Chapter 57: Sorry

You can't keep masturbating for a lifetime.

Not long after Qin Menglan left, Tang Luo received an invitation to meet up.

The Pear Flower Paranormal Tales Association's paranormal exploration meet‑up invitation.

The time is 10 p. m. this Saturday.

The meeting place is an abandoned building on the outskirts of this city.

More precisely, it's a half‑mountainside villa that was left unfinished.

It was originally intended to be a villa district, with a few buildings constructed as a test.

But shortly after construction began, problems arose.

Things like a broken capital chain.

In the end, nobody took it over.

It became a 'wilderness' with two and a half villas.

Two years ago, a homeless person's corpse was found there.

Rumors among the folk are all over the place—everything you can imagine.

Later, according to the police report, it was actually an accidental death.

It can barely be considered a 'dream spot' for the city's paranormal enthusiasts.

Someone once posted photos of their own expedition on the forum.

This time it's not a whole group participating.

The participants, including Tang Luo, number thirteen.

Three of them said they're undecided and will decide based on the situation.

The other ten are sure to come.

They'll bring their own gear and rations, aiming for a perfect expedition.

Anyway, the organizer—that is, the group leader Lao Niang Mengmengna—told Tang Luo this.

It looks much more exciting than the previous event, which was read as 'Paranormal Exploration' but written as 'Bonfire Party Mixer'.

"Don't let me down this time."

Saturday night, Tang Luo sat in the back seat of the car, silently thinking to himself.

The driver up front occasionally glanced at Tang Luo through the rearview mirror.

What are you doing out in the suburbs this late at night?

"Young man, what are you doing out so late?"

Upon reaching the nearby destination, the driver couldn't help but ask.

This time Tang Luo didn't deliberately wear flashy, exaggerated clothes; he was just in casual attire.

"Oh, I made plans to go exploring with someone." Tang Luo said.

"You can still explore here?" the driver exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Are there unexplored exploration spots on the city's outskirts?"

No way—this old driver's reputation is about to collapse!

I have to get to the bottom of this.

"What kind of exploration? Is it exciting? What's the format? How much does it cost?"

"Uh, I mean a normal exploration." Tang Luo looked at the driver's expression and gave a helpless explanation.

Damn internet age, ruining so many words.

"Oh."

The old driver instantly lost interest.

Heh, today's youngsters really have energy.

Seeing the old driver off in a cloud of dust, Tang Luo opened his phone, messaged the group, and asked, "I'm here—where are you guys?"

Within three seconds, Lao Niang Mengmengna sent a location: "We're all here, just waiting for you."

"Coming."

Tang Luo replied with a sentence.

The others were already beside the two lonely villas on the mountain.

The once‑repaired road still exists, though much of it has been reclaimed by weeds.

Late at night, many places have no roads.

Fortunately, for Tang Luo, none of that is a problem.

He walked alone, moving lightly, with no intention of having anyone pick him up.

While Tang Luo was leisurely heading up the mountain.

One could say the villa's main gate was basically complete, with water and electricity done and some interior work already underway.

A group of people stood together.

Their flashlights swayed in their hands.

"He's here, on his way up."

One woman said in a "86, heading up the mountain!" tone, "Are you all ready?"

"No problem."

The others nodded in agreement.

They looked fully prepared.

It's time to show our true skills!

About ten minutes later, outside the villa, a black shadow appeared, holding a small flashlight with ordinary brightness, casually swaying it.

"I'm here, where are you guys?"

Looking at the half-open villa courtyard gate, Tang Luo called out.

"Here, here."

Someone replied and walked out.

"Xuanzang?"

That person asked.

"Yes, who are you?"

Tang Luo shone a light on the newcomer's face, then quickly moved it away.

Although Tang Luo had seen a few people post their own photos in the group.

But those who dare to post photos in the group…… are naturally fake.

Everyone understands that.

Tang Luo himself just glanced at it, with no intention of remembering it at all.

The woman appearing before him, Tang Luo really didn't know who she was.

He only knew that this person might be courting death, becoming his source of merit.

"Old lady, cute and bubbly, group leader." The woman asked, "Wang Shuishui, you can just call me Old Wang."

The woman before him looked not young; she seemed to be around thirty years old.

She carried a backpack and held a flashlight.

On her head she wore a special hat.

On the hat were mounted two things: one was a lamp, the other looked like a camera.

She had the tone of a working adult, not like a college student.

"Okay, Old Wang." Tang Luo, accepting advice readily, made Wang Shuishui stare for a moment.

She had never before met someone who called her Old Wang so directly, without any hesitation.

Don't you know to be polite?

"Where are the others?" Tang Luo swayed his flashlight, seeing no one besides Wang Shuishui.

"They couldn't help but go in first." Wang Shuishui pointed at the half-open main door of the villa and said, "Let's go too."

"Okay." Tang Luo nodded.

He led the way to the doorway.

"Wait for me, I'm recording, you don't mind, do you?" Wang Shuishui said, "Every expedition is a journey worth commemorating."

She pointed to the hat on her head.

The camera on it flashed red light intermittently.

"No." Tang Luo said, and was about to push the door open wider.

Just as he reached out to touch the door, he heard a loud bang from upstairs.

Like the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

"Ah!"

Behind him, Wang Shuishui's shout was a bit louder than the previous sound.

