Chapter 60:

Extreme sleepiness

The Filipino maid continued to speak, her voice trembling more and more as fear overwhelmed her.

Jing Qizhen summarized calmly, “Out of nine people, four have died within the first five days. That leaves five of you, and today is the seventh day?”

“Yes, it’s the seventh day,” Joyce finally spoke, nodding.

Jing Qizhen pressed further, “What happened on the fourth, sixth, and today?”

Joyce fell silent again.

Professor Jones, however, adjusted his wrinkled suit, which resembled pickled vegetables after days of sleeping in it for safety and finally spoke. “The poisoning on the first day seemed like a mere accident. But by the second day, when another death occurred, we realized—”

Before he could finish, Jing Qizhen gently interrupted, “The fourth, sixth, and today, please.”

“Alright,” Professor Jones paused in a fluster, before replying slowly, “On the fourth day, everyone became more vigilant and no deaths occurred that day. We were relieved but on the fifth day, Angelina disappeared, and the deaths resumed. On the sixth day, all of us stayed together in the living room, keeping each other in sight. That day passed without incident.”

“On the seventh day—today—we stuck to the same plan, staying together downstairs. Then Wilcox and your group showed up,” added Joyce to summarize.

Jing Qizhen nodded but didn’t comment.

Manman and Si Jiayang exchanged a glance and subtly shook their heads. The information was still too sparse to draw any meaningful conclusions.

At that point, Manman adjusted her phone’s camera and reminded Si Jiayang, “I’ll take pictures, you record video.”

Si Jiayang nodded eagerly. “Got it, babe. Don’t worry.”

Lu Lingxi handed Manman a Polaroid camera.

Manman: “…?”

Lu Lingxi blinked innocently. “I remembered to bring this after last time!”

Without a word, Manman gave him a thumbs-up.

Jing Qizhen then turned back to the housemaid. “Has the water and electricity been working these past few days?”

“Yes, they’ve been working, but the food in the kitchen is limited.” Still sniffling, the maid nodded quickly.

Jing Qizhen’s expression remained unchanged. “That’s fine. There are plenty of other villas nearby. The stored food will last for a while.”

Jin Guijuan, recalling Manman’s creative hot pot during their last mission in the Shennongjia erosion area, muttered quietly, “If it’s long-term, Manman-jie’s hydroponic plants could be started again…”

Manman: “…” Growing bean sprouts and leafy greens really is quick!

After calming the housemaid, Jing Qizhen glanced at Lu Lingxi and gestured subtly toward Professor Jones. “Record their statement?”

Jing Qizhen had avoided letting Professor Jones speak from the beginning because he didn’t want the initial investigation to rely too heavily on the accounts of those involved.

With the current lack of evidence, preconceived notions could distort judgment and reasoning.

Instead, he preferred to search the villa first and then cross-reference findings with the group’s testimonies.

Hearing this, Lu Lingxi pulled a brand-new notebook out of his pocket and assured, “No problem!”

As they wrapped up, Jing Qizhen, Manman, Si Jiayang, and Old Xiao headed into the villa.

Gu Leshan quickly followed, asking nervously, “It’s my first time doing this. Is there anything I should be extra cautious about?”

“Don’t worry too much,” Jing Qizhen reassured him, “This is our first time in this erosion area as well. Each area has its own unique characteristics. Just follow your team leader’s advice—protect yourself, safety first.”

Gu Leshan nodded firmly. “I’ll protect all of you too!”

“Young man, take care of yourself first. Don’t act impulsively.” Old Xiao patted him on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, in the villa’s courtyard, the others continued their discussion.

Although undercover work was his specialty, Yan Hong understood the basics of taking police statements. He quietly reminded Lu Lingxi, “Question them separately, starting from the first day. Interview everyone one by one.”

Wilcox gave him a surprised look. “…You know how to do that?”

Lu Lingxi nodded thoughtfully. He surveyed the courtyard and decided it wasn’t private enough, then smiled innocently as he pointed to the road across the street. “We’ll talk over there.”

Caroline exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re treating us like criminals to interrogate us?”

“Not at all, ma’am.” Although Lu Lingxi’s tone was not mocking, his demeanor remained firm as he stated, “But cooperating with us will benefit everyone.”

Caroline shook her head furiously, clenching her fists in anger. “No, I won’t accept this! Who even are you people?”

Though Joyce and Professor Jones remained silent, their expressions showed clear disapproval.

Lu Lingxi, Jin Guijuan, and Old Xiao exchanged confused glances. They were only asking for cooperation to communicate, so why were these foreigners suddenly so agitated?

At that moment, McCain, who had been silent, suddenly raised a gun and pointed it directly at Caroline. In a deep voice, he said, “Caroline, your attitude is making us suspicious of you.”

Almost simultaneously, the faint sound of a pistol safety being disengaged prompted Yan Hong to swiftly aim his gun at McCain, shouting sternly, “What are you doing!?”

Lu Lingxi, holding a notebook with a pen clipped to it, reacted just as quickly and raised his own gun with practiced ease.

Yan Hong had been unarmed but Lu Lingxi’s speed, despite having something in his hands, seemed even more impressive.

Jin Guijuan, standing nearby, was utterly stunned. She instinctively took a step back. “Y-you all…?”

