Clue

"Zhang Jingyi?" Yun Xian called out, frowning.

Zhang Jingyi turned around abruptly, as if startled from a nightmare.

Yun Xian’s breath hitched.

Over just a single night, Zhang Jingyi’s face had undergone a horrific transformation. Her skin had lost its smoothness; in its place were large patches of red, swollen, and festering sores. Pustules bulged between the layers of flesh, ready to burst at any moment. A thick, yellowish fluid seeped out, mixing with dark, sanguine blood that snaked down her cheeks. Bits of dead skin peeled away, revealing pale, raw flesh beneath.

The skin on either side of her nose appeared to have been corroded, collapsing into a ghastly, sunken hollow. Her lips were swollen and turned outward, covered in tiny, white pus-filled blisters. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, the lids nearly impossible to open. As tears mingled with the discharge, her entire face looked both grotesque and revolting.

Yun Xian paused, calmly averting her gaze from the disfigurement before asking in a low voice, "What happened to you? When... when did your face become like this?"

Zhang Jingyi’s composure shattered instantly. She lunged for the quilt, wrapping it tightly around herself. "Don't look at me... don't look... I don't know, I don't know what happened... I just woke up like this..." Her sobbing, muffled by the thick bedding, was filled with uncontrollable panic.

Yun Xian stared at the trembling lump under the quilt, her mind racing through various possibilities.

Her face had been perfectly fine just last night. To change into this state in a matter of hours could not possibly be the result of any ordinary skin disease.

A faint scent of decay drifted through the air.

This was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. The old man’s gentle voice drifted through the wood: "Breakfast is ready. Please come downstairs to eat."

Yun Xian cast one last deep look at the huddled figure under the quilt. Her thoughts were in turmoil, but this was not the time for deep investigation. After a moment of hesitation, she took the little girl’s hand and left the room.

When they arrived downstairs, the three boys were already seated, eating in silence. The atmosphere was even more stifling than the night before.

Yun Xian glanced at the food on the table and found today's breakfast unexpectedly ordinary—a few slices of slightly charred toast, paired with fried eggs, bacon, and a glass of warm milk. Compared to the overly exquisite, fragrant feast of the previous night, it was unbelievably plain.

Yun Xian sat down, looked at the simple breakfast, and felt her empty stomach. She hadn't touched a drop of water since the night before and was indeed hungry.

She picked up her knife and fork, tentatively cutting a small piece of egg. After confirming there was nothing amiss, she began to eat.

However, she soon realized the most unusual thing about breakfast today:

Li Zhiqiang was eating far too much.

From the moment she sat down, Li Zhiqiang had barely stopped moving his cutlery.

He devoured his food ravenously, his utensils clattering sharply against the plate. His mouth was stuffed full, the sound of his chewing jarringly loud in the quiet dining room. His movements grew faster and faster, as if driven by some primal instinct, frantically cramming food into his mouth.

It wasn't just Yun Xian; the others had noticed his abnormality as well.

By the time everyone else had finished and set down their cutlery, Li Zhiqiang showed no signs of stopping. He even scraped the leftovers from the table into his mouth, as if no amount of food could satisfy his hunger.

The old man slowly set down his knife and fork, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, glanced at his watch, and asked suddenly, "Where is the other one?" His gaze rested on Yun Xian with a hint of inquiry.

Yun Xian looked up and answered coolly, "She has developed some rashes on her face and does not wish to come down."

The old man smiled slightly and nodded calmly. "Then she should rest well."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed back his chair, stood up to adjust his collar, and looked toward the window, saying with an easy air, "I have some private matters to attend to today. Please, make yourselves at home."

With that, he put on his hat, threw on his coat, and walked out of the villa with a measured gait.

The moment the front door closed, Li Zhiqiang finally stopped his frantic eating. He patted his stomach hard, frowned, and muttered, "Strange... why am I so hungry today?"

The group at the table fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Song Ran’s gaze swept across the room as he broke the silence. "The mission told us to find two people, but from beginning to end, only the old man has appeared as an NPC..."

"It seems the mission isn't as simple as I thought," Li Zhiqiang said, scratching his head with a hollow chuckle.

Yun Xian said nothing. Her knuckles tapped lightly against the tabletop as she fell into deep thought.

The old man... the strange dinner... the locked room... Zhang Jingyi’s face... Li Zhiqiang’s appetite... and the corroded nameplate at the villa entrance with the character "Zhang" engraved on it...

Everything felt like a tightening web closing in around them, chilling them to the bone.

"Let’s split up and look for clues," she said in a low voice.

The group nodded and headed in different directions throughout the villa.

Yun Xian went straight to the third floor, standing at the end of the hallway before the only door that would not open.

The door was pitch black, its handle old and mottled. She gripped it and tried to turn it, but it remained as immovable as if it had been welded shut.

She stepped back, shook out her wrist, and then exerted force, gripping the handle tightly to try and pry it open by sheer strength. But even with her enhanced physique, the door didn't budge. It seemed to be more than just locked.

Yun Xian crouched down to examine the door frame closely, noticing faint scratches on the wood, as if someone had tried to pry it open before. She stared at the door for a moment, ultimately abandoned the idea of a forced entry, and turned toward the bedroom next door.

The door opened at a touch. The air inside held a faint medicinal scent mixed with the smell of aged wood. A black-and-white photograph hung on the wall; the young man in the photo bore a vague resemblance to the old man, though his face lacked the gentleness of age and possessed a sharper, more resolute expression.

The room was meticulously arranged, so tidy that it didn't look like anyone had lived there for a long time. The dark wood furniture was sturdy and ornate, the carvings delicate, and the edges polished to a smooth finish. Every detail exuded rigor and restraint.

Yun Xian began to search quickly. When she pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand, a row of neatly arranged medicine bottles caught her eye.

She picked one up, her fingertips brushing against the glass as she scanned the label on the back.

It was cancer medication, and it had long since expired.

Her brow furrowed, and she checked the other bottles. Almost all of the medications had expired over half a year ago, with the oldest ones having lapsed even earlier.

Clearly, the patient was no longer taking their medicine.

Yun Xian closed the drawer softly. Her eyes darkened, and her suspicions deepened, yet she did not stop, continuing her search.