Chapter 5: The First Victim

Self-introduction is important.

It affects others’ first impression of you.

So Wu Xian decided to make his first impression a bad one.

“Cough, cough… I’m Wu Xian. I came to Fuyuan for medical treatment—I’m in poor health and need everyone’s help.”

Wu Xian didn’t know much about Fudi and didn’t fully trust Qi Zhiyong’s word, so he planned to hide his true abilities for now.

The people standing beside Wu Xian stepped back, but Yue Mei, the nurse, gave him a concerned look.

Wu Xian frowned and asked: “Why me?”

Wen Chao was old and frail, but calm and well-read; such old men often proved useful in unexpected ways.

Wu Xian licked his lips—it wasn’t a statue, but a living person encased in concrete!

He ventured: “Can you speak?”

Wu Xian briefly searched the room, picked up a pink-cased phone, held it to the sunlight, and easily cracked her gesture password using the oil traces left on the screen.

Wu Xian walked over, picked up a shard of wood, and poked at it.

“This ID ‘Dominant Little Puppy’—is he her boyfriend? Twenty-five transfers in seven days? Pfft, what an idiot—he’s clearly emotionally abusing you, girl.”

“Lu Yuzhu, 26, just two years into her job—prime age.”

Obtaining exclusive firsthand information might help him survive in Fudi.

Or perhaps the way one entered Fudi differed, and so did the restrictions.

Wu Xian’s face flushed slightly: “My kidneys aren’t good.”

Qi Zhiyong immediately fell silent.

…

Qi Zhiyong led Wu Xian to the door of Room 405.

Qi Zhiyong nodded in satisfaction, standing far off, waiting for Wu Xian’s findings.

Who told you to play the fool to catch the tiger?

You’ve gone too far!

…

Thinking of Wu Xian, Qi Zhiyong frowned.

After waiting a while, Qi Zhiyong grew irritated.

As for Wu Xian…

Yue Mei shook her head pityingly—she couldn’t help him.

That was it.

“Wait, don’t leave yet.”

“Daylight is relatively safe and precious—we must use this time to gather intelligence, weapons, food, and drinking water.”

“Since everyone’s still alive, it means the evil can’t break in at will—but the occupant of 405 was broken into last night. For everyone’s safety, I need you to enter 405 and tell me why he died.”

While the survivors introduced themselves, Qi Zhiyong had been observing everyone.

But regardless of which possibility, the phone now belonged to Wu Xian—it could be immensely useful.

Yet her movements continued.

Wu Xian sighed.

How long is this kid going to dawdle at the door?

The moment he thought this, he saw Wu Xian pick up several large wood splinters, arrange them against the door, then reach behind and shove hard.

Was his acting too clumsy, exposing his detective identity?

And beneath the footprint, a woman’s palm print pressed into the muddy water!

Qi Zhiyong immediately scanned other doors—most were clean, but on Fang Zhi’s Room 407 door, there was an identical female palm print.

“If you understand me, don’t blink.”

What surprised him was that Wu Xian didn’t enter immediately—he crouched before the door, chin in hand, studying it.

Shi Ji looked honest and sturdy—he’d make a good helper.

He immediately realized this palm print was some kind of mark.

“But if you want to come back alive, remember this: return before midnight, don’t wait until dark; don’t approach statues—they’re usually dangerous; and avoid overly dark spaces.”

As for why she was still alive despite her condition—that’s just the miracle of the evil’s power; look at that sign across the street—the one with an empty belly still sticking out its tongue.

“I have something you need to do.”

“That’s the situation. Everyone, disperse.”

The crowd immediately scattered—some returned to their rooms, others rushed out. They wouldn’t believe Qi Zhiyong’s empty words—they had to see Fudi with their own eyes to judge its truth.

“She made over a dozen outgoing calls—she desperately needed someone to share her panic.”

Her tears, her blinking—mere biological reflexes. She had no self-awareness left—equivalent to brain death.

Through the phone’s contents, Lu Yuzhu’s image grew vivid in Wu Xian’s mind—he could roughly guess how such a woman would react upon arriving in Fudi.

Without Qi Zhiyong watching, Wu Xian relaxed considerably.

In Qi Zhiyong’s mind, he ranked the other eight by usefulness.

A massive footprint!

Either the entity managing Fudi wanted to watch people suffer.

No matter how the 405 occupant died, anyone entering 405 to investigate risked the same fate. Qi Zhiyong deemed Wu Xian the least useful, so he assigned him this dangerous task.

He Qiong’s attitude was arrogant—clearly, like him, she was a ‘Favored One’—best not provoke him, or his two sisters either.

Qi Zhiyong called out to Wu Xian.

“What’s wrong with you? Is there anything I can help with?”

No wonder everyone believed him so easily—Wu Xian looked utterly ill.

Qi Zhiyong waved impatiently: “Don’t ask so much—someone has to investigate. Didn’t you just agree to follow my orders?”

Wu Xian gave a self-deprecating smile.

But Wu Xian didn’t refuse—it was exactly what he wanted to investigate himself.

The hole in the door had been pushed shut by Wu Xian’s shove, leaving a clear impression on the wooden surface.

Fang Zhi was young and highly educated—he should’ve been useful—but his constant sullen defiance marked him for death; such a man was perfect to manipulate into being cannon fodder.

His pale skin, heavy dark circles—even without faking illness, he looked like a man with severe kidney deficiency, let alone the gum bleeding from brushing too hard this morning…

The room’s layout matched his own Room 406 exactly—no unusual furnishings—but one object had a shocking visual impact.

The remaining five were likely ordinary people swept into Fudi.

But what baffled Wu Xian was—why could her phone enter Fudi, while his turned into origami?

The statue suddenly opened its eyes and blinked frantically at Wu Xian, tears pouring out and darkening the surrounding concrete.

Inside the room, beside the bed, a naked woman knelt on the floor, chest thrust forward, arms outstretched, head raised as if flying—her arms sculpted into wings, lifelike and masterfully crafted.

It was a concrete statue.

Though slightly annoyed.

…

A strange man—trapped in danger, yet showing no tension, looking like a sickly wreck, yet provoking me on first meeting… utterly worthless trash.

Wu Xian had long wanted to explore—he smiled, ready to head down.

She responded to Yu Yinghua last night—she may have even opened the door for her!

Yue Mei knew some medical knowledge, but her emotions were unstable—she might fail at a critical moment, so she couldn’t be entrusted with important tasks.

For someone like Wu Xian, who acted decisively, even the steel wires in his clothes were taken away; yet Lu Yuzhu, a panicked ordinary woman, was allowed to bring in her phone—a useful tool.

Seeing his expression, Wu Xian suddenly understood.

The statue kept blinking frantically. Wu Xian pried open her lips and found her mouth filled with concrete.

Fang Zhi was already marked by the evil—tonight’s victim would be him!

After checking the door, Wu Xian entered the room. Qi Zhiyong hesitated, then didn’t follow—he had far greater value than Wu Xian and couldn’t risk himself needlessly.

Update times: daily at 5:00 PM and 5:05 PM. During new book period, two updates daily. Don’t complain about the quantity—this genre is genuinely hard to write.

Really…

(End of Chapter)