ATPnovel #583 - Find a room
#583 - Find a room
Qian Jin scratched his hair irritably, the hem of his suit fluttering in the night wind. "This is enough, if I could have come up earlier, nothing would have happened... It's all because the client's requirements are too strict..." His voice was full of regret and impatience.
Tang Yin listened quietly, shaking his head inwardly. He was such a fool to propose the idea of a Divinity River pathogen. Under the moonlight, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.
The night deepened, and the distant mountains were completely swallowed by the mist. From a physical point of view, that level of dense fog was indeed dangerous, with visibility almost zero. As a reason to stay indoors, it was more than sufficient. Tang Yin looked at Qian Jin's slightly flustered figure, lost in thought.
Qian Jin seemed to believe this superficial reason, and, with his confident appearance, he was obviously certain that he would not lose his life because of it. But Tang Yin was thinking that if he really knew the danger lurking in the fog, he wouldn't come to Wuyin Village at this time.
A cool breeze blew, carrying the unique dampness of the mountains. It seemed that not every elder knew all the secrets. Tang Yin's gaze turned to the faintly visible old house in the distance, where Hua Lu lived. However, Hua Lu definitely knew something; her clear yet unfathomable eyes held too many secrets. If possible, he should find a chance to ask her again.
Suddenly, Tang Yin's thoughts stalled, as if struck by something. ... Huh? He seemed to have heard something strange just now. He recalled Qian Jin's words, what did he mean by 'because of the fog, many people died...'?
At this moment, Zhao Gang's words suddenly echoed in his mind: "Have you seen the landslide site above? Eight years ago, something happened there during Qian Jin's construction."
"They found it terrifying and didn't even clean it up. In the end, I dug up the workers' bodies and buried them." Zhao Gang's expression was unusually grave at the time.
... Zhao Gang said that he buried the workers' bodies. Tang Yin frowned, connecting the clues in his mind. However, the landslide happened during the fog, which meant it happened during the Yellow Springs Feast. So, he had participated in the feast before?
Recalling the last time, in fact, most of the people in Wuyin Village showed a state of ignorance, fear, and panic towards the dense fog. Their eyes were filled with fear of the unknown, like trapped beasts in a maze.
However, Gao Zhijie seemed unusually calm, and the always drunk Wolf Grandpa kept babbling about "The wolf is coming." Tang Yin couldn't help but think that they were very likely to have participated in the feast before. After all, that kind of composure was definitely not something ordinary people could possess.
... The situation of the others is unclear. And even if I knew, so what?" Tang Yin shook his head with a wry smile, the night wind messing up his hair.
But one thing was certain: the survivors of the feast would admit, or at least condone, the act of killing. This terrible truth weighed on Tang Yin's heart like a boulder, making him feel suffocated. The distant fog seemed to be silently mocking him, burying all the secrets in this strange white hell.
As night fell, Tang Yin's thoughts drifted to Wang Lina. Her slightly pale face appeared before his eyes, with a hint of subtle panic in her eyes. And the three students, their fates seemed to be shrouded in this misty mystery.
Qian Jin stood under the courtyard lights, impeccably dressed in his suit, but unable to hide the fatigue between his brows. "... But the people of the main family," he murmured to himself, his voice filled with unspeakable complex emotions.
"By the way, Qian Jin," Tang Yin suddenly said, his voice clearly cutting through the silence of the night sky.
Qian Jin turned slightly, "Hmm?"
"Is that construction site on Qian Jin's land?" Tang Yin looked directly into the other's eyes, trying to catch any subtle changes in expression.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Qian Jin's tone was calm, as if talking about something ordinary.
"Can I borrow that mobile home?" Tang Yin asked, carefully considering his words, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the misty hillside in the distance.
Qian Jin narrowed his eyes, "... Use it? What do you want to do?" His voice carried a hint of vigilance.
"For stranded outsiders, staying there overnight is better than staying in a car, right?" Tang Yin explained skillfully, his voice carrying just the right amount of pleading.
"... Hmm." Qian Jin nodded thoughtfully.
Tang Yin watched his back, thinking that he would definitely find an excuse to refuse, such as "I'm an elder, why should I worry about the affairs of Wuyin Village," but the current development was really unexpected.
