DA chapter 26

 

Everyone’s expression looked grim, not only because someone had died before their eyes, but more importantly because of the way the deceased had fallen.

Clearly, the deceased had been standing as punishment until death.

Since he had been standing behind the door as punishment, after Yan Xu opened the door, the body fell straight forward without support.

“Ahhhh—”

The newcomers’ nerves finally snapped because of the corpse. Someone could not help screaming, but was quickly stopped with disgust by the old hands.

The corpse was face-down when it appeared before everyone. Judging by how he fell, there was no fatal wound on his back—not even a wound at all.

The fatal wound was on the front.

Understanding how the deceased died could help others avoid the same fate. However, this corpse was covered in blood, and there were no gloves at the scene. Some people hesitated, but never stepped forward to turn the corpse over.

Lin Jia had mysophobia[mfn]Mysophobia is an extreme fear of germs. It causes an overwhelming obsession with contamination.[/mfn]; naturally, he would not inspect the corpse without protection.

He looked at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao: “…”

Xiao Yao understood. This time, he entered Fish Belly with Lin Jia to do hard labor because, in most situations, Lin Jia simply did not need him.

Xiao Yao was about to step up when Deputy Director Chen spoke up: “Yan Xu.”

Xiao Yao also did not want to touch the corpse, as he felt it would be unlucky. Since Deputy Director Chen had called Yan Xu, Xiao Yao did not need to, so he quickly stepped back.

Seeing Deputy Director Chen delegate the task to Yan Xu, everyone else let out a sigh of relief.

Lin Jia did not want to do it either, so he had no right to question others. Only the cat on his shoulder let out a meaningful sigh.

Lin Jia tilted his head and gave the cat a warning glance. The cat quickly covered its mouth with a paw, not daring to act rashly.

Yan Xu didn’t hesitate to turn over a corpse barehanded. He rolled up his sleeves and started immediately.

He squatted down in front of the corpse and, under everyone’s gaze, grabbed its clothes. He used slight force at the wrist, and with a “thud,” the front of the corpse turned over. It then smashed into the blood pool, splashing droplets.

Those standing nearby quickly stepped back. Lin Jia also stepped back and found a position where blood would not splash on him.

Looking up, the area around the corpse was deathly silent.

“This…” Xiao Tian covered her mouth; her face was full of terror.

The other newcomers all looked terrified, and even the old hands did not look good.

The front of the corpse had no obvious fatal wound, only the clothes on his chest were soaked with blood. Everyone followed the bloodstains to find the fatal wound.

Yan Xu used two fingers to clamp both sides of the corpse’s lips, forcing its mouth open.

“The tongue is gone,” Yan Xu said.

From Lin Jia’s position, he could not see the mouth cavity, but judging by everyone else’s expressions, the sight must have been gruesome.

The best position to see the mouth cavity was behind Yan Xu, where Deputy Director Chen was already standing. Lin Jia did not plan to walk over.

Instead, he raised his head and stared at Yan Xu, waiting for him to describe the corpse.

Yan Xu took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it into the mouth cavity of the dead person, tilted the corpse’s head to get a better view.

“The tongue was pulled out,” Yan Xu said. “Most likely choked on blood and suffocated to death.”

These two sentences deepened the terror on the newcomers’ faces. After the old hands looked at each other, Zhang Tudou said: “Wasn’t it said that the Welfare Institute has no abuse?”

This was a Q&A stamped by Fishman: the Welfare Institute had no abuse.

However, this newcomer’s miserable cause of death seemed to contradict that answer.

“The Welfare Institute having no abuse and the director killing people are two different things. All NPCs kill people; it’s only a matter of the degree of brutality.” Xiao Yao took the opportunity to scold Zhang Tudou: “You don’t even know this?”

Zhang Tudou responded: “Didn’t you see the way he fell? If that wasn’t a punishment for standing, then what was it?”

Xiao Yao laughed, asking others, “What kind of abuse does standing as punishment count as?”

Xiao Yao laughed, asking others: “Standing as punishment counts as what abuse?”

Some agreed with Xiao Yao, believing that standing as punishment did not count as abuse. Others opposed his view, saying: “If you’re made to stand all the time and aren’t given food, doesn’t that count as abuse?”

“Enough, stop arguing.” Deputy Director Chen showed his displeasure, making them quiet down. After everyone quieted down, he said, “If Fishman says there is no abuse, then there definitely is none here. The dead person’s punishment—standing in one place—should be a punishment because the song did not satisfy the director.”

“Then… then what about the tongue?” Xiao Tian asked, shrinking back.

