Chapter 291: Brothers, Let’s Move!

“Next, whose turn is it?”

Yang Yi’s voice was cold and emotionless as he scanned the room, his eyes unfocused and vacant. The eerie demeanor sent a chill through everyone present, plunging the atmosphere into an icy silence.

Du Sixian thought to herself, “Could he have fallen under the control of a haunting?” But why was there no psychic energy fluctuation around him?

After a brief silence, a brave young man hesitantly asked, “Hey, you alright? You seem… off.”

“I’m fine, never been better,” Yang Yi replied flatly.

“Yang, Yang Yi, don’t be like that. You’re scaring me,” the two-faced flirt said timidly.

Black Uncle nodded in agreement, “Yeah, you’re scaring me too!”

Watching Black Uncle’s exaggerated antics, Yang Yi couldn’t keep up the act any longer and burst into laughter.

“Haha, Jacob, stop it! I can’t take it anymore, haha!”

After his laughter subsided, Yang Yi waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, I tried it, and there’s nothing special about it. It’s just like any other haunting game, just scaring ourselves. Who’s next?”

Perhaps because Yang Yi’s earlier antics genuinely spooked everyone, no one was quick to volunteer for the bathroom.

Seeing this, Du Sixian frowned slightly, stood up, and declared, “I’ll go!” With that, she walked towards the bathroom amidst a brief cheer from the group.

With a click, the door closed, and silence enveloped the room.

After the beginning of winter, the temperature in Hua City had started to drop. Perhaps the bathroom window wasn’t shut tight, as a cold breeze swept in, brushing against Du Sixian’s face like invisible fingers.

The shower curtain swayed gently in the wind, making a ghostly sound. Water droplets from the ceiling dripped down the pipes, and something seemed to be crawling in the drainage pipe, creating a rustling noise.

In the silence, every sound was amplified, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

I’m an operator of The Midnight Watchers Society, skilled in precision spell formations. If a haunting appears, I’ll just throw a Wildfire at it. If one Wildfire isn’t enough, I’ll add a fiery crimson flame! Du Sixian thought, feeling her fear diminish slightly.

She licked her dry lips, pulled out her phone to illuminate the dark bathroom, and as her eyes adjusted to the change in light, a figure appeared in her peripheral vision.

In the pitch-black bathroom, the phone’s light was the only source of illumination, casting a glow on the mirror and reflecting Du Sixian’s silhouette.

Due to the darkness, the screen was mostly black, barely showing a shadowy figure. But the phone’s light was unusually clear, like a guiding spirit lamp, seemingly trying to draw something out from the mirror.

Realizing the figure was her own reflection, Du Sixian resisted the urge to throw a spell formation and took a deep breath, moving towards the bathtub.

The round bathtub was filled with cold water, its surface rippling gently.

Though the tub was shallow, the dim light made it impossible to see the bottom. A pale doll with red stitches across its chest floated on the water, swaying with the waves.

Stuffing from the doll’s body was scattered on the floor beside the tub.

The doll was bought from the souvenir shop on the hotel’s first floor. After purchasing it, Yang Yi had stripped it, cut a long slit in its chest, and stuffed parts of the game participants’ bodies inside.

Whether it was a small piece of nail or a lock of hair, Yang Yi even pricked his finger to add a few drops of blood.

The two-faced flirt had advised against it, but he insisted it was more thrilling this way…

In the darkness.

The doll’s button eyes glinted, always seeming to stare at her. Du Sixian avoided its “gaze,” muttering the necessary words from the haunting game’s script.

“Doll, doll, the new body is here. Please use it.”

“Alright, let’s play! We’ll be the ghosts first.”

After speaking, Du Sixian felt a chilly breeze brush past her ears, as if something was lurking around. She clenched her fists.

After a few seconds, sensing no strange psychic energy fluctuations, she turned and exited the bathroom.

Leaving the bathroom and returning to the light, Du Sixian felt as if she had stepped back into reality from a surreal world.

She walked to the sofa, sat down, and watched the next “victim” enter the bathroom, lightly touching the Death Owl Emblem on her chest.

“Game’s first phase shows no anomalies.”

Sending the message to Lu Yibei through the emblem, Du Sixian glanced at the bathroom door, now closed again, with a slight frown.

Perhaps, as Yang Yi suggested, the game was merely self-induced fear. He Liang’s death might have other factors besides the game.

Or maybe the game wasn’t completed, so the haunting hadn’t appeared yet? Du Sixian mused.

Gambling is never just about luck… Jiang Li had once told Lu Yibei.

At the time, Lu Yibei thought she meant that some math geniuses could calculate to increase their winning odds, or that some might resort to cheating.

After all, both scenarios were common in urban legends.

But after playing cards with these strangers around the coffee table today, he realized Jiang Li’s meaning might not be so simple.

Just like these strangers meeting him, sometimes you just can’t win.

He didn’t even use his psychic ability deliberately. Just by relying on occasional flashes of intuition, his win rate exceeded 80%. Coupled with his trash talk that messed with their minds, he dominated the game.

For these misbehaving folks, he had no qualms about winning.

At such a young age, they were already out polluting society. Environmentalist Lu Yibei strongly condemned them and threw out a “super double.”

“All in!”

The guy sitting opposite Lu Yibei stared at him, hoping to catch a hint of anxiety or panic.

Then, with a flash of determination, he said, “Damn it, you didn’t even look at your cards. You must be bluffing. I’m not afraid of you!”

