Chapter 206: Black Screen

Hotel sixth floor.

The room directly opposite the first-floor lobby.

It was a luxurious suite, primarily divided into two parts: one an office, the other a lounge; on the desk beside the office stood a red-robed deity statue.

The lounge was fully equipped with appliances: air conditioning, television, computer…

After the accident, Wonder Island was sealed off, so everything in the hotel remained intact—even the glass showed little damage, and all facilities were fully functional.

If this were on land, such an abandoned building would long ago have been stripped bare by Wu Xian, who dealt in secondhand furniture.

Although the island had lost power.

But Yan Ting had brought a generator and batteries; the mercenaries had brought the batteries too, and two high-brightness camping lamps easily illuminated the entire room.

During the earlier group discussion.

Yan Ting had said they needed to find the missing worker.

But from the start, he had no intention of risking himself—he planned to hide in a safe room for the night and claim the next day that he hadn't found him.

Even if exposed, he wasn't afraid; the greatest military power on Wonder Island was in his hands.

After entering the room.

Yan Ting first bowed respectfully to the red-robed deity statue, then sat on the soft sofa and exhaled comfortably.

"Search this room thoroughly, leave no hidden danger unexamined; if you find anything like a safe, let me know."

As the other four mercenaries moved to act, Luo Shiyi raised his right hand.

All four halted at once.

Yan Ting's expression changed slightly.

This meant Luo Shiyi's command authority superseded his.

These mercenaries had never met before; yet Luo Shiyi had won the trust of the other four in such a short time—unthinkable.

Luo Shiyi sat on the office desk and asked Yan Ting in a solemn tone.

"I need more detailed intelligence about this island."

Yan Ting frowned: "I paid you. You only need to do your job."

Luo Shiyi shook his head.

"You can only spend money if you're alive. The situation on this island has exceeded the scope of mercenary work. If you don't give me satisfactory answers, we won't follow any more of your orders."

"What I said is the truth."

Luo Shiyi sneered: "Don't treat us as brainless brutes. I've dealt with plenty of employers like you—saying one thing, thinking another. Do you really think no one knows what you did last night?"

Yan Ting's face turned pale; after several shifts in expression, he sighed.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

"I did conceal some things, but I had reasons…"

The story began ten years ago.

To outsiders, Yan Ting's father was a refined, successful businessman; but to Yan Ting, his father was moody and erratic—sometimes hugging him and crying, other times raging and beating him, practically a madman.

At the time, Yan Ting was in university, studying on the other side of the Earth, where the Yan family also owned many businesses.

When leaving the island, his father hugged him and said something inexplicable: "I'll try to stop all of this. If I fail, never come back."

His father had always been strange, so Yan Ting didn't take it seriously—until the morning after he moved into his dormitory, he received a call from his father.

"Come back to Wonder Island immediately. I'm officially transferring all my assets to you."

The contradiction in his father's words left Yan Ting utterly baffled.

But Yan Ting immediately bought a ticket; after all, his life goal then was to wait for the old man to drop gold coins…

He slung a small bag over his shoulder and arrived at the airport.

But before boarding, he received a police notification: his entire family had died at midnight last night; the TV was broadcasting news of the Wonder Island incident…

The bag slipped from Yan Ting's hands.

Recalling that recent phone call, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"After that, I inherited all of the Yan family's assets except Wonder Island, and I kept my father's words—I never set foot on Wonder Island again."

"But two months ago, 'the God' found me. He told me to return to Wonder Island and finish what my father failed to do. I also wanted to know the truth behind my family's deaths, so I came back…"

Luo Shiyi asked in a low voice: "What was it your father failed to finish?"

Yan Ting spread his hands: "If I knew, I wouldn't be here. This is my father's office—I think it might hide key information."

"You came back alone—why bring us?"

Yan Ting sighed helplessly: "What I said at the beginning wasn't a lie. I was only responsible for paying. Everything else was arranged by 'the God.' I'm just as clueless as you."

…

While Yan Ting and Luo Shiyi spoke, two mercenaries had grown bored: one named Long Wo, the other Chu Feng.

Luo Shiyi was not a brainless brute.

But these two were.

Chu Feng walked to the window, pulled it open, gazed far out at the sea; the cool wind scattered his troubles. Watching the moon's reflection on the water, his mood instantly cleared.

Long Wo was fiddling with the computer.

He was trying to power it on; though it couldn't connect to the internet, perhaps the games inside still worked.

Strange things abounded on this island—who knew if they'd live till morning? He was a gamer at heart; better to play while still safe, so at least he wouldn't die feeling cheated.

After considerable effort, he connected the battery to the computer.

He expected the machine, unused for ten years, to be dead—but with a familiar hum, it actually powered on.

Long Wo rubbed his hands in delight; any game would do—even Solitaire was a luxury under these conditions.

The other two mercenaries also turned their gazes toward him.

Luo Shiyi swept a glance and did not stop them.

First, they had only just met not long ago, and the pressure the ghosts brought was too great; the mercenaries rarely had a chance to relax. Ordering them not to entertain themselves in such a situation might shatter the fragile superior-subordinate relationship.

Second, reality is not a novel; expecting everyone to act in the most reasonable way for the current environment is itself unreasonable.

Third, the computer might contain the data Yan Ting wanted, helping them further unravel the mystery of this island.

After a brief blue screen.

Long Wo did not see the familiar 'Hongjun 7' system desktop; the entire display was pitch black.

He gave a helpless, bitter smile: "As expected, it can't be played with — after all, ten years have passed."

But Long Wo quickly realized something was off. This black screen seemed different from before — the blackness had distinct layers and was faintly, slowly moving.

He instinctively reached out to touch it, and his body immediately began to tremble, his teeth chattering up and down nonstop.

What he touched was not the display screen, but some kind of slender, smooth, black filament…

It was hair!

Whoosh!

Countless strands of black hair surged out from the screen!

(End of this chapter)