The brewing tension was abruptly extinguished by that single sentence, and Bai Li, adaptable as ever, quickly joined the others, eagerly gathering around.

In front of them stood a tree, bathed in gentle light, emanating an air of purity and tranquility—a scene that could almost be described as poetic.

"Where is it?" Li Duo circled the tree trunk, scanning it up and down, but he saw nothing.

"It's in the tree," Fang Chen replied, looking up.

Lu Wanting, still confused, glanced between the photo and the tree in front of them, scratching her head in frustration. "How are you so sure it's in the tree?"

"The Tyndall effect looks beautiful; the trunk illuminated by sunlight stands out, especially in such a dim environment. In a game, it would look just like a side quest," Fang Chen explained.

With a snap of his fan, Liu Mang’s eyes lit up in realization. "So, the spot illuminated in the photo marks the location of the music box!"

Fang Chen nodded. Liu Mang had pointed out the striking beam of light the first time they’d entered the forest. The shovel in the carpenter’s hand was just a red herring—the true clue was the tree behind the couple in the photo. The forest was densely shaded, with only a rare few light beams breaking through, so matching the illuminated spot in the picture with the trees here made pinpointing the exact one easy.

After gauging the approximate location, Li Duo eagerly volunteered and climbed up. Leaves rustled down, spiraling through the air, and Fang Chen’s gaze happened to settle on Yan Xuan amid the falling foliage. Yan Xuan’s calm expression hadn’t wavered since the beginning, nor had he shown any surprise when Fang Chen revealed the music box’s location.

The more Fang Chen thought about it, the more it felt off. He nudged Yan Xuan, "You wouldn’t happen to have figured it out earlier, would you?"

"Only a few minutes before you," Yan Xuan said with a smile that betrayed nothing.

"Found it—it's here!" Li Duo’s booming voice rang out, jolting everyone’s ears.

Excited, he scrambled back down and displayed his find, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. "The tree hole is well hidden, with thick foliage covering it. You’d never spot it unless you climbed all the way up."

Surprised by the quick success, the group gathered around, their faces alight with anticipation.

The music box was old and wooden, with weathered, decayed edges. Fang Chen placed it on the ground, wound the crank on the side, and took a few steps back.

As the crank turned, a soft hum emerged from the box. Everyone held their breath, listening intently.

But instead of music, a recording began to play—a woman’s soft, low voice filled the air. Her tone was gentle but carried an inexplicable sense of sorrow. As she sang, a small ballerina figurine rose from the box, holding a tiny key.

A key? Fang Chen immediately thought of the locked courtyard from the previous night.

This was likely the next clue. He crouched down, reaching out to grab the tiny key. But as his fingertips touched the metal surface, the figurine let out a piercing scream—sharp and despairing.

The shriek was so shrill it seemed to slice through the air, like nails scraping across a chalkboard, setting everyone's nerves on edge.

Then, blood began seeping out from the seams of the music box, trickling down the figurine's face as it spun faster and faster, the sound becoming even more grating.

Meng Qiyan winced, her brows furrowed, and the others instinctively covered their ears and backed away, but even so, they could still hear the haunting message.

It was a woman’s voice, bitter, filled with resentment, sobbing out words of warning.

“Those who hear my song—I’ll come find you tonight.”

As the crank wound down and the figurine slowly lowered back into the box, it gave one last turn, twisting its head 180 degrees to face them. Its blurred features almost looked like they were smiling.

Everyone stood frozen, the scene leaving them speechless for several minutes.

Finally, Lu Wanting licked her dry lips and asked, without much hope, "Did I…hear that wrong?"

"You heard right," Liu Mang added grimly, looking just as shaken. "She said she’d come looking for us tonight."

“Oh… I know this drill. Every horror game is like this,” Meng Qiyan mumbled, her spirit seemingly drained. “Is there a save point? Somebody, give me a save point.”

Not just them—even Fang Chen was stunned. It wasn’t fear exactly, but more the feeling of disgust as his fingers brushed the sticky, warm blood that had splattered onto his hand.

The unsettling encounter left everyone eager to leave. With the music box and the key in hand, they had no reason to stay any longer.

Bai Li darted towards the exit without hesitation, but had barely taken a few steps when—

"Wait." Fang Chen’s voice rang out.

He walked over to where Zhang Bin’s body lay, now covered in dirt, lifeless and alone on the ground, with tiny ants crawling over his sleeve. Though nothing could bring him back, at the very least, they could make sure he left with a bit of dignity.

“You dug so many holes—seems a shame to waste them,” Fang Chen said, looking back at the group. “Let’s bury him.”

Everyone shivered. They exchanged looks, hesitant to respond.

After a moment of silence, Meng Qiyan raised her hand, “I’ll do it!” She closed her eyes as if marching toward her doom. But just as she moved, a hand lightly patted her shoulder. Yan Xuan stepped forward, taking her place.

Fang Chen was a bit surprised; Yan Xuan, the impeccable gentleman, didn’t seem like the type for such a task. Seeing him step up, the others pitched in, deciding to make a headstone for Zhang Bin.

With preparations complete, Fang Chen and Yan Xuan lifted the body, each taking one end. As they gently shifted him—

“Grnn—” A low, guttural groan escaped from Zhang Bin’s mouth.

“Holy—!”

“Is he coming back?!”

The group scattered in a panic. Meng Qiyan’s face went pale, Lu Wanting clutched her head and crouched down with her eyes tightly shut, while Li Duo bolted to a tree several meters away, only the top of his head visible.

Bai Li jumped onto the nearest person, who happened to be Liu Mang.

In response, Liu Mang instinctively caught him in a bridal carry and then gritted his teeth, “Get off me!”

“No way! Don’t you dare drop me!” Bai Li shook his head frantically.

After waiting a while and seeing that the body remained motionless, the group peeked out from their hiding spots.

“Relax.” Yan Xuan rolled up his sleeves, explaining calmly, “This is what’s known as the ‘postmortem burp.’ Gas builds up inside the body and can sometimes escape through the mouth when moved, sounding like a groan from the throat.”

Despite his logical explanation, everyone’s nerves remained on edge.

Fang Chen felt a pang of sympathy—Zhang Bin had suffered enough in life; now, even in death, he seemed unwelcome. Hoping to ease the mood, he offered a few reassuring words.

"Just think about it. The hanging ghost woman is supposed to come after us tonight. Compared to her, a corpse isn’t scary at all, right?”

Perfect. The look on everyone’s face turned an even deeper shade of green at that attempt at comfort.