Chapter Two: The Holiday Villa (Part 2)

However, the scene she had imagined did not unfold; instead, everyone looked at her with baffled expressions. “What are you talking about? What mission?” they asked.

Hu Meili pursed her lips. “Forget it, it’s pointless trying to explain anything to you bunch of NPCs. It’s nothing, really.”

Hu Kan, on the other hand, looked embarrassed. “Sorry, everyone. My girlfriend wasn’t like this before.”

Trying to ease the awkwardness, he continued, “But we really do need to figure out who made that mysterious phone call. The person called us here—there must be some reason, right?”

Everyone agreed with his reasoning and chose to ignore Hu Meili for the moment, but exchanged uncertain glances. Find out, yes, but how?

Su Man took out her phone. “We have the number. Why not call it back and see?”

Everyone looked at her, but she put her phone away again and glanced at them.

“Should we call?” Zhou Bin asked tentatively, and the others fixed their eyes on her.

“Sorry, I don’t call strangers,” Su Man replied bluntly.

“Ah... I see, well... I’ll do it then.” Zhou Bin hadn’t expected such an answer, coughed awkwardly, and took on the task.

But the phone had no signal. Everyone pulled out their phones and discovered none of them had service.

Their gazes converged on the landline sitting on the coffee table.

“Beep...”

“Beep...”

To Su Man’s surprise, the call actually went through.

Yet—

No ringtone sounded anywhere nearby.

Su Man quietly observed everyone’s expressions.

No one seemed especially fazed; they simply crowded around, curious, listening to the phone.

“Zzz—”

“Zzzzz—”

The call was suddenly answered, and a harsh, crackling static came through.

Everyone waited silently for a voice from the other end.

“Is it you? Are you the one who called us?” Zhou Bin’s voice suddenly broke the concentration, startling everyone. Embarrassed by the stares, he smiled sheepishly and explained in a low voice, “That static is making me uneasy, just trying to steady myself... But I need to use the bathroom—can’t hold it any longer.”

Looking awkward, he shoved the receiver into Hu Kan’s hands and hurried off to find the restroom.

The static grew more urgent. Hu Kan, now closest to the phone, felt a chill run down his spine from Zhou Bin’s words, goosebumps rising. As he looked to the others, silently asking if they should hang up, a voice suddenly emerged from the receiver.

“You will all pay the price,” it rasped—a voice drawn out and hoarse, rough as if scraping across sandpaper.

The sound seemed to be broadcasted, unnaturally clear in everyone’s ears.

Hu Meili rubbed her arms, whispering, “Is Zhou Bin just trying to spook us?”

Su Man had thought the same, but she noticed Hu Kan exchanging a glance with the woman from upstairs, and, as if frightened, he tossed the receiver aside.

“What’s wrong? Do you know who it is?” Su Man wasn’t about to let them dodge the question, immediately pressing them.

“No, no, I don’t know.” Hu Kan wiped invisible sweat from his forehead, shaken. “I was just startled.”

“You definitely know, Hu Kan. Didn’t you say I’m your girlfriend? If you don’t tell the others, you should at least tell me. Or do you not love me anymore?” Hu Meili suddenly seemed inspired, but Hu Kan had no intention of responding and even snapped at her, “Stop bothering me! I told you I don’t know anything!”

With that, Hu Kan flung his sleeve and stormed upstairs, followed closely by the woman who had exchanged glances with him.

Hu Meili bit her lip in frustration, hesitated, and then followed.

Su Man and the remaining few exchanged glances.

They were not familiar with Su Man and offered polite, awkward smiles before heading upstairs as well.

Su Man pondered—clearly, the key lay with Hu Kan and that woman.

The receiver still dangled at the edge of the table. Su Man glanced at the landline’s screen: the call had disconnected.

She picked up the receiver to return it to its place, but the moment she did, a voice suddenly came through.

“Zzz—Zzz—You’re next, Su Man.”

“Su Man!”

A shout behind her overlapped with the voice from the phone.

She slammed the receiver down and turned, only to see Hu Meili standing at the top of the stairs, expressionless and staring at her.

For two seconds, Hu Meili said nothing, then turned and left, as if she’d come only to say her name.

Just as Su Man was about to follow, she remembered the words she’d heard through the phone and halted abruptly.

Hu Meili returned again, still standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at her.

The two were locked in a silent standoff; the room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Finally, Hu Meili spoke first, “Su Man, Zhou Bin is dead. You’re next.”

She stood in the shadow, and whether it was a trick of the light or not, Su Man felt her eyes were especially dark. Her heart raced, unsure if from excitement or fear.

Just as she was about to ask, a piercing scream from a woman echoed in the distance.

Turning, she saw Hu Meili had vanished.

“What happened? What’s going on?” The commotion brought the others, and Hu Meili was among them.

“Su Man, what’s wrong?” Hu Kan frowned and asked.

“I don’t know,” Su Man steadied herself and answered honestly.

“Don’t know your own name?” Hu Meili, having been rebuffed by Hu Kan and Aya, vented her anger on Su Man.

“I didn’t shout. It wasn’t me.” Su Man looked at her twice, speaking truthfully.

“If not you, who else? There are only three women here, Aya and I were upstairs, you were downstairs!” Hu Meili was still furious.

“Right, where’s Zhou Bin?” Hu Kan, uninterested in Hu Meili’s quarrel, was struck by her words and finally remembered Zhou Bin had gone to the restroom.

“Zhou Bin might be dead,” Su Man said, her tone uncertain.

The air froze instantly; everyone stared at her with strange eyes.

“Hu Meili told me,” Su Man pointed in Hu Meili’s direction.

“Don’t make things up! Hu Kan, I’ve been with you the whole time!” Hu Meili, both scared and angry, turned to Hu Kan for support. “We were together, never left the room—how could I have told her?”