school and somehow never gets hurt no matter how rough things get.”

“Never gets hurt? That impressive?” Jing Qizhen was taken aback.

Lu Lingxi shook his head and explained, “Not the way you’re thinking. It’s just that no matter how intense the training, fights, or combat get, under prolonged high pressure, it’s normal for the body to have hidden injuries over time, right? But not this guy. He’s got a natural physical advantage. He’s never had any hidden injuries and is insanely tough!”

Hearing this, even Yan Hong couldn’t help but look at Gu Leshan with envy.

Lu Lingxi gestured toward Yun Shuanghua and asked Jing Qizhen, “What’s up with that guy over there?”

Jing Qizhen turned to glance back and saw that Yun Shuanghua was still standing in the same spot while holding his baguette, staring intently at their group.

Jing Qizhen summarized, “He knows he’s Yun Shuanghua but doesn’t remember us. Something feels off but I can’t put my finger on it. He seems harmless for now, so let’s just treat him as some kind of randomly spawned NPC in the erosion area, no idea what he’s good for.”

“This NPC is somewhat useful,” Si Jiayang muttered under his breath, “If it weren’t for him running around with pork while being chased by the female ghost Miss Li last time, we wouldn’t have figured out the supermarket’s purchase mechanism.”

Former supermarket cashier Jin Guijuan: “…”

Old Xiao, who once busied himself calculating bills: “…”

Jing Qizhen and Yan Hong, who still felt guilty about the dried pork incident: “…”

After a pause, Jing Qizhen revised his statement, “Fine, let’s treat him as a special NPC with excellent physical fitness and the potential to trigger some related storyline.”

Gu Leshan thought about it for a moment but couldn’t find any grounds to disagree.

Despite his casual words, Jing Qizhen was already pondering whether Yun Shuanghua would leave the erosion area with them this time.

Once they were out, he’d need Tang Song’s help to thoroughly investigate Yun Shuanghua’s background. Right now, he seemed so naïve, like someone who could be lured away with just a baguette…

Jing Qizhen shared his plan to thoroughly explore the villa’s interior with everyone and then turned to Joyce’s group, asking, “Have you encountered anything unusual so far?”

Professor Jones hesitated with a ‘hmm.’

Wilcox gave his cousin a light smack on the head. “My dear cousin, when life and death are at stake, you’ve got to speak up!”

“Don’t hit my head!” mumbled Joyce.

Caroline and McCain frowned, clearly weighing their thoughts, but neither spoke immediately.

Only the housemaid couldn’t hold back her sobs.

Clutching her bloodstained apron, she choked out in heavily accented English while trembling with fear and grief, “Sophia was found dead from poisoning on the first day. On the second day, Sean died. On the third day, we discovered Williams’ corpse. On the fifth day, Angelina disappeared… and there was blood all over her room…”