Before long, Qian Jin returned. He held an old-fashioned key with a bronze sheen in his hand, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
"... This should be the key. After the accident, the former family head put it here. I saw it in the key box," Qian Jin's tone carried a hint of reminiscence.
"I am grateful!" Tang Yin said sincerely, stepping forward.
"Wait, did I say I would lend it to you?" Qian Jin suddenly withdrew his hand, "What's more, I'm an elder, why should I worry about the affairs of Wuyin Village?"
He was waiting for him here?! Tang Yin smiled wryly in his heart.
"... You're right, I'm very sorry..." Tang Yin lowered his head slightly, feigning an apologetic look.
"Hmph, just kidding, I didn't say I wouldn't lend it to you." Qian Jin's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.
Hmph, so tsundere? Tang Yin complained inwardly.
"You are different from Zhao Gang or Wang Lina and those people, you know how to respect elders," Qian Jin said seriously, "In that case, even if you are from Wuyin Village, I will not stand idly by. After all, elders have an obligation to maintain the peace of Baifeng Village."
"... I am grateful." Tang Yin thanked him sincerely again. I see, he thought to himself, regardless of whether he has the corresponding ability or not, this Qian Jin is really the type who upholds noble obligations.
Taking the key, Tang Yin's gaze turned to the hillside shrouded in mist in the distance. Let's see if this mobile home is still usable, he thought silently, the key in his hand gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
Pushing open the door of the mobile home, a damp, musty smell rushed towards him. Tang Yin stood at the door, his eyes sweeping over the empty room. Except for a rusty sink in the corner, all the facilities and supplies had been moved away, leaving only mottled walls telling the story of the past.
Moonlight streamed in diagonally from the broken window, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor. Shards of tile were scattered on the cold floor, making a soft crackling sound when stepped on. Tang Yin squatted down, wiping the ground with his hand, and dust smeared on his fingertips.
"Not too bad," he mused to himself. As long as he cleaned it up a bit and laid down some blankets or cardboard, it would be barely habitable. His gaze fell on the old sink. He walked over and twisted the rusty faucet, and sure enough, not a drop of water came out. However, using a bucket to fetch some water to wipe his body should be enough.
Finding this empty room was already a stroke of good luck within misfortune. As for the dormitory, given the current situation, he had no position to demand it. Tang Yin leaned against the wall, his thoughts gradually becoming clearer. In any case, investigating from the dormitory side would be more effective than aimlessly asking around.
A cool breeze blew in from the broken window, and Tang Yin couldn't help but shiver. If he couldn't save them even like this, then everything he had done would really be in vain. "Forget it," he shook his head, glanced at his watch, "It's only noon now, there should still be time."
Just then, his stomach protested untimely. Indeed, he hadn't eaten anything since morning. Just as he was thinking about finding something to eat, an indescribable fishy stench suddenly entered his nostrils. The smell was neither the ordinary smell of garbage nor the smell of sewage.
This smell was more like... the smell of decaying animals.
Tang Yin's heart tightened, and the memory of the last time instantly flooded his mind. Could it be that a corpse had already appeared? Ignoring the thought that it should still be safe now, he rushed towards the direction of the smell.
— Thump!
The violent impact made him stagger back, as if he had hit an invisible wall. His vision blurred, and a low voice came from his ear: "What?"
"... Ah..." Tang Yin rubbed his aching forehead, stunned in place. Only when his vision refocused did he realize that he had bumped into Gao Zhijie, the hunter from Wuyin Village.
"Are you that guy?" Gao Zhijie's voice came through the mask, sounding somewhat muffled.
This was the first time Tang Yin had seen Gao Zhijie so closely. She had a hunting rifle slung across her back, but even more striking was the uniquely shaped mask she wore on her face. Recalling the first time he met Granny Rong, she also wore a similar mask. He didn't take a close look at the time due to the urgency of the situation, but now that he thought about it, this kind of dress was indeed extraordinary.
"... Sorry, I smelled a strange smell, so I wanted to see if something was wrong," Tang Yin explained, secretly observing the other party's reaction.
