“There is still some time until midnight. Do you not want to rest?” Xu Deyi was shocked when he saw Gao Ming walk in from the outside, “Have you given the medkits to the others? Is there someone who is hurt outside?”
“Someone will send the medkit back at night.” Gao Ming pulled Xu Deyi to the side with a grin. “The manor owner might pay you extra attention tonight. To make sure our plan is not exposed, you shouldn’t interact too much with the other testers and stay too close to the owner. Don’t do anything he tells you to do. Delay him as much as you can.”
“Do I look that unreliable to you?” Xu Deyi grumbled. He had experienced Gao Ming’s tactics in the previous nightmare, so as unhappy as he was, he still followed Gao Ming’s orders.
“This is for your own good,” Gao Ming had Xu Deyi take the needle and threads. He suspected the manor owner had already turned his target to him.
“I think you’re trying to scam me.” Xu Deyi shrugged and sighed, “Don’t worry. I’ll listen to you.”
Soon, it came time for dinner. The manor owner personally cooked for the testers. The wooden dining table was covered in meat. The bottles were filled with warm goat milk. No one dared to drink them because there was no livestock in the manor. Who knew where the goat milk came from?
“Something has sneaked into the manor. I’m sorry for the bad experience.” The owner opened a bottle of wine. The deep red liquid flowed into the translucent glass. It was weirdly beautiful. “The snow has sealed up the mountains. We need to work together tonight to chase out the dirty things!”
“You are too kind. We are staying here on your kindness. We should help you deal with those things.” Qian Jin was great at socialising but bad at doing anything worthwhile.
“Other than the hikers and the snowman, we have to be careful about the other unknown things. Once you discover any sign of snow or water in the house, inform me immediately,” The owner still had the hunting rifle at the dining table. His attitude towards the testers softened. However, this might be his plan to use them.
“She is heavily injured. She is resting in Room 3009. She doesn’t want to worry you all.” The owner took out a tray and placed the food and milk on it. “Your name is Qian Jin, right? Can you bring this to her while it is still hot?”
“Gladly.” Qian Jin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he took the tray and left the kitchen. The dinner started but only Silly had the appetite to eat. The modified chimney was hard to use. The kitchen was very dusty. Gao Ming had no appetite at all. He took some food and planned to retreat to his room. When he reached the second floor, Gao Ming heard Qian Jin. The man was holding an empty tray. He seemed to be purposely waiting for Gao Ming.
“Is there something you need me for?”
“Something is not right with Bai Feng.” Qian Jin showed Gao Ming the tray. “She never touches any food in the nightmares. However, when I delivered her the food earlier, she took a bit of the meat and stared longingly at the milk.”
“Did she say anything?” Gao Ming stood in the shadows.
“She said… the meat was not fish.” Qian Jin thought about it. “She looks like she is sleep-talking. She seemed to have caught a fish near the east lake yesterday night. Do you know what the fish represent in this dream?”
“No. Let’s ignore that for now. We’ll focus on the plan tonight.” Gao Ming walked past Qian Jin to return to Room 2009. Even after a day of airing out, the room was still damp and chilly. The blanket was damp. The cracks on the wall became more numerous. Gao Ming pulled back the curtains. The last rays of the sun sunk into the snow mountains. Darkness enveloped everything. One could only hear the sound of the wind.
“Everyone is telling a different story. Should I trust the humans in the nightmare or the ghosts in the winter night?”
Drops of water fell on Gao Ming’s neck. He was not surprised. In fact, it felt like he anticipated this.
Gao Ming placed the food on the table. He moved the chair to the fireplace. He mumbled to himself, “The doll told me many things. She might come back to the manor tonight. Do you want to meet her?”
The water droplets moved on the ceiling. The humidity in the room rose, but nothing else happened. Gao Ming didn’t mind it. He closed his eyes, waiting for Qian Jin’s signal.
The night froze the time. Gao Ming sensed the summons from the flesh seeds in his pocket. The summons from the east lake became stronger than before!
As time progressed, something tried to come out of the east lake. After some time, the clock on the wall stopped moving. Gao Ming felt the temperature around him drop. He was so cold that his eyelids trembled. There were three knocks on his door.
“Qian Jin is making his move.”
Gao Ming opened his eyes. He noticed the water droplets on the ceiling had turned into an ice cone. The sharp end was dangling above his eyes. The murky ice seemed to hide a person’s face. Gao Ming turned and saw a frozen face outside his window. The hiker gripped the window. His fingers were as thick as carrots. The front edges were broken as he tried to crawl into the room.
“You’re all here.” Gao Ming was calm. When he shared the tale he heard from the ghost with the room, the face in the ice and the hiker’s face shifted. The hiker looked confused. The face in the ice looked pained and guilty. Gao Ming thought back to the picture he saw in Room 3003. The face on the ice was rather similar to the young brother’s.
“Has the brother turned into the snowman? Or is the snowman just a part of him? The sister’s body has been torn into pieces. It might be worse for the brother.”
Someone knocked on the door three more times. Qian Jin was getting anxious.
“I will figure out the truth. Before that, I will have to ask for your aid.” Gao Ming stepped on the chair and grabbed the ice cone. Then, the whole manor heard his cry for help!
At first, Gao Ming was acting. However, his brain was flooded with his own death memories. He seemed to have died many times in a certain nightmare.
Soon, footsteps crowded the corridor. The door flew open. The owner appeared with the hunting rifle.