Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1357. Exploring the Old House (4)

Wen Yang lay on the ground, his face almost touching the blue brick pavement, his gaze moving slowly along the cracks between the bricks.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a brick in the middle of the blue brick road. This brick was a slightly darker color than the surrounding blue bricks, and there were fewer weeds in the cracks between the bricks than in other places.

"Come and see, this brick looks a little different!"

Everyone immediately gathered around.

Lin Xi squatted down and carefully examined the blue brick.

The surface of the brick was indeed smoother than the other bricks, and the edges were less worn, as if it had been moved.

"The road is passable, but could we pry this brick open and take a look?"

Lu Kexing nodded, walked to the side, picked up a loose pebble, and used the edge of the pebble to pry open the edge of the blue brick.

The blue brick wasn't difficult to pry open; with a "click," a crack appeared. He then lifted the entire brick and placed it aside.

There was no hidden compartment under the blue bricks as I had imagined, only a layer of damp soil.

But in the middle of the soil, a piece of copper lay quietly. The copper piece was rectangular, and its surface was somewhat oxidized and blackened, but the character "时" (time) was still clearly engraved on it.

Wen Yang excitedly reached out and picked the copper piece from the soil. He wiped the dirt off with his sleeve, and the character "时" on the copper piece became even clearer.

"It's a piece of copper! There's a 'time' character on it!" He held up the copper piece and waved it at the crowd.

"Let's try to see if it can fit into the groove first," Lin Xi said.

Wen Yang immediately ran to the vermilion gate and aligned the copper plate with the groove below the plaque.

The size of the copper sheet fit the groove perfectly. With a gentle push, the copper sheet was firmly embedded in the groove without any loosening.

Just as the copper sheet was fully embedded in the groove, a slight "click" sound came from inside the door panel.

Immediately afterwards, the previously tightly closed vermilion wooden door slowly opened a crack inward, and an even stronger smell of decay wafted out from inside, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood.

The pendulum of the wall clock suddenly began to swing, making a "tick-tock" sound, and the hands began to move slowly forward, now pointing to the fourth quarter of the hour of You (5:45 PM).

—It's open! It's really open!
—That's amazing! I never thought the clue was actually under the blue bricks!

—The bronze plaque with the character "Shi"—could it be that the Moon Hermitage and the Shi family have some connection?
—The door is open. What's inside? Could there be any monsters?

—The clock has started ticking. There's about an hour until Xu Shi (7-9 PM). Hurry up and go explore!

Lin Xi stood in front of the door, looking warily into the room.

The interior was dimly lit, with only a faint outline of a deep corridor visible. The silhouettes of some furniture, shrouded in shadow, were barely discernible on either side of the corridor.

"The door is open, let's go in." Lu Ke walked to the door and stepped aside to make way. "It's too dark inside, everyone watch your step, stay close to each other, and don't get separated."

Wen Yang couldn't wait to go in. He peeked inside through the door and then looked back at the others.

"Let's go, let's see if there are any other clues inside!"

Bai also pulled him back and shook his head.

"Don't rush, first observe the surroundings for any abnormalities."

He took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and a beam of light illuminated a small area inside the door.

As the beam of light reached, one could see that the corridor floor was also paved with blue bricks, and some old calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls. The borders of the calligraphy and paintings were rotten, and the images were blurry.

There seemed to be a door at the end of the corridor, with a faded lantern hanging above it, which looked like a blurry ghost in the dim light.

—My God, it's so creepy inside!

—The lantern at the end of the corridor is a bit scary. I wonder if it will suddenly light up?
—Everyone, please be careful, there might be traps or monsters!

Lin Xi took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and entered the Moon Shadow Residence. "Everyone, follow me. Stay alert and report any suspicious activity immediately."

Su Xiaoqing followed closely behind Lin Xi. Her palms were slightly sweaty, and although she maintained a calm expression, a hint of nervousness was still visible in her eyes.

You can walk at the very back, always paying attention to what's happening behind you to prevent any accidents from occurring.

The group of people walked slowly down the corridor, their footsteps echoing clearly in the empty house.

The doors to the rooms on both sides of the corridor were all closed, with no markings on them, so it was impossible to know what was inside.

Just then, Bai Ye's flashlight beam shone on a door on the left, revealing a small peephole.

"Look, there's a peephole in this door!"

Lin Xi also came over and carefully examined the door.

The door is made of wood, and its color is slightly lighter than that of the main door. It also shows signs of wear on its surface.

The peephole is located slightly above the center of the door, and is just the right size to accommodate an eye.

"Let me take a look."

Through the peephole, she saw that the room was in a mess, with furniture overturned and broken porcelain and books scattered on the floor.

In the very center of the room, there seemed to be a table with a small wooden box on it, one corner of which was illuminated by the light.

“There’s a table inside, and a wooden box on the table,” Lin Xi said softly. “I can’t see the rest very clearly, and it seems like there’s no one in the room.”

“Let’s walk forward and see what’s at the end of the corridor. We can come back and check this room later,” Lu Kexing suggested.

No one else had an opinion.

To this day, they still don't know what secrets they were brought to this old house to uncover.

The light in the corridor grew dimmer, and the beam of the phone flashlight became increasingly limited. Lin Xihao then summoned the flashlight, which could provide a brighter beam.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the corridor, a slight rustling sound came from ahead, as if something was crawling on the ground.

Wen Yang immediately stopped in his tracks: "What was that sound?"

Lu Kexing gestured for everyone to be quiet, and he listened intently for a moment.

"The sound came from behind the door at the end of the corridor."

Lin Xi gestured for everyone to lean against the wall and prepare for defense.

"Xiao Yeye, come with me to take a look. Wen Yang, Su Xiaoqing, and Lu Kexing, you guys stay here and meet us."

Bai nodded, gripped his phone tightly, and slowly approached the door at the end of the corridor with Lin Xi.

The rustling sound grew clearer and clearer, seemingly getting closer and closer to them.

Lin Xi took a deep breath, reached out, and gently grasped the doorknob.

The doorknob was made of cold metal and covered in rust. She slowly turned the doorknob, and the rustling sound from inside the door suddenly stopped.

Lin Xi and Bai Ye exchanged a glance, then suddenly pushed open the door.

A blinding beam of light shone from inside the door, causing the two to instinctively squint.

After their eyes adjusted to the light, they discovered that there was a spacious courtyard behind the door.

The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, which were covered with moss.

(End of this chapter)