"It's cured beast meat," Gao Zhijie replied briefly.
"Huh?"
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"Curing beast meat for the reporter to eat," Gao Zhijie added, his tone as flat as if discussing the weather.
Tang Yin then remembered that Xia Hui had indeed come for Wuyin Village's exotic cuisine. He looked at Gao Zhijie's eyes, which were faintly visible behind the mask, and felt that there were some unknown secrets hidden within.
Gao Zhijie turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and gave a low warning through the mask: "Be careful, young man."
The tone carried some kind of deep meaning, making Tang Yin's heart tighten. He pretended to be calm and showed a polite smile: "Okay, um, may I ask your name?"
"Gao Zhijie." The other party replied briefly, his voice sounding as if it came from a very far away.
Before the words were finished, Gao Lao Bo had already left with steady steps. He carried a package tightly wrapped in kraft paper in his left hand, presumably to pick up the bento. Tang Yin watched his receding back and couldn't help but swallow.
"..."
Even through the heavy hunting clothes, one could see Gao Zhijie's formidable physique. Those solid chest muscles and broad shoulders were completely unlike the physique of an old man of his age. This contrast made Tang Yin feel a strange feeling in his heart.
He quickly shook his head, inwardly mocking himself for being like a young girl who was just beginning to feel love, actually thinking wildly about an old man's figure.
But now at least he knew that the pungent smell was from the special cuisine being prepared in the kitchen. Tang Yin took a deep breath, sorted out his thoughts, and pushed open the door of the cafeteria.
Warm light immediately enveloped him, and the cafeteria was filled with the aroma of various mixed seasonings. Madam Chen Xiang, who was busy, raised her head and glanced at him with slight dissatisfaction: "Oh... where did you go? Come and help quickly."
Tang Yin's heart tightened, and he secretly thought it was terrible, he had to find a way to save his impression score in Madam Chen Xiang's heart. He quickly explained: "Ah... sorry, I had something to go to Qian Jin just now."
"Something? Did Qin Zhi tell you to do it?" Wang Lina suddenly interjected, her eyes carrying a bit of suspicion.
Tang Yin glanced around the cafeteria. Besides the owner and the guests napping in the corner, there were only two reporters, Xia Hui and Zhou Zhengxiong, who were intently filming and recording something. Looking at their serious work, Tang Yin couldn't help but feel a little emotional. They probably thought that tonight's accommodation was already settled, so they could be so focused. But in reality, their accommodation problem was far from being truly solved.
"Sorry to interrupt your work," Tang Yin cleared his throat, "Qian Jin was worried that it would be inconvenient for you to spend the night in the car tonight, so he lent me the key to the mobile home."
"Oh," Xia Hui stopped the camera in her hand and looked at him in surprise.
Wang Lina exclaimed even more exaggeratedly: "Eh eh eh eh? Qian Jin that idiot... did he really say that!?"
Tang Yin silently thanked Wang Lina in his heart for unintentionally revealing the information, it seemed that they usually called Qian Jin that.
"By the way," he continued, "there seem to be other empty rooms, maybe we can find a way to borrow them, after all, it's better to spend the night in a house."
Xia Hui smiled gently: "Um~ I appreciate your kindness, but actually, there's no need to force yourself to ask for a room to stay in."
This kind of consideration was indeed what normal people would have in mind. However, Wang Lina suddenly became excited: "Aunt Chen Xiang, let's borrow the empty rooms in the dormitory for them! If we're not even as good as Qian Jin, it's simply a disgrace to Wuyin Village!"
"Um, um," Madam Chen Xiang said with some difficulty, "I can't say much about this matter, but, although there are no strange people in Wuyin Village, it's true that letting young women spend the night in the car is..."
Just then, a familiar voice came from the door: "Chen Xiang, is the bento ready?"
Tang Yin's heart tightened, the key figure had finally appeared. Granny Rong stood at the door, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces: "... What's wrong?"
"Qian Jin lent me the key to the mobile home, so at least one person can sleep in the house," Tang Yin looked directly into Granny Rong's eyes, trying to capture her subtle changes in expression.
"Oh... this..." Granny Rong's tone was hesitant, as if weighing something.