Tang Luo turned his head, his expression somewhat strange.

"Heh."

Wang Shuishui laughed and said, "I'm actually quite timid, but I just love these spooky things."

"Hmm."

Tang Luo nodded and pushed open the door.

He saw a black shadow standing in the room, motionless, facing the two of them.

"Ahhhh!"

Wang Shuishui screamed again.

One really wanted to stuff her mouth—with a rag.

"Where did this dummy come from?"

Tang Luo shone his flashlight on that black shadow.

It turned out to be a dummy, a mannequin from a clothing store.

Except it wasn't the usual white, but a relatively rare black.

With head, hands, and feet intact, it was placed inside the villa, facing directly toward the door.

It certainly scared quite a few people.

"A dummy..."

Wang Shuishui behind him exhaled, then tugged at Tang Luo's sleeve and asked, "That—Monk Xuanzang, aren't you afraid?"

"Not afraid."

Tang Luo said, "Didn't I mention my profession? Professional demon-subduing and evil-exorcising, ghost-driving and enlightening—how could I be afraid?"

Saying that, he also took out a business card.

Wang Shuishui took a look—Demon-Subduing and Evil-Exorcising, Ghost-Driving and Enlightenment Society, President Xuanzang.

Then came the phone and online contact information.

On the back, meanwhile, there was a saying: "Do the work first, collect payment later; if it's not effective, no charge."

"..."

Wang Shuishui looked at Tang Luo, speechless.

Originally thought it was just an adolescent delusion.

Never expected it to be a terminal illness that had already penetrated the vitals!

This kind of person is hard to deal with.

"Those guys…… I don't know if they were scared by the dummy and all went upstairs?" Wang Shuishui casually slipped the name card into her pocket, changing the subject.

The first floor had no decoration.

It was like a bare concrete unit, with only some exposed wiring and such.

There were no partitions, so the whole space was visible at a glance.

Aside from the dummy, there was nothing else.

"Probably, should we go up too?" Tang Luo asked.

"Okay."

This time Wang Shuishui walked ahead; just as she reached the stairwell, she stopped, turned, and looked at him with a frightened expression, "Something's wrong—why is there a dummy here?"

Why would a dummy be placed in an unfinished villa?

Who could do something like this?

"I don't know."

Tang Luo spoke frankly.

"I just feel something's off, creepy." Wang Shuishui shuddered and hurried upstairs.

Speaking of which, if you feel creepy, shouldn't you leave right away?

And yet you went upstairs?

Tang Luo appreciated this suicidal style, nodded in satisfaction, and followed her up.

Upon reaching the second floor, there were already rudiments of rooms.

Divided with wooden boards.

"Anyone there? We've come."

By the time they reached the stairs, Wang Shuishui had regained her composure and shouted enthusiastically.

But the reply was not her companion's voice.

It was a passage of piano music.

Melodious and pleasant to the ear, it came from the room at the end of the sightline.

"……"

Now Wang Shuishui didn't even have the urge to scream.

Her body was like a frog stared down by a poisonous snake, completely stiff in place.

"Does anyone else among you play the piano?" Tang Luo asked.

"What?" Wang Shuishui couldn't keep up with Tang Luo's meaning.

"Isn't someone playing the piano?" Tang Luo said.

"Could anyone play the piano in this kind of environment?" Wang Shuishui almost growled at Tang Luo.

What's with this adolescent delusion of the dharma name Xuanzang?

Doesn't his brain have a "fear nerve"?

Is it because he's too adolescent delusional that he's lost his sense of fear?

With you being so uncooperative, we can hardly get anything done!

"Surely there must be?"

Tang Luo wasn't quite sure.

A haunted-house Mozart isn't impossible either.

One's thinking needs to be broad.

"Come on, let's go check!"

Wang Shuishui practically dragged Tang Luo forward.

They arrived at a room without a door.

No one was there, and there was no piano.

But on the window facing the door, a pure white, blurry shadow was reflected.

It gave the feeling as if someone were standing outside the window.

Without waiting for Tang Luo to say anything, Wang Shuishui strode forward and flung the window open.

Outside the window was empty, at the instant Wang Shuishui opened it.

The shadow vanished without a trace.

"Nobody……"

Wang Shuishui turned her head and looked at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo stood in place, silent, merely looking at Wang Shuishui.

Wang Shuishui was stared at fixedly by Tang Luo.

The beam of the flashlight fell on his body.

His handsome face lay in shadow, and the flashlight in his hand was still a bit glaring.

Making his features indistinct.

Instead, it gave a chilling feeling.

"You……"

Wang Shuishui's voice trembled a little.

"No."

Before Wang Shuishui could say anything, he heard Tang Luo speak disappointedly.

"No?"

Wang Shuishui lowered his head sharply—how could there be none!

There clearly is a bit of curvature!

"Well, according to the plot development, with your back to the window like that, there's a high chance a pair of hands will suddenly reach out and pull you out." Tang Luo said.

"……"

Silence, silence is the abandoned villa tonight.

Wang Shuishui took a few steps forward, left the window, pulled out a walkie-talkie from his backpack and said: "Forget it, forget it, I've met someone bold, there's no hope."

After saying that, he gave Tang Luo an embarrassed smile and said: "Sorry, we're filming."