36: Heading to the villa area

"Click!"

The sound of a door opening.

Su Chen was already prepared to have a taste,

but at the final moment, Xia Weiyu pulled back her wrist and hurriedly slipped to the side.

The door opened, and someone entered the room carrying a lunch box and holding a silk banner.

"Huh, isn't Yang Junlong here?"

Su Chen said with a hint of displeasure, "He went back to pick up a mission and hasn't returned yet!"

Since he wasn't there, Wang Xiaoting didn't bother looking for him. "He's so slow, always dilly-dallying.

Su Chen, do you have enough? If not, you can eat mine."

Seeing Su Chen remain silent, Wang Xiaoting knew he was snubbing her cooking for being bad; it must be that bastard Yang Junlong spreading rumors everywhere.

I just make the flavors a bit strong, how is it bad?

Looking at the lunch box in Wang Xiaoting's hand, Su Chen swallowed hard, remembering Yang Junlong's description of her cooking.

Forget eating hers, even his appetite for the food Xia Weiyu made had diminished a bit.

"Weiyu made plenty, so I won't eat anymore."

"It's really delicious, try it if you don't believe me.

Oh, look at this, ta-da!"

Wang Xiaoting unfurled the silk banner in her hand. "Look, 'The Miraculous Healer Wang Xiaoting.' What do you think?

Yesterday I met a patient who had lost his sense of taste, so I let him try the food I made.

Guess what happened after he took a bite?

His sense of taste was restored!

Because of that, he came today specifically to give me this silk banner. It's my first time receiving something like this, and I'm actually quite embarrassed."

"That's amazing."

"Right? Hahaha..."

Wang Xiaoting laughed, but she felt the atmosphere was a bit off. Xia Weiyu hadn't said a word from start to finish, and Su Chen's response was half-hearted.

Is this... because she felt I was in the way?

Seeing Xia Weiyu standing aside playing with the curtains, Wang Xiaoting went over, put an arm around her shoulder, and winked frantically.

The general meaning was: did you confess today? Did you make a date for dinner and a movie tonight?

However, Xia Weiyu didn't understand a single word of her intended meaning.

Helpless, Wang Xiaoting could only ask in a low voice, "What stage have you reached?"

"If only you could have come a bit later."

"Me?"

Su Chen said a sentence and continued to bury his head in his food; Wang Xiaoting suddenly understood something—she hadn't come at the right time!

No wonder, I thought the atmosphere felt weird as soon as I entered.

"Hahaha... You guys carry on! Sorry for the interruption, my bad!"

"Wait, wait for me!"

Xia Weiyu also took her leave. "Su Chen, we're going back to pack our bags first."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Seeing Xia Weiyu leave without looking back, he knew there was no chance for today; since she had run off, she probably wouldn't come back today.

So close! Why did I go in slow motion just now? Being quick and decisive would have been so much better.

Su Chen was a bit frustrated, considering whether to follow Yang Junlong's suggestion and change teammates.

No other reason than this teammate being a bit of a liability.

But... this was also a good start. Just now was an accident, but from her reaction, Xia Weiyu wasn't resistant.

Well, I'll find another opportunity.

Once the mission starts, will there be any lack of time alone?

...The next afternoon, the group drove to Ku County.

They arrived at a villa complex on a mountainside near Ku County.

The location was remote and far from the bustling city, with excellent scenery overlooking half of Ku County. Xia Weiyu's home was also nearby.

Ku County was just a small county with an average economic level, so the housing prices here weren't too outrageous. A detached small villa in a remote area, 700 square meters with three floors and a private courtyard, only cost 1.2 million.

Most of the building specifications here were the same.

Rows of villas were built, quite a few of them, yet it was silent with hardly a soul in sight.

They were likely properties owned by wealthy people who bought them for investment with no intention of living there.

The lack of residents made it relatively quiet, but it added a touch of eeriness.

Without even looking at the house number, their target villa was exceptionally conspicuous.

The villa was tightly wrapped in withered Boston ivy, and the courtyard was full of dry, yellow leaves, making it look completely out of place compared to the neighboring villas.

The group got out of the car and used the key to open the door; the iron gate was rusted and took some effort to push.

"Alright, let's go in and take a look."

Su Chen went in first, while Wang Xiaoting hid behind Yang Junlong, looking somewhat afraid.

"Do we really have to go in? Sadako won't suddenly jump out halfway, will she?

We've been here for ages and haven't seen a single living person. This place couldn't be manifested from a Mass Grave, could it!

Is this barren mountain the nest of the Mountain Village Corpse? We'll be resented if we go in..."

Just after getting out of the car, Wang Xiaoting fired off a series of questions; it was clear she was quite averse to this type of mission.

"What are you thinking? Where would ghosts come from? The boss said it's probably some mutated plants or animals causing trouble."

Wang Xiaoting was still scared. At this point, simply holding onto Yang Junlong's arm wasn't enough to feel at ease, so she just went all the way and climbed onto Yang Junlong's back, refusing to come down for anything.

"Wang Xiaoting! Can you let go of me? You're literally riding on me!

If danger appears, I won't be able to attack!"

"No way! What if I let go and encounter a Ghost Wall? Don't you know? When coming to such an eerie place, the biggest taboo is splitting up.

Don't you know the rule that those who split up always die?

If I let go, you might not see me again. Do you have the heart for that?

I'll serve as an alert monitor for you, helping you watch the back where the risk is lower."

Yang Junlong had a bit of a headache. "If you're really that scared, go wait outside."

"I won't. What if this ghost isn't afraid of sunlight? Standing outside would make me a sitting duck."

"Then call a car yourself and go back to school."

"No, what if I call a Ghost Car and it drags me to Hell?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, there are no ghosts here! Get down!"

...Wang Xiaoting's superpower is Magnet; objects or living beings touched by her body will generate magnetic force for five minutes.

Within those five minutes, she and the target will act like Magnets, producing attraction and repulsion.

She can freely control the effect.

Because her current strength is relatively weak, her ability cannot be used on large objects or powerful people.

If she uses it, the effect is reversed; the one who gets sucked in or bounced away would be herself.

But precisely because she was weaker than Yang Junlong, after using her ability, her entire person was stuck to Yang Junlong's back.

No matter how Yang Junlong struggled, he couldn't pull Wang Xiaoting off his back.

No other reason than the suction being too strong.

Yang Junlong exerted all his strength but still couldn't break free from Wang Xiaoting's restraint.

There was no helping it; Wang Xiaoting's ability had no combat damage, but when it comes to being annoying, she's second to none!

"Wang Xiaoting! Let go of me!"

...The two people behind started bickering again. Although it was a bit annoying to hear, Xia Weiyu felt relatively at ease.

She also didn't quite like this kind of mission; her heart had been pounding since they entered the mountain, but hearing the two of them bickering and playing around actually made her less afraid.

"Su Chen, what do we do next?"

"Let's split up and check first, but don't act alone."

Wang Xiaoting spoke first, "Okay, then Yang Junlong and I will check the courtyard and around the house. We'll check the outside; maybe the mutated beast is hiding under the fallen leaves."

As she spoke, Wang Xiaoting, still riding on Yang Junlong's back, directed him toward the backyard.

"Don't mind them, we'll check inside the house."

With the number of people suddenly decreasing, Xia Weiyu was also terrified, following closely behind Su Chen and clutching the corner of his clothes, not daring to let go.

To think that even the Empress is afraid of ghosts.

"It's okay, Weiyu. Just stay behind me, I'll protect you."

'Ding! Gained favorability from Xia Weiyu, lottery ticket +100.'