In the tense atmosphere, even time seemed to slow down.
After everyone stayed nervous for a while, they found that nothing unexpected happened at all. Even when the clock in the living room pointed to half past twelve, nothing happened. Over time, everyone's nerves involuntarily relaxed.
“Gurgle gurgle gurgle… ..”
"I'm hungry."
Ren Xuan made a plain and unadorned voice, which also attracted Gu Moli's disdainful gaze: "If it were in a novel, people like you would basically be ruthlessly killed by the author within ten chapters of your appearance, and then become the first murder case and the fuse of the entire case..."
"Hey! Stop threatening me!"
"This is a reasonable guess. If you are hungry, you can make food yourself. Although the food in the kitchen is a little difficult to get, it can be solved by putting in some time and effort."
“Eh…”
When he heard that he had to cook by himself, Ren Xuan immediately looked embarrassed, but surprisingly, he actually ran to the kitchen by himself in the end.
Because it was not a closed space, Gu Moli did not ask anyone to follow him. After all, the other party was a VIP player with abilities. Moreover, compared to a supporting actor like Ren Xuan, Gu Moli felt that the person who was more likely to be chosen by the murderer was the only ordinary person among the six.
Cloud Xiaoyue.
"that... ."
Speak of the devil, just when Gu Moli was thinking, Yun Xiaoyue suddenly raised her hand, looking a little embarrassed, her face slightly flushed: "I want to go to the toilet..."
"I'll go with you."
Without Gu Moli's reminder, Li Shaohua cooperated and said, "It's too dangerous to be alone. It will be much better if I accompany you, right?"
"Um..thank you."
Yun Xiaoyue smiled at Li Shaohua, then stood up, nodded to Zhuge beside her, and went to the bathroom on the first floor of the villa with Li Shaohua.
However, just as the two of them stood up.
Gu Moli, who had just made eye contact with Li Shaohua, suddenly felt a chill on his back. He immediately looked up in the direction of Li Shaohua and Yun Xiaoyue.
"... Zhuge! You go with them!"
“Eh!?”
Yun Xiaoyue and Li Shaohua looked back in surprise, and even Zhuge's face froze, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Even if it were me, I couldn't..."
"You don't have to go in." Gu Moli added: "Stand at the door just in case. If anything unexpected happens, remember to scream loudly. Zhuge, you will break the door and rush in immediately. Do you understand?"
"Oh...will it be..."
Are they too nervous? Although they didn't say it out loud, Yun Xiaoyue and Li Shaohua's expressions showed this.
However, Zhuge did not intend to object.
Gu Moli also shook his head.
"Just being cautious."
"It's a special situation, please bear with me."
"Hmm... I see."
Yun Xiaoyue and Li Shaohua were not unreasonable people, so they quickly nodded in agreement.
In this way, Ren Xuan, Li Shaohua, Yun Xiaoyue, and Zhuge all had things to do, and they could take care of each other. So Gu Moli pulled Hua Qiong to sit on the sofa nearby. The view from this position was very good, and they could see Ren Xuan in the kitchen and Zhuge at the bathroom door at the same time.
Immediately following.
"Tell me, what do you think?"
Gu Moli asked Hua Qiong, who had remained silent from the beginning.
"... .Hmm? Eh? Boss, you're asking me?"
"nonsense."
Gu Moli rolled his eyes at Hua Qiong in annoyance, while the latter looked flattered.
"I thought you didn't need my help at all, boss."
"Oh, about this."
Gu Moli buried his body in the sofa and relaxed: "You are my bodyguard, and since the golden treasure, didn't I tell you that I will not treat you as a fool anymore."
"boss... .!"
Hua Qiong looked extremely moved.
"Alright, alright." Gu Moli waved his hand: "Stop chatting and get back to the point. What do you find and think about this weird phantom city?"
"Um... ."
Hua Qiong obviously took Gu Moli's question very seriously, so she thought about it seriously for a while before she said in a deep voice: "I think the main clue is the Phantom Duke's curse. Boss, do you still remember that sentence?"
"When the clock strikes midnight, the evil spirits I have raised will break out of their cages and hunt wantonly in my castle. Only the one who survives will receive my gift...right?"
"Yes."
Hua Qiong continued: "Could this be some kind of riddle...?"
"riddle?"
"Yes!" Hua Qiong suddenly became excited when he said this: "Look, isn't it like in all kinds of mystery novels? Everyone is trapped in an old house, and the murderer sets a riddle. Only those who solve the riddle can leave, and there is a truth hidden for a hundred years..."
As Hua Qiong spoke, her voice gradually faded away.
Gu Moli looked at her as if she were a fool: "... ..Did you find inspiration for your reasoning from mystery novels?"
"Ugh!"
"Let's not talk about the old house. Have you forgotten that this house appeared out of thin air? Or are you willing to accept that this house is the so-called Phantom Duke's mansion and not think about the scientific possibility?"
“Wow…”
At the end, Gu Moli couldn't help but sigh: "You are not really an idiot, are you?"
"I'm just giving an example... The main point is that this curse of the Phantom Duke is indeed very suspicious. I really wonder if there are any clues in it."
"nonsense."
"... .Huh?"
Gu Moli's expression remained unchanged: "Of course there are clues here! Since the Phantom City really exists, then everything related to the Phantom City is a clue. Among them, the curse of the Phantom Duke is even more suspicious, otherwise the mysterious voice just now would not have emphasized this point specifically."
"I said it was really suspicious!"
"but!"
Gu Moli changed the subject and said, "Your method of reasoning is wrong! Don't use common sense from novels to reason! There are only a handful of cases where the methods used in mystery novels can be successfully applied to reality. Use basic logic to reason. All reasoning must be based on clues!"
"Unless you are playing a game, don't use your imagination."
“Yes…Yes!”
For some reason, Hua Qiong suddenly gave Gu Moli a military salute... Could this guy have a military background? Or is he just being funny
Putting aside the doubts that suddenly arose in his mind, Gu Moli started thinking again.
Curse of the Phantom Duke.
Although Hua Qiong's reasoning method is outrageous, his conclusion is correct. The curse is indeed worth pondering, and judging from the content, it is very likely related to the method of leaving the villa. It's just that he can't find a clue for a while. When the midnight bell rings, the raised evil spirits are released from the cage and hunt everyone in the castle. Only the only survivor can get the gift from the Phantom Duke.
Is there any hidden meaning here
Or... .
"ah------!!!"
... . Before Gu Moli could think of an answer, a sharp scream suddenly broke the silence of the villa and the gradually calming atmosphere.
The direction from which the sound came was... .
... .bathroom!