Deputy Director Chen said regretfully, “Stepped on a death condition.”

The topic returned to the proper path, and everyone stared at the corpse again, thinking.

“Maybe he didn’t sing?” someone asked. “So that’s why…”

The director had everyone sing individually in separate rooms, so no one knew if the deceased had opened his mouth to sing. But upon further consideration, that seemed impossible. The director had made it clear that she wanted to observe everyone singing. If he didn’t sing, wasn’t he openly seeking death?

“Maybe he was too nervous to sing?” someone guessed.

They seemed eager to attribute the cause of death to “didn’t sing.” The director had already been materialized, and if they could find her killing condition and avoid it, their road exploring Soup Base would become easier.

“No way.” A firm voice sounded in denial.

Like everyone else, Lin Jia looked at the speaker—it was Xiao Tian.

Yan Xu stood up. “Heard him sing?”

But Xiao Tian shook his head. “No, but…”

Everyone waited for Xiao Tian to reveal the turning point. Xiao Tian said, “I was very scared when choosing songs, and he told me not to be afraid. Later, when the director appeared, he also comforted me, telling me not to be nervous. If he was nervous himself, how could he still find the strength to comfort me?”

What Xiao Tian said made sense. The old hands’ faces looked bad again. It seemed the director’s condition for approval was not that simple.

Xiao Yao thought for a while and said, “Could it be singing the wrong lyrics?”

He himself did not sing very well, yet he survived, so he thought of the wrong lyrics.

Xiao Tian still shook her head. “No way…he wouldn’t sing the wrong lyrics.”

Zhang Tudou said, “You didn’t hear it, so why are you so certain?”

Xiao Tian said, “Because when we were choosing and practicing songs, he corrected me.”

Someone else said: “Then maybe he sang badly?”

This time, Xiao Tian didn’t need to deny it. Another person shook their head and said, “I heard him hum a few lines. He sang well.”

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at the corpse on the ground.

He sang well, the lyrics were correct, and he wasn’t too nervous to sing—then how did this person die?

“Since we can’t infer the director’s killing condition, let’s put that aside for now. Anyway, you’re all alive. If someone sings next time, just do the same as today.”

In the silence, Yan Xu broke it by opening his mouth and looking toward Lin Jia as he spoke.

Lin Jia noticed that Yan Xu’s look carried another meaning, so he took the initiative and asked, “What?”

Yan Xu asked, “What song did you sing?”

Thanks to Yan Xu’s public questioning, those aimless gazes all turned toward Lin Jia.

Lin Jia: “Planting the Sun.”

Yan Xu: “It shouldn’t take fifteen minutes, right?”

From the moment the director entered Lin Jia’s room until he left, fifteen minutes passed, which was longer than entering any other room.

Lin Jia was expressionless. “If Captain Yan wants to say something, say it directly.”

“Fine, you asked me to say it.” Yan Xu smiled. “So, what information did you find out?”

This question made everyone’s eyes light up. It also implied that Lin Jia had obtaining information but refusing to share it.

“Why is Captain Yan so certain?” Xiao Yao shouted. “And even if he got information, why should he tell you? If you got information, would you tell—”

A slender hand appeared on his shoulder. Lin Jia pressed Xiao Yao back and said, “Not much. Only one piece of information.”

Everyone looked at Lin Jia impatiently. From his tone, it seemed like he was willing to share the information.

Under countless gazes, Lin Jia said, “The director said not to go out at night.”

“Don’t go out at night?”

“Ghosts usually appear at night. Does the Welfare Institute really have ghosts?”

Yan Xu’s gaze remained on Lin Jia. “Sure?”

Lin Jia let out a cold laugh. “What benefit does Captain Yan get from making up false information?”

“Find someone to point out mistakes?” Yan Xu actually answered the question.

Lin Jia corrected him. “It was Captain Yan who chased me for information.”

His meaning was obvious. If he had wanted someone to test the information, he would have revealed false information from the start, not only after Yan Xu pressed him.

He looked at Yan Xu, who also looked at him.

Crunch, crunch—

A chewing sound suddenly came from somewhere.

Lin Jia shifted his gaze from Yan Xu to the corpse. While everyone waited for Lin Jia to speak, the corpse was gnawed clean, leaving only a pool of blood remained on the ground.

The newcomers were shocked again, their faces turning pale, as if they would faint at any moment.

Deputy Director Chen said, “It’s getting late. Everyone, go back. Be careful tonight. If you encounter danger, I hope you leave as much information as possible under the allowed conditions.”

Lin Jia turned around first; Xiao Yao hurriedly followed.

Soon after, the group that had just formed a circle dispersed.

