Chapter 51: The Intruder

Chapter 51: The Intruder

“Still not dead yet?” Chen Shouyi was surprised and instinctively glanced at the corpse’s eyes.

The eyes were half-open, and through the eyelids—perhaps due to the lighting—Chen Shouyi faintly sensed a dim, eerie glow emanating from them.

He watched for a while before retreating to the courtyard.

It wasn’t fear that drove him back, but the unbearable stench.

Once Chen Shouyi sat down, Chen Xingyue sidled up to him and whispered, “Did you find anything?”

“It’s right there. Can’t you go look yourself?” Chen Shouyi shot her a glance.

“Don’t be so stingy. Just tell me!”

“Don’t say ‘die.’ Be careful what you wish for.”

Chen Xingyue was visibly spooked.

“Brother, if you keep this up, I’ll ignore you.”

“Fine, I’ll stop teasing you.” Chen Shouyi dropped the joking tone and lowered his voice. “Its hands are still moving, but it’s tied up. Probably nothing for you to worry about today.”

Chen Xingyue let out a sigh of relief.

……

Time crawled by, the moonlight growing colder.

At one point, the old man, unable to stay awake any longer, was persuaded to go to bed.

Around 1 a.m., a series of thuds echoed from the mourning hall as the corpse began struggling.

Everyone froze, exchanging uneasy glances, their faces pale with fear.

After a long silence, Wang Dewen, Old Man Wang’s second son, mustered his courage and went to check the mourning hall. He returned with a ghastly expression. “It’s… it’s fine. Dad’s still tied up tight.”

The tension in the room eased.

Chen Shouyi noticed his sister’s fingers, which had been gripping her pant leg tightly, finally relaxing.

He couldn’t help but smirk. If she was so scared, why bother coming out in the first place?

……

The thudding continued, growing more violent.

Accompanied by guttural grunts from the corpse’s throat, the sounds were deeply unsettling in the dead of night.

But Chen Shouyi only felt bored.

He had no choice but to endure.

At this point, he almost wished Old Man Wang would break free—just to liven things up.

Unfortunately, in this low-magic environment, Old Man Wang was powerless to do so.

……

After what felt like an eternity, dawn finally broke, and the corpse’s movements gradually ceased.

On the way back, Chen Xingyue yawned but skipped along cheerfully.

“Five thousand just like that. Who knew it’d be so easy?”

“You only get two thousand. The three thousand is mine.” Chen Shouyi mercilessly shattered her dream.

“Ugh, I didn’t need the reminder, you greedy jerk!” Chen Xingyue huffed. “If I’d known it’d be this simple, I would’ve gone alone.”

She could’ve gotten the full five thousand, but now she didn’t even get half.

“Without me, would you have dared?” Chen Shouyi gave her a sidelong glance.

He’d long seen through her tough act.

“Of course I would’ve! Whatever, I’m not talking to you.”

“Hmm, three thousand earned so easily… How should I spend it?” Chen Shouyi mused aloud, his expression deliberately provoking.

“Brother, do you know how annoying you are?” Chen Xingyue gritted her teeth behind him, glaring at his backside as if itching to kick him.

“Calling your own brother annoying? And here I was thinking of letting you keep it all.”

"Brother, you're my dearest brother, you're the best," Chen Xingyue instantly switched expressions, shamelessly flattering.

...

As a "wealthy man" with over two hundred thousand to his name, how could he possibly bring himself to take his younger sister's hard-earned money? He had only been teasing her earlier.

Upon reaching home, he found his parents already awake.

The slight drowsiness on their faces made it clear they had also spent a restless night, worried.

"Don't come in yet—step over the fire basin first to ward off bad luck," Chen Mu said superstitiously, lighting a bundle of dried wormwood in a broken pot.

...

After only a few hours of sleep in the morning, Chen Shouyi woke up feeling full of energy.

After lunch, he picked up his briefcase and headed back to the abandoned building.

The Military Police were still patrolling nearby, but this time, Chen Shouyi couldn't hold back.

He hadn’t visited the deserted island for days and was growing concerned about the barbarians' movements.

Seizing a moment when the police weren’t looking, he darted toward the abandoned building at full speed.

The journey was tense but uneventful. When he reached the underground parking lot, however, his expression turned uneasy.

The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, leaving clear footprints with every step. Originally, only his own footprints had been there—but now, there was another set.

His face grew solemn as he followed the footprints forward.

Whoever had come had clearly traced his steps, stopping only where the passageway began.

"Has someone finally discovered this passage?"

Though startled, Chen Shouyi wasn’t entirely surprised. The abandoned building wasn’t in some remote, uninhabited area—it was near a street. Anyone paying attention could easily notice his unusual comings and goings.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

Soon, he noticed something odd.

The footprints only led in one direction, meaning the person was still inside. But the dust accumulation on them was nearly the same as his most recent set.

How long had it been since his last trip to the Otherworld?

Over four days.

A grim suspicion formed in his mind.

That person was probably already dead.

But speculation was pointless—he had to go in and see for himself.

As soon as Chen Shouyi stepped into the passage, the scenery shifted.

Before him lay a corpse.

Face-down, dressed in a suit—clearly an office worker.

Chen Shouyi’s first glance went to the shoes. The tread pattern matched the footprints exactly. This was the one who had found the passage.

The man had been dead for some time, his body swollen and decaying. His legs were twisted unnaturally, likely from collapsing under the gravity here.

Chen Shouyi instinctively checked the distance between the corpse and the passage—over twenty meters.

He couldn’t understand how the man had run so far.

Threefold gravity was extremely dangerous for an ordinary person. A fall that might only scrape skin on Earth could easily break bones—or prove fatal—here.

It wasn’t until Chen Shouyi spotted a pile of gold grains gleaming seductively in the sunlight not far ahead that everything clicked.

Men die for wealth, as birds perish for food—the saying held true.

The man had likely ventured deeper after spotting his pile of gold grains.

Those gold grains weighed less than 250 grams and were worth at most 40,000 to 50,000, yet they cost him his life.

Still, it was a good thing for Chen Shouyi.

……

Though the corpse had begun to rot, it had to be disposed of.

Having witnessed Old Man Wang’s eerie transformation, Chen Shouyi had grown extremely wary of corpses. Even on Earth, unnatural changes could occur—let alone here in the Otherworld, where mysterious forces were even stronger.

Holding his breath, he grabbed one of the corpse’s legs and dragged it downhill.

After more than ten minutes, he threw the body into the sea, then carefully washed his hands.

On his way back, he spotted a wallet—clearly dropped from the corpse’s pocket during the dragging.

It lay open, revealing a photo inside.

He had no intention of picking it up, no matter how much money was inside. But when he saw the photo tucked in the wallet, he couldn’t help but crouch down and pull it out.

It was a picture of a family of three.

A cute little girl sat on her father’s shoulders, smiling brightly.

Chen Shouyi suddenly crumpled the photo into a ball and hurled it away with force.

It wasn’t me who killed him!