They're gone, all gone!

How could this be?!

Linghu Yong instantly panicked. Countless examples existed of people being killed by ghosts after being separated from their group in supernatural events. He had seen many, which was one of the reasons he chose to team up in the first place.

But he never expected...

However, as an experienced player, he displayed unusual composure. "Don't panic. Panicking won't solve anything; it will only make things worse."

After a few deep breaths, he gradually calmed down and began to analyze the current situation.

There was definitely a ghost, or something abnormal had occurred.

But with so many of them, they couldn't all be killed by the ghost. So, some must still be alive. But where were they now?

A thought flickered through his mind. Linghu Yong immediately pulled out his phone. The time displayed was 2:15 AM, fifteen minutes past their agreed-upon time.

Could they... have started following the original plan, splitting into two teams, one to explore the Feng family mansion and the other to search for clues at Liu the Cripple's place?

As it seemed now, that was the most logical explanation.

But a new problem arose: why hadn't they taken him along?

In other words, even if Zhao Xingguo had forgotten, wouldn't the others have been suspicious? Moreover... how could Zhao Xingguo possibly forget?

A few seconds later, Linghu Yong's expression changed slightly. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, a very frightening one.

But this conjecture could explain his current predicament.

Zhao Xingguo hadn't forgotten him, nor had the others ignored him. Instead... he had been replaced, replaced by someone identical to him.

A ghost!

Linghu Yong suddenly raised his head, his pupils trembling. It must be a ghost. The ghost had somehow concealed him and then impersonated him, infiltrating their team.

Damn it...

Thinking of this, he immediately rushed to the door. As soon as he opened it, the scene outside shocked him.

A fog had risen outside, sometime without him noticing.

A thick fog filled the air, with visibility reduced to only a few meters.

Any further, and he could only see an outline. But Linghu Yong didn't dare hesitate. He roughly identified the direction and plunged into the fog.

Due to the poor visibility, he didn't move quickly, and his steps were intermittent. Over time, he also sensed that this fog seemed different from ordinary fog.

He casually swiped at the fog in front of him and found that it could ripple like a liquid.

Something's not right!

Nothing is right!

He was now heading in the direction of Liu the Cripple's residence, as marked in Jiang City in his memory. In his recollection, given his current speed and the distance he had traveled, he should have already encountered a long corridor.

Then, following the corridor, he would reach the general area where Liu the Cripple lived.

But having walked this far, he hadn't seen a corridor, or even a wall or a tree.

He seemed to have entered a very strange space. At least, this was definitely not the Feng family mansion!

He couldn't go any further. He stopped.

The fog from all sides pressed in on him, making it hard to breathe.

Tension and pressure assaulted him. He panted heavily, occasionally biting his nails—a habit he had when thinking. "It seems I've been drawn into a supernatural event. It was done by that ghost, the one impersonating me. It doesn't want me to appear."

It was a simple matter: once he appeared, the ghost's impersonation scheme would naturally fail.

His thoughts extended further, and Linghu Yong considered a crucial question: the ghost's purpose.

That's right, the ghost's purpose!

What was its purpose in impersonating him?

Obviously, it was to kill.

But... who?

He hadn't died himself. From this, it seemed the ghost's target wasn't him; it was merely borrowing his identity.

Thinking further, since the ghost's target wasn't him, and he had broken its deception by appearing, what would happen?

He had ruined the ghost's plan, and its scheme had naturally failed. But what next?

What would happen then?

Linghu Yong's expression changed slightly. He thought the ghost might very well target him, after he ruined its plans.

Having figured this out, Linghu Yong immediately stopped.

If his assumption was true, then if he changed direction and didn't look for Jiang Cheng and Zhao Xingguo's group, the ghost wouldn't bother him.

He could then leave this fog smoothly.

No sooner said than done. To test his theory, Linghu Yong quickly identified the direction and changed course, changing his destination to the Feng family mansion where the other group was located.

As long as he stayed away from the ghost, perhaps there was still a chance.

The situation unfolded exactly as he predicted. After changing direction, he clearly felt the fog thinning and his vision improving.

Most importantly, the inexplicable sense of dread that had been plaguing him gradually faded.

After the last wisp of fog dissipated, a lone mansion appeared before him.

A few lights outside the mansion were lit, emitting a dim, flickering glow.

He was positioned diagonally behind the mansion. From his angle, he could just see a half-open window. The surroundings were quiet, with no people or any other living creatures.

The relief from escaping the fog was instantly replaced by a new sense of crisis.

"I can't stay here. Something bad will happen sooner or later." Linghu Yong stared at the half-open window. Suddenly, a flash of light caught his eye, and his focus sharpened.

Near the window was a small tree, and in a conspicuous spot on one of its branches, a piece of clothing had been tied.

He didn't rush over but instead watched from a distance. By identifying the clothing, he realized it belonged to Pi Ruan, a member of their team.

This might be a signal.

He immediately understood: the first team must have entered through this window, leaving the clothing as a marker to tell those who came later that they had entered from here.

This was easy to confirm because, even if it were Linghu Yong's choice, he wouldn't go through the main entrance, since it seemed suspicious, with the lights on outside while the mansion itself was pitch black.

This was very abnormal.

Successfully climbing through the window, he followed the path taken by the first team and soon arrived on the second floor.

He paused briefly at the red lanterns as well, but not only because of the lanterns' strangeness. What truly caught his attention was the faint singing he heard.

Just as he was carefully discerning the source of the singing, a figure suddenly flashed past at the end of the corridor.

Because it was so fast, he couldn't identify who it was.

But he was certain it was one of the team members.

Although he had doubts, he still chose to follow and see. After all... the way back wasn't safe either. Just now, he had heard noises from downstairs, as if someone was walking around down there.

The footsteps were heavy, seemingly without any intention of concealing themselves.

Even stranger, the interval between each step was fixed. He could even discern a stiffness, a lifelessness, from the sound of the footsteps.