In the small attic, only a short length of rope remained, hanging emptily from the beam.

True horror wasn’t in the appearance of something— it was in the disappearance.

It was like catching a massive spider as a kid, trapping it under a cardboard box, and finally waiting for an adult to come and deal with it, only to lift the box and find nothing inside. It meant that she could appear at any time, in any place, without restriction.

Fang Chen held his breath, sharpening his senses to any movements behind him. The dim light made everything murky, and each creak of the wooden floor sounded unnervingly loud. He scanned his surroundings with heightened focus, moving layer by layer: the second-floor rooms, the first-floor kitchen, the storage area, and the main hall.

Then he went out into the courtyard.

If she wasn’t here, where would she be?

Fang Chen stood silently in the courtyard, leaning against a tree, his gaze wandering aimlessly. Apart from their own courtyard, there were several similar houses scattered around like a small village. These houses had never shown a glimmer of light, their doors and windows shut tightly, standing silent and dark.

With a clear decision forming in his mind, Fang Chen straightened up, preparing to explore those untouched areas.

His phone suddenly vibrated with several notifications, stopping him mid-step.

Bai Li: This is terrifying! There’s something creepy on our floor! A killer! Don’t go out!

The chat immediately exploded.

Meng Qiyan: What? Be clear! What did you see?

Bai Li: Someone’s been pacing with an axe outside our door!

Lu Wanting: Is it a person?

Bai Li: I think so...it doesn’t look like the carpenter or that hanging woman.

Li Duo: Could it be the Tribute planning to make a move?

Liu Mang: No way, the rules said no killing at night.

Meng Qiyan: How did you see it?

Bai Li: I was hungry and went to the kitchen, but when I opened the door, I got scared back inside. Thanks to that person, I’m not hungry anymore.

Lu Wanting: Help, this is so creepy. I can’t sleep.

Li Duo: Is everyone safe? Two people haven’t said anything yet.

Yan Xuan: I’m in my room.

Fang Chen looked at the rapidly flying messages, half-amused, and quickly explained.

Fang Chen: Don’t be afraid; it’s just me.

The chat exploded even more.

Bai Li: Dude, who wanders around with an axe in the middle of the night?

Meng Qiyan: What are you doing?

Li Duo: Brother, don’t tell me you’re the Tribute, scouting out your target?

Fang Chen: Just felt uneasy, thought I’d grab something for self-defense.

Bai Li: You feel better now?

Fang Chen: Pretty much.

Bai Li: Great. You transferred all that unease onto me!

After clearing up the misunderstanding, Fang Chen put his phone away, adjusted his grip on the axe, and headed toward the other dark, uninhabited courtyards.

The yards were overgrown with weeds, lifeless and abandoned. At first, Fang Chen was polite, knocking three times before entering. For locked doors, he’d go around, climbing walls or windows. But after doing this repeatedly, it was tiring and inefficient.

When he came to another dilapidated courtyard, he pushed the door lightly, but it didn’t budge. Shrugging, he reached behind him, gripped his axe, and in one swift motion, hacked at the door.

The door couldn’t withstand the assault and shattered after a few swings, crashing to the ground.

Satisfied, Fang Chen strode inside.

Feeling refreshed, he thought he should have done this sooner.

He moved through each room, planning out his path in his head. He took the most direct routes, hacking at anything blocking his way, doors included, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

After tearing through most of the place, one particular courtyard caught his attention.

This house was quite isolated, and its lock looked new. The yard was well-kept, with clean furnishings and flourishing plants. No matter how much he tried, Fang Chen couldn't budge any of the doors or windows.

Did he need a key to get inside?

Keeping this in mind, he vaulted over the wall and moved on to the next property.

After making the rounds, he came up empty-handed— his efforts had yielded nothing. It seemed that obtaining the music box was necessary for making progress, and until he did, he’d be unable to gather any more useful information.

Just as Fang Chen was about to head back, he heard a soft, crisp sound from behind him.

It sounded like someone stepping on dry leaves. But he hadn’t moved.

In the moonlight, the shadows stretched long on the ground, including one of an uninvited guest slowly approaching him. Though he could only see the silhouette, Fang Chen felt like it was grinning— baring its teeth in an eerie smile. The faint sound of labored breathing, “huff...huff,” crept into his ears, grazing his nerves with each exhale.

It was here.

As the figure’s shadow loomed over his, swallowing it whole, Fang Chen spun around and threw his axe with all his might, following it with an uppercut.

But his opponent seemed prepared, sidestepping effortlessly to evade both moves. A powerful punch came at him from behind, and Fang Chen blocked it with his palm, using the momentum to bring down a sharp elbow strike.

There was a muffled grunt as the figure barely managed to deflect it, using both hands to pin Fang Chen to the ground.

The world spun for a moment, and when Fang Chen finally saw who had ambushed him, he was momentarily speechless. He managed to choke out, “Was your childhood nickname ‘Shadow’ or something?”

Yesterday it was the same, and today too.

“Not back then, but I could go by that now,” Yan Xuan replied with a wink.

He leaned closer, his broad shoulders blocking out the moonlight, creating a shadowy enclosure scented faintly of dried wood.

Fang Chen felt his skin flush for some reason.

“Get off,” he muttered, turning his head away. When Yan Xuan didn’t move, Fang Chen urged him again, “Hurry up.”

With a chuckle, Yan Xuan rolled off, ending up lying beside him.

It hit Fang Chen belatedly that the faint “huff...huff” sound he’d heard earlier had likely been Yan Xuan’s poorly-suppressed laughter.

So, he’d been hiding back there, watching him the whole time.

Noticing Fang Chen’s irritation, Yan Xuan propped himself up on an elbow, leaning his head on his hand, “Those were all kill moves. You’ve got some skills.”

“You’re not bad yourself.” Fang Chen wasn’t interested in empty compliments and got straight to the point, “Why are you following me?”

“Just curious to see what ‘the killer’ Bai Li mentioned looked like.” Yan Xuan’s sly, fox-like eyes narrowed playfully.

“Now that you’ve seen him, aren’t you afraid to challenge the ‘killer’ head-on?”

“I felt like a friendly chat.”

Fang Chen shot him a look. “At this point, if I did accidentally kill someone, I’d probably be standing trial by tomorrow…”

Realizing he’d broached a dangerous subject, Fang Chen clamped his mouth shut.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them.

“Are you the Tribute?” Yan Xuan asked softly, inching closer.

“If I were, what would you do?”