After completing the bizarre game, the world experienced a global resurgence of strange occurrences.

As Chen Zhuo pushed open the villa's door, the warm aroma of food immediately wafted over him, dispelling the chilling and eerie aura clinging to him.

At the restaurant table, Zhuo Fan, wearing an apron, was fast asleep, his head bobbing up and down like a spring.

Hearing the door open, he was jolted awake from his sleep. He groggily raised his head, and his eyes lit up instantly when he saw Chen Zhuo at the door.

He immediately jumped up from the chair and ran quickly towards the kitchen, calling out as he went.

"Brother, you're back! I've already prepared the food, and it's been keeping it warm in the pot!"

Go wash your hands first, wait a moment, I'll bring it out right away, and then we can eat!

Chen Zhuo stood there, listening to Zhuo Fan's words and smelling the aroma of food in the air, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him.

It had been so long since someone had waited for him with a lamp lit and a warm meal prepared for his return that he had almost forgotten what that feeling felt like.

He didn't say much, put the white bone cane aside, walked to the sink, and slowly washed his hands.

He had just dried his hands when he heard Zhuo Fan's exclamation from the kitchen doorway.

Chen Zhuo took a step and immediately arrived at the kitchen door.

Zhuo Fan stood there with the food in his hands, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the human jigsaw puzzle that followed Chen Zhuo into the villa.

His hand trembled, and the food wobbled precariously, about to fall to the ground.

Chen Zhuo stepped forward, caught the food steadily, and placed it on the table. He then briefly explained the matter of the human body jigsaw puzzle to Zhuo Fan.

"Before we find its mysterious entrance, it will stay in the villa for the time being. Don't be afraid, it won't dare to do anything reckless."

Zhuo Fan swallowed hard, looking at the bizarre figure in front of him covered in stitches. He couldn't help but shrink back and stagger a few steps, but still nodded without saying anything more.

Soon, Zhuo Fan brought the steaming hot four dishes and soup to the table.

Chen Zhuo picked up his chopsticks and slowly took a bite of the vegetable closest to him.

Zhuo Fan sat opposite him, occasionally stealing a glance. He was standing obediently in the living room, like a human figure puzzle.

He looked up at Chen Zhuo again, and his admiration for his brother grew even stronger.

Not long after, another strange creature came along.

The mealtime passed quickly.

After finishing their meal, Zhuo Fan got up to clear the table, while Chen Zhuo picked up a rag to wipe the table and said something.

"I'm going out tomorrow morning and will be back in a day or two."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Fan's hand trembled violently, and a look of worry instantly appeared on his face.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the human figure jigsaw puzzle standing in the corner of the living room, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

If the guy leaves, he'll be left alone in the villa with this weird creature.

How could he not be terrified?!

Although Chen Zhuo had his back to him, he accurately sensed the fear in his heart.

He put the rag back in the kitchen, wiped his hands, and began to comfort him.

"Before I leave, I will set up a restriction on it and leave you a few strange artifacts for protection."

Moreover, this time when I leave, I will only take Mirror Ghost with me, while Little Goblin will stay at home to protect you.

So you can rest assured, it can't hurt you.

With Chen Zhuo's assurance, Zhuo Fan breathed a long sigh of relief and slowly calmed down.

He moved closer to Chen Zhuo and blinked curiously.

"Hey buddy, what are you going out for tomorrow? Are you going to deal with one of those weird incidents again?"

Chen Zhuo shook his head slightly and replied with only a faint sentence.

"I'm going to see someone."

He abruptly changed the subject, took out his phone, and opened WeChat.

"Take out your phone and add me as a friend."

Zhuo Fan was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, hurriedly took out his phone, opened the WeChat QR code, and handed it to Chen Zhuo.

I had just added him as a friend when my phone vibrated and a transfer notification popped up.

He looked down and his eyes widened instantly; Chen Zhuo had transferred 10,000 yuan to him.

"Young man, what's going on...?"

Zhuo Fan looked up at Chen Zhuo, his face full of confusion.

"This is your salary here."

Chen Zhuo's voice remained flat, revealing no emotion.

"While I'm away, you'll be in charge of managing the villa."

After hearing this, Zhuo Fan patted his chest and made a solemn promise.

"Don't worry, sir! I'll keep the villa spotless, not a speck of dust will be left!"

Silent all night.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Zhuo had already packed his things.

He didn't disturb Zhuo Fan, who was still sleeping. He simply placed a restriction on the human puzzle, gave Xiao Lou a few instructions, and then quietly left the villa with the Mirror Ghost.

The hour-long drive passed quickly.

The midnight taxi slowly slowed down and finally stopped at the entrance of Hefeng Village.

Due to road construction, vehicles cannot enter the village, and the rest of the journey must be undertaken on foot.

Chen Zhuo nodded slightly, opened the car door, and got out.

As soon as they stepped into the village, Mirror Ghost clicked his tongue in amazement: "Interesting, there are so many straw figures in this village!"

There are roughly twenty or thirty of them along the fields and roadsides alone. Is this a special custom of this village?

The moment Chen Zhuo stopped, a strange aura suddenly erupted from his body, enveloping all the straw figures on both sides of the road like a net.

As the eerie aura continued to spread, Chen Zhuo's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

These standing in the fields are not ordinary scarecrows at all, but rather strange straw figures!

Chen Zhuo didn't linger any longer and immediately quickened his pace, heading deeper into the village.

As he left, the straw figures that had been motionless on both sides of the road suddenly turned around and stared intently in the direction Chen Zhuo had left with their straw-woven eyes.

Chen Zhuo walked deeper into the village, encountering several villagers along the way.

He slowed his pace, stopped an elderly man, and asked softly, "Sir, do you know where Shi Yi lives?"

"Shi Yi's family? Who are you, Shi Yi?" The old man sized up Chen Zhuo, his eyes filled with wariness.

Chen Zhuo took out his pocket watch, handed over the photo inside, and said that he was Shi Yi's friend.

Upon hearing this, the old man pointed in a direction: "Follow this road, the sixth house is it."

Chen Zhuo thanked him and turned to leave, when a voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"Sound check, sound check, Consultant Chen, please respond!"

Chen Zhuo raised his hand and pressed the intercom, simply replying, "It's me."

Upon hearing this, the person on the other end immediately became nervous and quickly introduced themselves.

"Hello, Consultant Chen, I am Wu Yu, the dedicated operator assigned to you by the branch office. You can contact me via walkie-talkie if you have any needs in the future."

She paused for a moment, then explained why she had taken the initiative to contact him.

"There are two main reasons why I contacted you this time."

My first point is that I want to get to know you better so that we can work together more easily in the future.

Secondly, I'd like to relay some information from Captain Liao to you.

"I have something to do right now, so I'll get to the point," Chen Zhuo said as he headed towards Shi Yi's house.