After Gao Yang finished speaking, Officer Huang and Qing Ling fell into deep thought. Fat Jun trembled, his face a mix of confusion and fear. As for Prince Kai, he didn't understand a word. "Huh? What? Say it slower. One more time."
"This is the real Gu Family Village from thirty years ago," Gao Yang repeated.
"Oh..." Prince Kai slapped his forehead. "Yeah, I still don't get it."
"If this is Gu Family Village, then what was the one we were in before?" Qing Ling asked.
"That was also Gu Family Village."
"Speak human, damn it!" Prince Kai snapped. "Stop talking in riddles!"
Gao Yang organized his thoughts. "Thirty years ago, a massacre happened in Gu Family Village. Soon after, the entire village disappeared, right?"
"That's what the case files say," Officer Huang confirmed.
"I think," Gao Yang said firmly, "it wasn't just the villagers who disappeared—it was the entire village."
Officer Huang paused, then narrowed his eyes. "Go on."
"I don't know how it was done, but the whole village was transported into this... domain. The Gu Family Village we visited earlier was a fake—or more accurately, a copy."
"What's your basis for this?" Officer Huang asked.
"That first night in the ancestral hall, there were many memorial tablets. Prince Kai even read out a few names. Remember one called Gu Huawu...?"
"Uncle Wu," Qing Ling realized.
"Right. The village chief's name is Gu Huawu," Gao Yang said. "He's clearly not dead, so why was his name on a tablet? That ancestral hall had to be fake."
"Ah!" Fat Jun panicked. "They've been dead all along! What we're seeing now are ghosts—"
"Ghosts my ass!" Prince Kai smacked Fat Jun's head. "Didn't you see Old Man Gu was a lizard man? Bet the village chief is one too."
"Quiet. Gao Yang, continue," Officer Huang urged, on the verge of piecing it together.
"Ever since we arrived here, something felt off. Like Hua's house—the massacre happened less than two weeks ago, but the place looks like it's been abandoned for years."
Gao Yang paused, then added, "And the coffin today seemed old, like it had been used before. Up close, there was dried mud at the bottom. The soil around the grave pit was odd too—the color was too uniform, like it had been dug up repeatedly. And the skeletons inside..."
"Bro, just tell me straight," Prince Kai groaned, utterly lost.
"I get it," Qing Ling said, looking at Gao Yang. "They're repeating."
"Exactly." Gao Yang nodded. "The conclusion is: we didn't travel back in time. The entire village is trapped in this domain, reliving the same events—the massacre, the funeral... over and over for thirty years. Creatures like Old Man Gu should've aged and died long ago, but some force is keeping them stuck in this loop. Its body's involuntary beastification is a symptom—if it were a machine, it would've broken down by now..."
After a brief silence, Officer Huang asked, "What's that unstoppable force?"
"No idea." Gao Yang shook his head. "Probably the thing we need to deal with. If we can find the starting point of the next repetition, we might uncover it—"
Woooooooo—
Before he could finish, an air-raid siren blared outside—oppressive, drawn-out, and deeply unsettling.
Woooooooo—
Officer Huang went to the window, peering through a gap in the curtains. His face darkened.
Gao Yang and Qing Ling joined him. The village was now shrouded in a faint mist. Every villager, no matter what they'd been doing, had frozen in place.
They stood motionless, staring blankly at the sky. Even those who'd been asleep now emerged from their homes, gathering in their yards, their eyes vacant.
Woooooooo—
The siren cut off after the third wail. The mist dissipated within a minute.
That minute felt like an eternity for the five hiding inside.
"W-what are they d-doing?" Fat Jun stammered, his face ashen.
"The loop's restarting," Gao Yang guessed.
One villager moved first, stepping forward like an empty shell. Others followed, shuffling silently in unison.
Qing Ling sensed it first. Her spatial awareness was sharp. "They're surrounding us!"
—Shit!
Gao Yang's stomach dropped. I should've realized sooner! Now it's too late!
Within a minute, over fifty villagers had converged on Hua's front yard. Under the moonlight, their pallid faces were eerily lifeless, their movements sluggish and mechanical—like zombies. Their hollow eyes were fixed on the house's sealed door.
The air thickened, silent yet charged, like the calm before a storm. They were waiting—for the first thunderclap that would unleash the flood.
"W-what do they w-want?" Fat Jun whimpered, backing away.
"How many were in Hua's family?" Gao Yang asked.
"Five. Four men, one woman," Officer Huang answered.
"Oh! That's us!" Prince Kai grinned, proud of himself for stating the obvious.
"The loop's resetting—starting from the wedding night," Gao Yang gritted his teeth. "They're here... to massacre us!"
He should've seen it earlier. Hua's family had been slaughtered by the entire village. That was why their bodies were scattered everywhere. But why had the beasts suddenly turned on them? And why had they forgotten afterward?
There were still unanswered questions, but survival took priority now.
"Run! We have to run!" Fat Jun's voice cracked with panic. "We can't win! We'll die—all of us!"
"Too late," Qing Ling drew her blade, accepting their fate.
"Going out now means dying faster!" Officer Huang pulled his gun, making the call. "Ever played tower defense? Hold the house. Aim for heads and hearts! Gao Yang, Fat Jun—guard the back window! Qing Ling, Prince Kai—we three hold the door!"
"Got it!"
Prince Kai rushed to the entrance, ready to brawl.
Qing Ling took position to his left, blade in both hands, coiled like a spring.
Officer Huang stood to Prince Kai's right rear, gun raised for cover. He shouted over his shoulder, "Lights on! They don't need visibility—we do!"
Gao Yang flicked the switch, then shut his eyes.
[Entering System]
[Alert: You are in danger. Luck Points multiplier increased to 100x.]
[Current Luck Points: 72]
—Unlock a talent.
[Unlocking a talent costs 60 points. Confirm...]
—Now!
[Unlocking...]
[Unlocking...]
[Unlock failed.]
—Dammit! Never works when it counts!
—Dump the rest into Agility!
[+12 permanent Agility.]
[Stamina: 27 | Endurance: 28]
[Strength: 17 | Agility: 39]
[Spirit: 137 | Charm: 47]
[Luck: 132]
Gao Yang opened his eyes. Whether it was placebo or not, his body felt lighter.
With his current stats, once his borrowed 10 seconds of Blademaster ran out, he'd be useless. A dozen extra points elsewhere wouldn't help much, but higher agility meant better evasion—buying time, creating openings. At the very least... he'd die slower.
Footsteps pounded outside. Officer Huang barked, "Here they come!