INSIDER Chapter 136

A group of five men and two women stumbled toward the villa, pushing and shoving each other. Because they were drunk, several of them were staggering and muttering incoherently, occasionally waving their hands and speaking grandly.

Lu Chu watched them walk away.

They all knew very well that, according to the nature of the “rules,” something was bound to happen to these people soon.

The group that had gone to look for a toilet rounded the last corner, disappearing from Yuan Kejie’s reluctant gaze.

Luo Qi came over. “They’re finally gone.”

Song Gui laughed. “‘Finally’? If Yuan Kejie heard that tone of yours, she would cry.”

Luo Qi looked at him. “Who was the first to dislike them?”

Lu Chu’s voice was gentle. “You both dislike them.”

Qian Zhen and 7 stood by without joining the conversation.

The departure of those people did not cool the atmosphere of the gathering. The remaining people continued to barbecue, drink, chat, and brag.

When everyone had eaten to their fill and couldn’t drink anymore, they suddenly realized that the group who had gone to the toilet hadn’t returned yet.

Someone worriedly said, “Did something happen to them? They’ve been gone so long, they could’ve finished even a long visit to the toilet by now…”

With that, the others also started to worry.

Lu Chu, who had been sitting on the grass, stood up. “I’ll go check on them.”

A thoughtful girl quickly said, “Don’t go alone. Take a few people with you. If they ran into bad people, a small group wouldn’t be able to handle it…”

At this time, everyone still believed in science and didn’t think that the group’s disappearance was due to anything supernatural. They assumed they had run into some trouble.

Sun Haoran, who had been grilling, spoke up. “In that case, I’ll go with you. It was my idea for them to go to the villa to find a toilet. If something happened to them, it’s partly my responsibility.”

Someone speculated, “Maybe the caretaker of the villa caught them sneaking in and detained them for a lecture?”

“No,” Sun Haoran shook his head, “the villa has had no caretaker for a long time. At least no one from our city has seen the current caretaker. Remember, I mentioned that even without anyone tending the estate, the plants and gardens still look meticulously maintained every day.”

Lu Chu heard this and looked at Sun Haoran. “Why did you suggest they go to the villa? I remember the iron gate there is locked.”

According to the clues and hints of this round, “entering the villa” was inevitable, but the suggestion came from Sun Haoran, making Lu Chu question the role he played in this round.

Sun Haoran replied candidly, “The iron gate is locked, but the door to the villa isn’t. There must be toilets inside. Li Yiming didn’t want to go far, so I casually suggested it, and they went. I didn’t think much of it. It’s the 21st century; who still believes in ghosts and spirits? I think they just ran into some other trouble, like Yu Yue said, maybe they were caught by someone.”

Lu Chu nodded, seemingly agreeing with him, but internally, he was contemplating Sun Haoran’s possible role.

The other players didn’t believe Sun Haoran’s explanation because in the “game,” ghosts and spirits were very real. Each “participant” might seem like mere fodder, but they all played specific roles, maintaining the worldview of the “game.”

Given the current situation, Lu Chu set aside his doubts about Sun Haoran and turned to ask the group, “We need more people. Who wants to come along?”

As expected, 7, Song Gui, Qian Zhen, and Luo Qi joined the search party.

Besides the players, Sun Haoran and Wang Heng, as part of the game, also went along.

The rest stayed behind to watch over their belongings and the barbecue equipment.

Initially, Sun Haoran and the others didn’t want Luo Qi to come, thinking she was just a child. Even if she worried about her cousin, it was safer for her to stay put. But after a few struggles and a tantrum, the young men, who couldn’t handle crying children, quickly relented, letting her come along as long as she didn’t get lost.

Considering potential dangers, they found some small knives from their backpacks. Luo Qi took a small coal shovel from the barbecue setup.

They set off towards the villa.

Falling behind, Song Gui whispered to Luo Qi, “I didn’t know you could do that. I underestimated you.”

He was referring to her fake crying to join the team.

Lu Chu, with keen hearing, overheard and chuckled softly. “A typical kid move.”

