"Don’t you have their contact information?" Qingshui Cangjie pressed further.
"No, these people left because they didn’t want any ties to this place anymore, and I... I don’t want to bother them again," Principal Suzuki sighed.
With no options left, Yang Xiao had to ask Principal Suzuki to write down the nas of these people as detailed as possible. They might not find them, but the gang mbers definitely could, even if they have to kidnap soone who knows.
As they chatted, Principal Suzuki seed to suddenly recall sothing, "I rember, after Lin Tian left, he sent a letter. Lin Tian lived next door to the Asakura Family, both families were very close. He had a daughter, and the families even talked about arranging a marriage, but... his daughter is no longer around."
"What about the letter?" Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao and Tong Han’s expressions changed, as the letter should contain an address. With it, they could find this person.
Principal Suzuki stood up and left the room, rummaging through the adjacent storage room. About ten minutes later, he returned with an apologetic look, "Sorry, I rember putting it here, but there’s too much clutter, and I couldn’t find it at the mont."
"Why don’t you co back tomorrow? I’ll search again tonight."
"We’ll help you find it!" Yang Xiao imdiately stood up; waiting until tomorrow was out of the question, as they were uncertain if they even had a tomorrow.
"I’ll help too." At this mont, Qingshui Cangjie also stopped being reserved; his identity as a gang leader could scare Principal Suzuki, but it was useless against Ghosts—ti was life now.
Yang Xiao and Qingshui Cangjie practically turned the storage room upside down, finally finding the old letter among a pile of discarded calculations. The edges of the letter had yellowed, and the sender’s na was Lin Tian Jianci.
Heaven rewards those who strive—they found an address on the letter, although part of the text was unclear. The specific address was legible, but the na of the city was very fuzzy—only could vaguely make out the words Jin City at the end.
They brought the letter to Principal Suzuki for careful identification, and he donned his reading glasses, finally nodding—confirming the place was likely Xijin City.
Xijin City wasn’t close to them—at least a three-hour drive, Principal Suzuki had visited once in his youth.
Principal Suzuki also found an old map from his ho and gave it to Qingshui Cangjie and Yang Xiao.
At exactly two o’clock in the afternoon, the group returned to et at the parking area. As soon as they got in the car, Yang Xiao felt the atmosphere was off, as Heize Lin was sitting with a cold expression, seemingly upset.
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Heize Lin had been tricked by Beiyu Ye, who claid to have given him a fake amulet. While searching the courtyard, the amulet on Heize Lin’s wrist accidentally broke off, and Beiyu Ye quickly tied another one onto him. But this ti, Heize Lin noticed the problem—the knot was different from the previous one, showing they were two different items.
Under Heize Lin’s pressing, Beiyu Ye had no choice but to admit that he simply tied it to ease Heize Lin’s mind.
"Mr. Heize, harmony, harmony is paramount," Qingshui Cangjie advised.
The two teams then exchanged information—Yang Xiao’s team discovered clues about the possible informant, Lin Tian Jianci, while Beiyu Ye’s team was even bolder. They had raided Asakura Yodou’s house. Although no significant clues were found, they inadvertently noticed sothing peculiar.
"The mountain behind Asakura Yodou’s house seems odd," Beiyu Ye said.
"What’s odd about it?" Qingshui Cangjie frowned and instinctively inquired.
"I can’t quite explain it; it’s more of a feeling, but I trust my instincts," Beiyu Ye’s complexion turned serious. "I had a similar feeling when I first entered the Eightfold Kashi Mountain Hotel, albeit less intense."
"What’s the story behind that mountain?"
"We asked our guide, Shimajima Seiichiro, and he said it’s just a wild mountain, not well-known, and there’s no record of any strange incidents happening there," Heize Lin answered.
"Did you go in?" Yang Xiao asked.
"No, we ran out of ti. It rained last night, and the road to the mountain is difficult to traverse."
The bumpy journey went without saying; when they arrived back at the hotel, a few people were missing, with only Jiu Shan Sha Yue and two newcors, Sato Shouta and Takeuchi Tomoya, left to keep guard at the hotel entrance steps.
"Where are the others?" Heize Lin asked upon exiting the car; right now, unexpected absenteeism was the biggest concern.
"They went out to gather information; you can’t rely entirely on yourselves," Jiu Shan Sha Yue bluntly stated.
The reason Jiu Shan Sha Yue didn’t leave was that she needed rest; after all, her duties at night were heavy, from patrolling to being on duty, leaving her almost no chance to rest, a courtesy everyone tacitly approved.
Not long after, Shibuki Naoko, Tong Han, and Nishimura Yuna returned carrying large bags of food, the kind with heating packs.
The group gathered around, sharing a al while exchanging information.
Shibuki Naoko’s team collected sowhat chaotic intelligence, mostly unverifiable rumors, offering little to reference; the focus remained on Yang Xiao’s side.
They had already planned the route and would set off tomorrow to Xijin City to find the person.
After dinner, gang mbers ca from outside to lock the door, counting the number of people through the door before running off after confirming everyone was present.
Through the glass door, they watched as the sky outside grew dreary again—nightfall arrived, signaling the next wave of attacks was imminent.
No one held onto false hopes; even the remaining newcors understood that soone else would die from a ghost attack tonight.
The attacks in the first half of the night won’t kill, but the latter half will be deadly.
Qingshui Cangjie gathered everyone to announce the night’s plan: "Everyone, Hasegawa Hideji and Takagi Sayo are no longer with us—the fourth-floor service desk needs soone on duty, it cannot be left unattended. This role is important, so I suggest Mr. Heize and I take up the duty; however, if any of you wish to join us, I would be very grateful."
Without waiting more than three seconds, Qingshui Cangjie confird they would take over the fourth floor.
"There’s one more critical matter I want to discuss with everyone: Up till now, everyone killed by the ghost was hunted separately, so is there a possibility that as long as we don’t separate, for instance, if two people stay together all night and remain vigilant, the ghost won’t find an opportunity to strike?" Qingshui Cangjie hypothesized.
"Two people together..." Nishimura Yuna hesitantly said, "If attacked by a ghost, could both end up dead."
"We can’t rule out that possibility, which is why I said this is rely a suggestion that requires discussion," Qingshui Cangjie stated plainly.
"Of course, those sharing a floor can choose to stay apart, although tonight I’ll be staying with Mr. Heize," he added.
"This is a good idea, then Mr. Qingshui, what about soone staying alone on the sa floor?" Tong Han asked.
"I’ve considered that—my suggestion is that tonight no one should be left alone. We have ten people remaining, which conveniently allows for five teams," Qingshui Cangjie replied.
"Everyone can team up as preferences dictate; if nobody dies tonight, it will prove my theory correct," he continued.
I have to admit, Qingshui Cangjie’s proposal made sense, and none opposed it; soon, five teams for the night were ford.
The first team comprised of Jiu Shan Sha Yue and Nishimura Yuna, who stayed on duty in the hotel lobby on the first floor.
The second team consisted of Beiyu Ye and Takeuchi Tomoya on the second floor.
The third team was Qingshui Cangjie and Heize Lin, taking over for the group of Hasegawa Hideji and Takagi Sayo, stationed in the fourth-floor service room.
The fourth team was Tong Han and Shibuki Naoko on the fifth floor.
The last team was Yang Xiao and Sato Shouta, remaining on the seventh floor.
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