Lu Yibei remained expressionless, “Sorry, straight flush.” He revealed his cards.

The guy looked at his pair of Aces, sighed in regret, and fell silent.

And so.

In less than twenty minutes, after just five or six rounds, Lu Yibei had made everyone else at the table anxious. Even a slightly chubby guy was sweating.

Had he not lifted a hundred-pound decorative marble block with one hand when joining the game, someone might have accused him of cheating and demanded a “cheat check.”

He loved seeing them unable to beat him, win against him, or outtalk him, getting frustrated as if they were out of toilet paper.

Lu Yibei remained unfazed, even growing cocky.

“Is that it? You guys play cards so slowly, even a bucket of cappuccino won’t help!”

“Be brave, young ones. Think positively. Just bet big, and maybe you’ll lose it all at once, ending your misery!”

“My saliva is for counting money, not chit-chatting with you. Are you in or out? If not, I’ll start counting my money!”

Another round began, and as everyone peeked at their new cards, they watched Lu Yibei, calculating their next move. But then they noticed his frown.

His psychic sense told him that in the master bedroom upstairs, besides Du Sixian, there was a sudden strange psychic energy fluctuation.

That twisted, fleeting energy was so brief that Lu Yibei almost thought he imagined it.

But his eyes felt warm after the fluctuation, and the Death Owl Emblem in his pocket vibrated slightly.

This confirmed a haunting’s psychic energy had indeed appeared nearby.

“…”

It’s here?

The haunting game really summoned a haunting…

He needed to notify the special task force and check the situation upstairs.

Lu Yibei thought, covering his cards, tapping the table to indicate he wasn’t following, and headed towards the second-floor bathroom.

As he left, everyone at the table felt a strange sense of relief.

Though it’s normal for someone to have a lucky streak in a game, he gave off the impression that his luck would never run out.

Lu Yibei’s departure allowed everyone to focus on the game, hoping to recover some losses and stop the bleeding. No one cared why he chose the second-floor bathroom over the one downstairs.

Reaching the second floor, he discreetly observed the people downstairs. Once sure no one noticed him, he bypassed the bathroom and slipped into the small gym next to the master bedroom.

Inside, he quickly attached the Death Owl Emblem to his chest, infusing it with psychic energy to send a message to the special task force members on the rooftop.

“Brother Qi, the haunting’s here. Get ready to move! I’m in the small gym next to the master bedroom.”

Soon, the emblem vibrated gently, and he heard Qi Dong’s response as if whispered in his ear.

“Received!”

Feels like ASMR? It was Lu Yibei’s first time using the Death Owl Emblem for communication, and he didn’t expect this experience.

Then, imagining a group of sturdy men whispering softly, he shivered.

While waiting for the task force, Lu Yibei touched the emblem again to contact Du Sixian.

“Du Sixian, calling Du Sixian, this is Lu Yibei. How’s it going over there?”

After a brief pause, Du Sixian responded.

“The second phase of the haunting game is underway. It’s almost my turn. No haunting has appeared yet.”

Her soft voice tickled his ear, making it itch pleasantly, and Lu Yibei nodded in satisfaction.

Nice, that’s the vibe!

Moments later.

Outside the open window of the small gym, there was a rustling sound. Two static ropes dangled down, followed by a burly figure rappelling down, swinging into the room silently.

After a few repetitions, the five-member special task force gathered in the small gym, making the once spacious room feel cramped.

As Qi Dong finished counting heads and Lu Yibei prepared to contact Du Sixian for an update, there was a knock on the gym door.

“Knock, knock, knock-!”

“Hey, you in there? Did you win and run off?”

The knocker was the biggest loser of the half-hour card game.

Seeing Lu Yibei leave and not return, he was clearly upset and didn’t want him to slip away.

Hearing this, Qi Dong tilted his head, giving Lu Yibei a questioning look.

Lu Yibei rubbed his forehead, gesturing for Qi Dong to stay calm, then whispered, “I’ll explain later. Let me handle him first.”

Following Lu Yibei’s lead, Qi Dong frowned but eventually nodded in understanding.

“Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock, knock-!”

“If you don’t come out, I’m coming in!”

As the guy knocked again, ready to say more, the gym door opened, and Lu Yibei poked his head out, annoyed, “Stop knocking. I’m not running. You that eager to lose more money?”

“Rubbish! Who’s losing to who isn’t decided yet!” the guy retorted, trying to peek inside the gym.

“What are you doing in there? Weren’t you going to the bathroom? Why come here?”

“You hiding something? Did you rig something in there to make me lose?”

Losers always find excuses… Lu Yibei thought, rolling his eyes, “It’s just gym equipment. What’s there to see?”

“No, let me in!”

“You really want to?”

“Rubbish! I suspect you’re cheating. If you don’t let me in, I’ll call the cops!”

“Sigh-” Lu Yibei sighed, “Alright, come in, but don’t tell anyone what you see.”

There’s something fishy! The guy’s eyes narrowed, “Tsk, I’ll decide after I see.”

Hearing this, Lu Yibei shrugged, stepped aside, and let the guy in.

As soon as he entered, he saw three large shadows in the moonlight, their “friendly” smiles revealing white teeth, and he froze.

What the hell is this?

Next, he heard Lu Yibei’s voice.

“You insisted on seeing. Brothers, let’s move!”

The guy’s pupils shrank, and just as he was about to shout “help,” two burly shadows pounced from behind the door, pinning him down.

The two special task force members clearly had done this before. One covered his mouth, the other restrained him, expertly preventing any noise…