Luo Qi, feeling embarrassed by their comments, hugged the small shovel and looked away. “Are you idiots? I’m thinking about the bigger picture.”

If she hadn’t gotten their approval and forced her way along, it would’ve caused unnecessary trouble.

Song Gui pretended to be surprised and applauded her. “Impressive, impressive…”

Unable to tolerate it anymore, Luo Qi aimed a kick at Song Gui, but he dodged, laughing as he moved to the front of the group.

Hearing the noise, Sun Haoran turned back. “What’s going on?”

Lu Chu remained calm and gentle. “Nothing, Luo Qi misses her cousin.”

Luo Qi: “…”

7 stayed close to Lu Chu, his eyes full of fondness.

.

The group reached the villa and stopped.

Lu Chu had seen the courtyard before, but it was a first for the others.

Song Gui peered through the intricately carved iron gate. “If it’s true that no one manages this place and it still looks this neat and clean, it’s pretty mysterious.”

“Look!” Wang Heng suddenly pointed at the ground. “There are several footprints. They must have climbed over here!”

Lu Chu squinted, looking towards the villa. Because of the darkness and lack of light, he couldn’t see if the villa door was open.

Song Gui decided, “Let’s climb over.”

He was the first to go over.

Sun Haoran and Wang Heng looked at Luo Qi, hesitating.

Wang Heng crouched slightly. “Little girl, do you need help climbing over?”

Luo Qi gave him a disdainful look, then tucked the small shovel at her waist, took a few steps back, and leaped. In a few swift moves, she scaled the gate, climbed over, and landed inside smoothly.

She took out the small shovel again, holding it to her chest, and looked back at Wang Heng. Wang Heng: “…”

Impressive.

Then Wang Heng awkwardly climbed the gate, taking almost a minute to get over.

Next, Qian Zhen, Song Gui, Lu Chu, and 7 all agilely climbed over, earning Wang Heng’s applause and admiration.

Sun Haoran went last.

He seemed to struggle a bit, not moving smoothly, but eventually climbed over.

7 watched his movements, eyes sharp.

As they walked towards the villa, 7 whispered to Lu Chu, “Sun Haoran is faking it. He should be quite capable.”

Lu Chu looked at Sun Haoran’s back and nodded slightly to 7. “Let’s be cautious.”

Then Lu Chu discreetly informed Song Gui and the others about 7’s observation.

They navigated through the maze-like hedges, past a small fountain, and approached the villa.

Lu Chu and the others focused on the villa. The door was indeed open, but inside was pitch black, like an impenetrable void.

They exchanged glances.

Wang Heng turned on his phone’s flashlight, but it had little effect, the light swallowed by the darkness. The others followed suit, but it was useless. The outside was bright, but inside remained dark.

Wang Heng, feeling uneasy, called out the names of the missing people one by one. “Yuan Kejie, Liu Jia, Yang Tian, Dong Hao… are you in there?”

No response.

Even Wang Heng, who prided himself on his rationality, felt a twinge of fear.

Lu Chu said, “Let’s go in and find them.”

Wang Heng: “Alright… okay.”

They stepped into the darkness.

To their astonishment, once inside, the villa was clean and bright, not at all like nighttime.

Even stranger, Yuan Kejie and the others were there in the central hall, looking serious.

Wang Heng was puzzled. If they were so close to the door, why hadn’t they responded to his shouts?

Seeing Lu Chu and the others, Yuan Kejie was overjoyed. Her team had arrived.

The others looked even more serious. “You’re here?”

Sun Haoran explained, “You’ve been gone so long, we were worried, so we brought a few people to find you.”

“You came, but how will you go back…” Wang Yiming said worriedly.

“Go back?!” Wang Heng asked, confused. “We walk back, of course. How else, crawl?”

“No,” Wang Yiming explained, “As soon as we entered, the door disappeared.”

Wang Heng laughed. “Disappear? How’s that possible? You must be joking. The door is right… there?!”

The door they came through had indeed vanished.