Jing Qizhen’s group, who had only walked a few steps toward the villa, turned at the sound of the commotion. They froze at the scene of an armed standoff.

The Earth, observing through Jing Qizhen’s perspective, commented like a moviegoer watching an American action film. “Wow, this is intense!” It nearly clapped in excitement.

Jing Qizhen calmly reminded the Earth, “In this erosion area, there are only these few people. If one of them dies, there’s one less person.”

“Ugh, these people are so annoying,” the Earth immediately changed its tone.

Jing Qizhen echoed lightly, “Yes, very annoying.”

By now, Jing Qizhen’s team fully understood that the cooperation of the trapped Boston group was minimal at best.

Whether due to the pressure of survival brought on by the deaths or the mistrust that had arisen among them, the nine original members had dwindled to five, and the survivors were steeped in suspicion and paranoia. Former friends now saw each other as potential predators lying in wait.

The arrival of Jing Qizhen’s group had disrupted the original ‘snowstorm villa’ scenario but the underlying mutual distrust among the survivors remained.

Jing Qizhen had no illusions. Those foreigners not only mistrusted one another but were also on guard against his entire group.

Manman, growing impatient, muttered under her breath, “Why don’t we just tie these little brats up one by one and interrogate them separately?”

“Calm down, babe,” Si Jiayang whispered, “Don’t get mad. Hitting them would hurt your hands.”

Jing Qizhen’s tone was light but his patience mirrored Manman’s. “I’ve thought about that too, but if something happens suddenly, tying them up might make it impossible for them to escape. They could all end up dead here.”

Old Xiao: “…” While his companions came up with bizarre ways to deal with foreigners, was he the only truly pure-hearted and kind one in the group?

At the site of the conflict, Wilcox appeared calm, though slightly exasperated as he tried to mediate. “Hey, kids, calm down. When I was in college, I was just as impulsive as you. Ah, to be young again!”

“Cousin, you’re only five years older than me.” Joyce rolled his eyes.

Wilcox, undeterred, delivered a precise verbal jab, “Exactly, which is why I’ve already graduated and am no longer as immature as you lot.”

Lu Lingxi and Yan Hong kept their guns trained on McCain, who still had his gun pointed at Caroline.

After a brief standoff, Caroline noticed Lu Lingxi and Yan Hong’s actions. She curled her lips into a sly smile, aimed at McCain’s gun, and said smugly, “What are you planning to do, McCain? Are you thinking of killing all of us? That way, no one will reveal your secret—”

Before she could finish, Lu Lingxi gave Yan Hong a signal and turned his gun toward Caroline. “You stay quiet too, ma’am,” he said sharply.

“You!” Caroline’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Lu Lingxi pushed the barrel of the gun closer to her.

Despite his usual innocent and gentle Bambi-like gaze, Lu Lingxi exuded a genuine air of menace when he turned serious. Dressed in tactical gear and fully armed, his cold demeanor was intimidating enough to make Caroline quickly shut her mouth.

Lu Lingxi kept the gun pointed at her and said decisively, “Let’s start with you, ma’am. Ladies first! Let’s have a chat over there.”

“Hahaha!” McCain suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, McCain flipped his gun around and raised his hands toward Yan Hong. “I mean no harm,” he said.

Yan Hong remained unmoved. “You can place your gun somewhere you think is safe.”

“Okay, okay!” McCain shrugged, re-engaging the gun’s safety before holstering it. “Regarding the murder incidents in the villa, you outsiders hired for this mission are much more trustworthy than anyone in our group.”

Yan Hong gave him a polite but insincere smile. “What a touching revelation.”

Caroline glared resentfully at both McCain and Lu Lingxi but, under Lu Lingxi’s threat, obediently walked forward.

Jin Guijuan saw this and quickly offered, “Little Lu, should I help you take notes?” She figured it would be difficult for him to hold a gun and record simultaneously.

Lu Lingxi finally broke into a genuine smile and, in a small, proud voice, whispered to Jin Guijuan, “Actually, I’m pretty good at taking notes one-handed!”

As Lu Lingxi began his no-nonsense interrogation, Jing Qizhen and the others shifted their attention back to the villa and stepped inside decisively.

Only Old Xiao hesitated, muttering, “Is this really going to be okay?”

“No problem,” Jing Qizhen calmly replied, “Even without the gun, Caroline wouldn’t be able to take Lu Lingxi down.”

Old Xiao: “…Is that really the point here?”

Manman chuckled. “Of course not! The real point is obviously us.”

As she spoke, she tucked the Polaroid camera Lu Lingxi had given her into her pocket. Instead of using it, she opted to take photos of the villa’s interior with her phone, preferring to save the instant prints for later analysis.

The villa was spacious, with remnants of beautiful party decorations still hanging in the first-floor living room.

However, after seven days of confinement, a series of fatal incidents among the nine original occupants reduced the group to five survivors. The once-festive villa had descended into chaos.

With a mounting trust crisis, the survivors frequently clashed over food preparation. Naturally, no one cared about maintaining the villa, which they now regarded as a death trap.

Jing Qizhen was about to suggest, ‘Let’s search the rooms one by one,’ when an overwhelming wave of fatigue suddenly hit him. It stopped him mid-sentence and he instinctively wanted to close his eyes.

Next to him, Manman, Si Jiayang, Old Xiao, and Gu Leshan all swayed slightly as if affected by the same sensation.