10 p.m., Third Hospital of Shanqing District, inpatient building.
Gao Yang sat on a bench in the hallway outside the ward, eating a steaming bowl of spicy hot pot. The late-night snack had been brought by Officer Huang, who had come to visit after hearing that Gao Yang's father had been hospitalized due to a car accident. He'd finished work and "dropped by" on his way.
With no one else around, Officer Huang took a drag from his half-smoked cigarette and asked, "How's your dad doing?"
"He woke up for a bit this afternoon, said he was thirsty, drank some water, and went back to sleep." Gao Yang bit into a beef ball, and the scalding juice burst out, making his tongue curl.
"Alright, let's get to business." Officer Huang flicked the ash off his cigarette. "The organization's people came to see you today, right?"
"Twelve Zodiacs, White Rabbit. I was with Qing Ling at the time." Gao Yang answered truthfully and briefly recounted what had happened at the KTV that afternoon.
"The one who came to me was called Tian Gou (Heavenly Dog)." Officer Huang spoke calmly. "The test was similar—first, they told me to kill a robber who was a Lost One. I didn't want to. Then they told me to kill my wife, and of course, I refused. Somehow, I still passed."
"Why didn't you kill them?" Gao Yang was curious. Had Officer Huang also realized it was a trap?
"Oh, under normal circumstances, I would've. But as luck would have it, that robber was my wife's cousin's nephew. My wife and her cousin are really close—they talk on the phone every day. My wife's pregnant now, and I didn't want this to affect her mood. Who knew it'd work out?"
Ah, a devoted husband. Gao Yang couldn't help but smile.
Officer Huang glanced at him. "Tian Gou said the clue for the third test is with you."
"Yeah." Gao Yang pulled out a brass key from his pocket. "This. They said to find the door this key opens, go inside, and that'll count as passing the test. The search area is limited to Shanqing District."
Officer Huang took the key, examining it closely between his fingers. His eyes lit up. "This shouldn't be too hard. Leave it to me. You two wait for my news."
"Got it."
After Officer Huang left, Gao Yang finished his hot pot, returned to his father's ward, unfolded a cot in the aisle beside the bed, and lay down under a blanket.
Closing his eyes, he found himself wide awake.
Gao Yang entered the system to check his Luck Points.
Sure enough, there had been no doubling effect during the time White Rabbit had appeared that afternoon. It seemed that only real danger could trigger the multiplier. The more perilous the situation, the higher the multiplier—but also the greater the risk of death. Fair enough.
...
The next noon, Gao Yang's mother and younger sister came to take over his shift.
He went home, washed up, ate dinner, and caught up on a few hours of sleep. By evening, as soon as he stepped out of his neighborhood, he spotted a familiar police car. Officer Huang stood by the roadside smoking and waved at him when he saw Gao Yang.
Gao Yang hurried over. "Officer Huang? What brings you here?"
"I found the place."
"That fast?" Gao Yang was stunned.
"Finding things is child's play for me." Officer Huang patted the roof of the car. "Get in. We'll talk on the way."
As Gao Yang approached the car, he saw Qing Ling sitting in the passenger seat. He opened the rear door instead and froze—Prince Kai and Fat Jun were already inside.
"Bro, miss me?!" Prince Kai was pumped. He yanked Gao Yang into the car. "Listen, man, I've made another breakthrough in my training! Later, when we're somewhere private, I'll show you what I've got. It's gonna blow your mind—like a little cow coming home, next-level awesome..."
Gao Yang's head started throbbing again.
Once the car started moving, Gao Yang asked Officer Huang, "Why are they here too?"
"I've been keeping an eye on Fat Jun for a while. His arm hasn't mutated again since that one time."
"Yep, not even once." Fat Jun nodded eagerly, patting his thick chest. "Don't worry, Yang-ge. I've got full control over my body now!"
"Relax, even if Fatty here loses it, I can take him down with one hand!" Prince Kai, now brimming with confidence after just a few days, had fully embraced his role as the big brother.
"But aren't we going for a test?" Gao Yang pressed.
"The test doesn't say we can't bring backup." Officer Huang gave Gao Yang a meaningful look through the rearview mirror. "Wu Dahai secretly came to me and told me to bring more people. He said this isn't a joke—people might... die."
Gao Yang's heart sank. White Rabbit said the same thing. This test must be genuinely dangerous. Who knows what we'll face? Prince Kai and Fat Jun were both wild cards, but one had combat skills, and the other was a healer. Overall, bringing them along was more beneficial than not.
About half an hour later, the police car arrived at the southwestern side of Li Mountain.
Li Mountain was located within Li City, spanning Shanqing and Dongyu Districts, though it officially belonged to Shanqing.
It was a well-known tourist spot in Li City, standing over 300 meters tall and covering an area of 5,000 square meters. The mountain was lush with diverse flora and offered breathtaking scenery. At its peak stood an observatory, where visitors could take in a panoramic view of the entire city. Crowds of tourists flocked to the mountain every morning and evening, with the south and north gates bustling with activity.
But Officer Huang clearly hadn't brought them here for sightseeing—there was no path up the mountain on the southwestern side. They parked the police car on a rural road, then crossed a field and entered a small grove.
"Where are we going?" Qing Ling was the first to ask.
Officer Huang led the way. "Almost there. Just ahead."
"The door's here?" Gao Yang asked.
"Yep." Officer Huang continued guiding them. "The brass key White Rabbit gave you two—judging by its design, it's probably an old-style house key. There aren't many places left in Shanqing District with houses like that. One is the antique pedestrian street, but even though the buildings are modeled after old houses, they've all switched to modern locks. Then there's Lotus Lane, which had plenty of old houses, but the whole place got demolished last year..."
Officer Huang paused to catch his breath, instinctively pulling out his handgun to check the ammunition before continuing. "After some thought, I realized there's only one place left in Shanqing District where you'd still find old houses needing brass keys like this..."
"Don't tell me it's... Gu Family Village?" Fat Jun, lagging behind due to his weight, shuddered as soon as he uttered the name. He hurried to walk beside Gao Yang, then, still uneasy, sped up to stay next to Qing Ling, who had the highest combat stats.
"Oh?" Officer Huang seemed surprised. "You've heard of it? Let's see... this year marks exactly thirty years, right?"
"My high school classmate's dad was a reporter. He did a whole feature on it. Super creepy. My classmate used to tell us the story like it was a ghost tale." Fat Jun's eyes darted around nervously.
"What's the big deal? Quit being so mysterious," Prince Kai said, intrigued.
"First, there was a mass murder. An entire family of five in Gu Family Village was brutally killed overnight. Their bodies were dismembered and scattered all over the village." Officer Huang explained, "My mentor was the one who handled the case. He told me about it."
"Was it solved?" Gao Yang asked.
Officer Huang shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Less than two weeks after the murders, all fifty-three people in Gu Family Village... vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Yep. Disappeared without a trace. My mentor practically dug up the entire village but found nothing. He retired without ever solving the case."
The group fell silent, waiting for him to continue.
Dusk settled, and the grove grew dim. A cold wind rustled through the leaves, casting an eerie atmosphere over them.
Officer Huang held up the brass key, his voice low. "The door this key opens... is in Gu Family Village."