Fang Yuan finally began to breathe—if she didn't, she would pass out.
Fainting is actually a way humans protect themselves, preventing the nervous system from collapsing under strain.
But Fang Yuan didn't want to faint.
She wanted to understand what was going on.
Li Rong, he had lured her here, only to die here under mysterious circumstances.
She wanted to see Li Rong again.
Fang Yuan reached down to the ground, feeling for the flashlight. It must have fallen nearby.
She didn't find the flashlight, but instead felt a pair of hands, strong and sturdy, with large outlines and thick fingers.
Fang Yuan, startled, retracted her hand, and whispered, "Who!"
"It's me, don't be afraid," a deep baritone voice said.
Fang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was Tang Tianyu.
Tang Tianyu had been staring at the flashlight until it suddenly went out, and he hurried over. Fang Yuan, stunned by the sudden sight of Li Rong's body, didn't notice him approaching.
"Where's the flashlight?"
"I don't know. I guess it fell somewhere around here."
"Then stay put. I'll find it."
Tang Tianyu groped around for a long time before finding the flashlight. Fortunately, the shock had only loosened the tail cap. Tang Tianyu tightened it, and the flashlight came back on.
This time, before Tang Tianyu could ask, Fang Yuan pointed behind him.
The flashlight shone over, and Tang Tianyu turned to see Li Rong lying on the ground.
Li Rong was still in the same position Fang Yuan had first seen him, face down, motionless. He looked like a lifeless corpse!
Tang Tianyu was also horrified. He had never imagined that Li Rong would die here.
The two of them stared at each other, bewildered.
"Let's... go back first..." Fang Yuan uttered the words with difficulty.
"That's the only way. Let's go back and call the police," Tang Tianyu sighed.
He reached for Fang Yuan's hand—her face was pale, as if she could faint at any moment.
But Fang Yuan suddenly took a step back, her pale face twitching, her eyes fixed on Tang Tianyu in terror.
She was afraid of him? Tang Tianyu was a little furious. Even at this point, she still didn't trust him?
But he soon realized he had misunderstood Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan wasn't afraid of him, but of what was behind him.
Behind Tang Tianyu was only Li Rong's body!
He turned around and saw Li Rong's body on the ground, actually wriggling!
He moved slowly, not raising his head, his hands and feet twitching constantly.
Tang Tianyu was stunned. Li Rong's condition was like the convulsions of a bled chicken twitching before its death.
However, Li Rong was no bled chicken. He actually used his hands to support himself and slowly climbed to his feet.
He finally raised his head.
Tang Tianyu saw Li Rong's face.
Li Rong's face was covered in blood. There was a bloody hole in his head, and bright red blood slowly flowed down his cheek. He looked extremely hideous, like a legendary vampire.
Legend has it that humans bitten by vampires can be resurrected and become immortal vampires, but they must rely on human blood for sustenance.
Li Rong was attacked by a vampire?
The bloody hole in his head was a vampire bite?
No, how could that be possible?
Legends are just legends, after all. And they are only Western legends.
This is the ancient East, where civilization is far more ancient and brilliant than that of the other side.
If he wasn't a vampire, then he was just lying unconscious on the ground?
But the way he lay, coupled with the constant bleeding from his head, made it impossible not to suspect he was dead.
No one could imagine how a person could bleed so much, or how horrific it could be, unless they saw it with their own eyes.
Li Rong staggered to his feet, his movements somewhat stiff.
But he still stood up, then glared fiercely at Tang Tianyu.
Li Rong's gaze sent a chill through Tang Tianyu.
Li Rong's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he opened his lips, uttering three muffled words.
Fang Yuan didn't hear clearly, but Tang Tianyu did. Those three words were his name: Tang Tianyu.
He also heard the hatred and anger that emanated from Li Rong's voice.
This hatred and anger was enough to drive him mad.
Tang Tianyu glanced at Fang Yuan, barely suppressing his frantic heartbeat. He whispered, "Li Rong, how did you become like this? Don't be afraid, we'll take you to treatment."
Li Rong sneered, his hands groping around.
He pulled out a sharp Tibetan knife from his bosom. Tang Tianyu had seen this knife before; Li Rong had held it in his hand many times, sneering at him. He hadn't expected him to keep it hidden.
The knife gleamed brightly.
Tang Tianyu, secretly on guard, spoke with increasing sincerity. "Li Rong, calm down. Listen to me. This has nothing to do with me."
Li Rong, however, had no patience for Tang Tianyu's explanation. Without a word, he growled and lunged.
He was already in a state of semi-madness, unwilling to listen to Tang Tianyu's words. His mind was filled with a single thought: Kill Tang Tianyu!
At this moment, Li Rong was like a wounded wolf. Though frail, he held an aura of unparalleled ferocity. Furthermore, he held a sharp Tibetan knife. Tang Tianyu, worthy of being a star player on the school basketball team, was agile and dodged Li Rong's rabid attack.
Li Rong missed, licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, chuckled, and continued to charge.
The inner room of the basement, like the outer room, was cluttered with debris, leaving very little space. After dodging several times, Tang Tianyu was finally tackled by Li Rong.
Thankfully, he was quick and quickly grasped Li Rong's knife-gripping wrist. The two grappled and rolled into a ball.
During the fight, Tang Tianyu's flashlight struck something, fell to the ground, and the light went out.
The basement was once again shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Fang Yuan wanted to separate the two men, but she was too frail to pull them apart. How could she pull two men apart in a life-or-death struggle? Besides, without the flashlight, she couldn't see the fight at all.
All she could hear were the two beast-like roars of agony.
Occasionally, a warm liquid splashed onto her—their blood!
What to do? What to do? What to do?
Fang Yuan had no choice but to leave, running outside the Red Mansion to call for help to separate the two.
Hopefully, by the time she got them, they would both still be alive.
Fang Yuan retreated to the inner room of the basement.
In her haste, she stumbled several times as she approached the iron door. Something sharp scraped against her hand, causing a burning pain.
She didn't care anymore. She quickly got up after each fall and groped her way toward the door, relying on her memory.
Fang Yuan finally reached the door.
A faint light streamed through the Red Mansion's window.
She reached out and pushed.
The door creaked and shook, but it didn't open.
Fang Yuan's heart sank. Could it be… again…? Fang Yuan fumbled around, feeling the iron chain on the gate and the large iron lock at the end. The gate was locked again! She hadn't expected to walk into the same trap. Who had set this trap? Why had he done it? Besides Tang Tianyu and Li Rong, there must be someone else! This person was the real mastermind. Tonight was all a setup. Perhaps Li Rong was just a victim. Fang Yuan could imagine that tomorrow the school would find three bodies in the basement, two of them having died fighting each other. But what about her? How had she died? Would the mastermind wait until Tang Tianyu and Li Rong had killed each other before opening the gate and calmly murdering her? Would they then disguise the scene as a murder of passion? She had finally discovered the secret of the Red Mansion's basement—the perfect place for murder.
From the beginning, the mastermind had led her here solely to murder her and those connected to her.
Why had he done this?
Over there, the two men's roars had turned into miserable groans.
There was no time! If they didn't open the iron gate and call for help, at least one of Tang Tianyu and Li Rong would die.
Fang Yuan frantically screamed outside the iron gate, "Help!"
Fang Yuan shouted for a long time, but no one came. She had long known that the Red Mansion's basement was strangely designed, making it difficult for anyone inside to make their voices heard outside.
She sat dejectedly on the ground, her heart heavy, as if blocked by something, filled with depression and despair.