It's late at night.

Everyone's attention then shifted from the mangled corpse to the glass coffee table where the potted plants had been placed.

"Could it be that ghosts kill people by planting potted plants? That doesn't make sense," the middle-aged man wondered.

Since the plants in each room are different, it's impossible to discern any pattern.

"Is it possible that he moved the potted plant, thus violating the ghost's rules of killing?" the girl boldly hypothesized.

The bespectacled man shook his head. "Probably not. Even a newcomer wouldn't make such a mistake."

Xia Yao recalled the scent that appeared when the ghost descended, a faintly sour, grassy fragrance, like oranges.

He hesitated before speaking, "Could it be the oranges? Did the ghost use the oranges as a marker, or is there something mixed in with the soil?"

Xia Yao's words opened up a new perspective for the others: if it was just oranges, then the rest of them would be safe.

"It's possible. Everyone should check the soil in their potted plants later to see if anything else has gotten mixed in."

The bespectacled man nodded, acknowledging his guess.

No one objected to this, since it involved the killing patterns of ghosts, and they needed to avoid danger.

"It would be best to take a picture of the potted plant and the soil and send it to the group."

The young woman, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

This is probably to prevent anyone from not doing it. If disturbing the earth would violate the ghost's killing rules, then if everyone does it, the chance of encountering the ghost is equal, which is equivalent to not violating them.

Remembering that she had a camera among her belongings, Xia Yao began rummaging through her messy luggage.

Finally, he found a compass in a small side pocket of his backpack.

"Here's a compass; I don't know if it will be useful to us."

The bespectacled man glanced at it. "It should be a key item. Take it with you."

After searching for a while and finding nothing, the group logged out of 703.

The bespectacled man didn't forget to take the colorful banknotes from his wallet when he left, since there were still many things he needed to spend money on.

As they left the crime scene, the girl dazedly asked, "Aren't we going to leave the body? Won't someone find it and arrest us?"

The bespectacled man closed the door expressionlessly. "The world will handle it itself."

There was no explanation; it was as if the corpse would disappear on its own after a while.

As agreed, the group returned to their respective rooms to remove the soil from the potted plants.

After a night, the white flower buds unfurled, releasing a faint jasmine fragrance.

Xia Yao found an extra toothbrush from the bathroom and used the plastic toothbrush handle to pry open the loose, damp, black nutrient soil.

Plant roots were distributed throughout, and nothing was found on the surface.

But as he continued downwards, the toothbrush seemed to poke something.

Xia Yao's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition spread through her.

He dug away the black, broken soil and saw a bright orange color.

It was a small tangerine, buried at the very bottom of the soil.

His toothbrush even poked a hole in it, and now it's oozing fresh juice.

Yes, it's fresh.

These tangerines are so fresh, not dry or rotten, as if they were just buried.

A faint, refreshing scent of oranges wafted into my nose, exactly the same as the one I smelled last night!

Open the Yaoshan Tingsen Holiday Exchange Group; other people's photos have been uploaded one after another.

The soil in everyone's potted plants was clean and free of any other substances.

Xia Yao is now certain that the oranges are likely the attack markers of the demons.

He first appeared in room 703; the second time, the ghost had its sights on him.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Yao took a picture of the tangerines in the soil and posted it to the QQ group.

The last message in the group was about where to look for clues, but it fell silent after his photo was posted.

Sometimes, silence is also a form of response.

Everyone has already decided that the room where oranges appear will become the target of the ghost.

The group met at the restaurant on the first floor, but after witnessing the bloody scene, they all had poor appetites and only grabbed a few things to fill their stomachs.

During the meal, the man with glasses broke the silence by speaking first.

"We'll be working together further, so let's get to know each other. My name is Zhou Ze'an, and I'm a middle school teacher."

Once someone starts, others will follow suit.

"My name is Chen Qi. I'm a junior in college, majoring in design."

The girl who spoke first to Xia Yao seemed to be a newbie like him.

"My name is Lan Yuanshan, and I'm a business manager."

Xia Yao had seen the basic information about the person he was monitoring from the client.

"Liu Lili".

The young, pretty woman with short hair gave her name and then fell silent.

"My name is Lu Qifa, and I run a small business."

It was the middle-aged man who knocked on the door in the morning. He was pot-bellied, balding on top, and spoke with a slightly obsequious manner.

In the end, only Xia Yao remained, and he spoke concisely.

"Su Mo, a food delivery driver."

As he spoke, he subtly observed the group, probing them to find out if their involvement in the situation was related to him.

If so, they must know his information, his real name.

But everyone's expressions remained unchanged, which made his heart sink even further.

The bespectacled man, Zhou Ze'an, summarized and recounted the clues he had collected.

"Judging from the circumstances of 703's death, he died from being struck by a heavy object. We can consider investigating this as an accident during the construction of the scenic area."

This aligns with Xia Yao's deduction last night, except that the death of her teammate provides strong evidence for this direction.

"The mark of the demon seems to be related to oranges. In order to analyze the murder pattern more quickly, it would be best to investigate that as well."

"For efficiency and safety, I suggest that the six people be divided into two groups."

As he spoke, Zhou Ze'an took out six folded slips of paper.

"The grouping by drawing lots is absolutely fair."

"Those who draw number 1 should conduct an investigation within the scenic area, and try to find the construction workers to inquire whether any accidents have occurred in the past."

"Those who draw number 2 should go to nearby villages to inquire whether the original land ownership has been disputed, and also ask if there are any orange groves nearby, or any serious incidents related to oranges."

No one objected to this. Liu Lili seemed to be used to this lottery system and took a slip of paper first.

People reached out their hands one after another, with Zhou Ze'an, the host, being the last to do so.

Through a lottery, Xia Yao, Zhou Ze'an, and Chen Qi were assigned to a group to conduct an investigation within the scenic area.

Liu Lili, along with Lan Yuanshan and Lu Qifa, went down the mountain to inquire.

Seemingly because he still needed Xia Yao and was worried that her emotions would affect efficiency, Zhou Ze'an offered lukewarm words of comfort.

"Brother Su, you don't need to worry too much. Being targeted by a ghost doesn't necessarily mean you'll die. There's no absolute dead end here. As long as you gather enough information, you'll have a chance to avoid the ghost's attack."

Xia Yao nodded, remaining silent.

He thought about it more deeply, such as whether the curse of death could be transferred?

Will abandoning the potted plant or moving the orange tree help you get rid of the ghost's attack?

Or perhaps, a specific object needs to be transferred to be transferred?

Xia Yao didn't ask, because it involved life and death, and people might not necessarily tell him the answer; on the contrary, they might be wary of him.

Exploration is essential; the more you know, the higher your chances of survival.