No matter how hard he pushed, it just wouldn’t budge. His husband spoke sweetly, but Yan Chuan knew it was just a way to make things difficult for him. Just a moment ago, he had criticized others for their ill intentions, yet his nominal husband was also bullying him.
His thin skin made him instinctively want to hide, but his husband didn’t mind exposing everything; it was as if he was eager to show off right in front of him. Claiming that his clothes were wet and uncomfortable, it was clear he just wanted to see Yan Chuan wearing nothing at all.
A realization settled deep within Yan Chuan’s heart. “Liang Xin is dead?”
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a crowd gathered downstairs, their faces serious as they discussed something. His heart sank. Forgetting everything else, he hurried down the stairs and squeezed into the throng.
The familiar contestants exhibited various expressions as they huddled together discussing. They were standing outside the apartment where Liang Xin had been held, pointing and whispering about what lay inside.
An Wen was being supported by Zhang Nan, silently wiping her tears while gazing at the door. “How did it come to this…” She clearly had been crying for a while; her voice was hoarse. “I was thinking of coming to see him yesterday…”
Yan Chuan pursed his lips. Although Liang Xin had descended into a frenzy and attacked An Wen, she had tirelessly fed him water and food during this time, making sure he didn’t die because of it.
“I heard noise last night and wanted to come out,” An Wen sniffled and explained, her eyes red. “But there was something outside the door…”
She didn’t specify what it was, but everyone understood. The “something” was naturally the monster from Apartment No. 13.
With monsters from the competition running amok and causing harm, the contestants dared not venture outside, fearing for their own safety. Moreover, Yan Chuan’s gaze swept across the chaotic scene on the ground; only a monster could create such devastation.
Large patches of dark blood were splattered on the floor as if someone had been stabbed repeatedly with a weapon, and the walls bore traces of the same.
Going further inside was even worse; an enormous mass, likely blurred out for discretion, quietly lay in a corner, a horrifically mutilated corpse.
The overwhelming scent of rust rushed into Yan Chuan’s nostrils, causing him to frown in discomfort. It was stronger than what he had sensed on his “husband.”
This thought flitted through Yan Chuan’s mind, but he quickly shook his head. Only Shan Qi and Tang Zhen had the courage to stand at the front. After some consideration, Yan Chuan decided to push forward as well.
“He… is dead?”
Yan Chuan turned his gaze toward Shan Qi and Tang Zhen, asking again, “What happened last night?”
Shan Qi nodded, his thin lips pressed tightly together. The dark circles under his eyes were evident; he had likely not slept well the previous night.
“The events of the night,” he frowned. “We knocked on every door; the noise was so loud it woke everyone up.”
Yan Chuan recalled the strange knocking sound he had heard while in the bathroom with his husband. He thought he might have misheard and asked his husband, who merely replied that it was nothing to worry about.
Could that have been when the incident occurred, when Liang Xin desperately met his demise inside the apartment?
Yan Chuan forced himself to think back, but that memory was intertwined with the humid heat, the blurry water glow, and another person’s strong, sturdy shoulder and slightly rough palm…
Just the thought of it made that feeling of being scrutinized, unable to escape, surge to the forefront of his mind.
He pressed his lips together and lowered his head to conceal the suddenly reddening flush on his face.
He hadn’t been awakened by the noise, yet he hadn’t slept well all night.
However, the timing of Liang Xin’s incident coincided with when he was with his “husband,” providing him with an alibi, also indicating that there was more than one monster in Apartment No. 13.
Yan Chuan couldn’t tell whether there were one, two, or three additional monsters present.
He also couldn’t rule out the possibility of foul play by another contestant.
Suppressing his discomfort, Yan Chuan leaned closer to investigate the wounds on the corpse.
The wounds were jagged and uneven, as if struck repeatedly by a dull blade. They littered the body, each cut looking like an outlet for rage, leaving fragments scattered everywhere.
The unevenness resembled a child’s monstrous prank, but how could a child possess such strength and mindset?
Did the monsters harbor such deep resentment toward Liang Xin’s identity?
A question surfaced in Yan Chuan’s mind.
He discreetly glanced at the contestants, his gaze drifting over faces that reflected shock, sorrow, or indifference.
When his gaze met An Wen’s, she hesitated and averted her eyes.
“You heard it last night, right?” Tang Zhen spoke to Yan Chuan, his tone chillingly calm. “The monster killed him, so we came out to check as soon as it was dawn.”
Yan Chuan didn’t quite grasp why Tang Zhen assumed it was definitely a monster’s doing but nodded, “I heard it.”
A few scattered voices acknowledged in response from within the crowd.
“Wait,” Chen Sheng, who had barely spoken up until this point, suddenly proposed a different perspective. “Could it really have been the work of a monster?”
If it wasn’t a monster causing chaos, could it possibly be a rift among the contestants? Was there a murderer amongst this group?
The atmosphere grew suddenly serious.
Yan Chuan raised his eyebrows in surprise, glancing at the nondescript middle-aged man.
Chen Sheng stepped forward, pointed confidently at the visible gash on the shoulder, indicating it with a degree of expertise.
“Here,” he spoke with certainty, “I’m in the slaughtering business. The unevenness of the cuts indicates multiple failed strikes, but elsewhere, the marks are significantly heavier.”
“And so?” Shan Qi squatted beside him, examining the disfigured corpse.
“There were two people here last night,” Chen Sheng deduced. “It was either a group attack, or there were two monsters present.”
Two monsters.
While Chen Sheng verbalized this, his eyes were firmly fixed on An Wen, whose corner still glistened with tears.
“But…” An Wen began, “Wasn’t everyone in the apartment last night? How could anyone have gone out?”