Unlike the previous Fish Belly, this three-star Fish Belly did not instantly switch to nighttime; rather, it transitioned from day to night like normal.

The cat noticed that Lin Jia had not taken off his watch or removed his coat. Obviously, Lin Jia did not plan to rest.

The cat froze. “You’re not planning to go out at night, are you?”

Just after speaking, Lin Jia had already reached the door and prepared to open it.

The cat: “!”

Although night indeed needed someone to investigate, the idea of going out on the first night was terrifying, especially since the director had only told Lin Jia not to go out at night.

The cat still tried to persuade him while Lin Jia opened the door and said, “Who said I’m going exploring?”

The cat did not understand. “Then?”

Lin Jia: “I remember Yan Xu’s room is 206.”

The cat froze. Then, after understanding why Lin Jia wanted to find Yan Xu, its look at Lin Jia changed.

Would Lin Jia be forced to share clues? No, whether or not he shared clues depended entirely on his willingness. If he took the initiative to share clues, it was for a reason.

Lin Jia’s purpose was—

To let someone else explore the night in his place.

Since entering Fish Belly, Yan Xu was the one truly doing things. After learning this, Yan Xu would definitely go out at night.

However, Yan Xu was suspicious of Lin Jia. Even if Yan Xu returned alive, he might not tell Lin Jia everything he discovered.

What Lin Jia needed now was to dispel Yan Xu’s suspicions about him.

Yan Xu suspected him because he did not know his intentions. As long as Yan Xu understood his intentions, everything would be fine. Of course, he wouldn’t foolishly say that he brought Deputy Director Chen into Fish Belly for the cat to fuse.

He would have to make up an intention.

Lin Jia knew that, after Yan Xu entered Fish Belly, he had been watching him all along. Yan Xu most likely noticed him because he threw the cat at the bounty place.

Then he would just clearly explain the intention behind throwing the cat.

With this thought in mind, Lin Jia stopped in front of Yan Xu’s room. Without hesitation, he knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Lin Jia.”

Yan Xu opened the door. He saw Lin Jia outside with the cat squatting by his feet. His elbow leaned on the doorframe and he looked relaxed. In fact, his body blocked the doorway. “Something?”

Lin Jia noticed that Yan Xu was fully dressed and knew that he would not sleep tonight and would definitely leave the room to explore the dark halls of the Welfare Institute.

From under Yan Xu’s arm, Lin Jia saw Deputy Director Chen. Just as he expected, Deputy Director Chen was in Yan Xu’s room, discussing his nighttime exploration.

Seeing him, Deputy Director Chen stood up from the sofa and looked over.

Lin Jia lowered his eyes. “There’s something.”

Deputy Director Chen said, “Come in and talk.”

Lin Jia did not plan to enter. He raised his head again and ignored the person blocking the door. His gaze landed on Deputy Director Chen. “No need. I just wanted to formally apologize to you.”

Deputy Director Chen also remembered Lin Jia and glanced at the cat squatting obediently by his feet. “You mean the cat suddenly jumping over?”

Lin Jia parted his lips and briefly explained, “I have a lover somewhat similar to you. The cat mistook you. I’m very sorry.”

The cat was startled and quickly lowered its head to hide its expression.

Deputy Director Chen said, “It’s fine. I didn’t mind.”

Stopping ahead, Lin Jia nodded and prepared to return.

But Yan Xu’s voice suddenly came from behind him: “You brought the cat into Underwater Wold, but you didn’t come in with your lover?”

He was clearly suspicious of Lin Jia’s explanation.

Lin Jia stopped and turned back. This time, he steadily gazed at Yan Xu’s face and saw a small mole between his brows. “He died.”

Yan Xu paused. “…Oh, sorry. Well, the dead can’t come back. My condolences.”

Lin Jia added, “He died from an illness, tongue cancer.”

After leaving this sentence behind, Lin Jia took the cat and left without turning his head.

Looking at Lin Jia’s back, Yan Xu repeated in a low voice, “Tongue cancer?”

He closed the door, muttering: “Cancer on the tongue? There’s even such an illness.”

Back in the room, the cat quickly closed the door and covered its nervous chest. Only after its emotions had settled enough did it ask Lin Jia, “Why did you suddenly tell Yan Xu this? Tongue cancer? Is there really such a thing?”

Lin Jia took off his watch. “Mm, probably.”

“You’re not even sure?” The cat felt lingering fear. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll keep asking?”

“Ask what? Why my lover got tongue cancer?” Lin Jia smiled without emotion. “Then I’d tell him he died from talking too much.”

 

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