A chicken was found dead in the hotel, looking extremely miserable as it was smashed into a bloody pulp that barely resembled a chicken.
The female server was furious and cursed loudly, "Who killed my chicken? That impotent bastard! How am I supposed to eat like this?"
"Didn't you say there's a zombie?" Jian Jing couldn't resist provoking her, "It must have been the zombie. Why would he care about impotence?"
The server retorted sharply, "Cut the crap. A zombie killing a chicken? Never heard of that happening before."
Compared to a novelist's storytelling skills, she had set herself up for defeat.
Jian Jing said, "It got hit by a car yesterday and was injured. It needed fresh blood to heal, and since it couldn't get human blood, chicken blood makes sense―or are you suggesting there are no zombies here at all?"
The server was rendered speechless once again.
Of course she couldn't admit there were no zombies. The shabby hotel relied entirely on the zombie gimmick to attract customers.
Admitting there were no zombies was tantamount to the hotel going bankrupt.
"Looks like there are no zombies after all," Jian Jing deliberately concluded, "I knew there was no such thing in this world!"
As she spoke, her eyes surreptitiously glanced at the others, adding almost imperceptibly: "Unless I see it with my own eyes."
Ji Feng: Hook, line and sinker.
Still, he looked forward to seeing who would take the bait.
After examining the chicken's gruesome remains, everyone began voicing their own opinions.
Jian Jing saw the two boys with Xu Huangmao.
One was the clean-shaven Ban Cun she had met yesterday, who scoffed at the notion of zombies. The other had a trendy punk haircut with short sides and a long mohawk on top.
He took a photo and joked irreverently, "No zombie, but I got the chicken killed by a zombie! Hahaha!"
The girl with a high ponytail scorned him. "You're so childish."
"You're the killjoy," the punk shot back. "We're finally out having fun, yet you're glaring like we owe you a billion dollars or something."
The girl with a bun was shocked and tried to mediate, "Don't fight! Xiaowen probably just misses Chang Ge."
At the mention of that name, Punk Head, Huangmao, Ban Cun and Ponytail all fell silent.
Huangmao abruptly changed the subject, "It's raining so hard. Should we leave today?"
Punk Head waved his hand emphatically. "Leave. Why wouldn't we?"
"But the heavy rain..." Bun Girl seemed worried.
"We can wash the car while we're at it," Punk Head was nonchalant.
However, in less than an hour, they were back. Bun Girl rushed in, breathless, and anxiously asked the server, "Do you have a first aid kit? Someone's hurt!"
"I have band-aids, gauze and iodine. Is it serious?" The server hurriedly rummaged through the cabinet for the iodine. "The nearest clinic is a few kilometers away."
Huangmao came in carrying Ponytail on his back. She had obvious abrasions on her leg, with muddy black water and blood mixed together, looking rather horrifying. Her ankle was badly swollen like a steamed bun.
Jian Jing had just finished her terrible tasting breakfast and saw the scene. She immediately stepped in to stop them, having no idea if those bottles were expired or not, "I have a first aid kit in my car. Let me take a look."
Bun Girl said gratefully, "Thank you so much."
Jian Jing promptly retrieved the medical kit and carefully cleaned Ponytail's wound, casually asking, "How did she get hurt? Was the road hard to drive on?"
"Don't even mention it," Huangmao griped with a pained expression. "Something's wrong with the engine. It just stopped halfway and wouldn't budge. Xiaowen got out in the rain trying to fix it, and she slipped and fell. We had no choice but to carry her back."
"You guys are so unlucky," the woman in a bathrobe from yesterday was checking out and commented when she overheard, "Is the road passable? I was about to leave. Should I give the girl a lift to the hospital?"
"Probably not," Huangmao shook his head. "A long stretch up ahead is flooded."
"What?" Bathrobe Woman was shocked. "What should I do then?"
The server was very calm. "It gets like this when it rains. The water will recede in a couple days―are you still checking out?"
Bathrobe Woman gave a wry smile. "What checkout? Where else can I go? Let me stay another night." As she paid, she complained, "A couple more days it is. Just don't scare me like last night again."
Picking up where Jian Jing left off, the female server continued spinning her tale, "The zombie's probably gone by now."
"That's hard to say," Bathrobe Woman tilted her head and lowered her voice. "If what that young lady said is true, and the zombie is injured and needs blood, how could chicken blood be enough? It might still be looking for humans... Also, since someone hit it with their car, would it really let the person who harmed it go unscathed?"
Her voice was gentle and lilting, giving the server chills. "No...no way."
"Gotcha!" Bathrobe Woman laughed like a child succeeding in mischief. "Did I scare you? Just kidding. But if the zombie shows up again, I'd love to get it on camera."
"Aren't you afraid?" Jian Jing, who was bored after breakfast, seized the conversation.
"Of course I'm afraid, but a photo of a zombie, real or not, would be quite valuable." Bathrobe Woman was clearly an outgoing type who engaged easily with others. "I came here for a story. Now that it's a wash, I've got to write something to justify my trip."
Jian Jing asked, "You're a reporter?"
Bathrobe Woman nodded and introduced herself, "My surname is Chai. I'm a reporter for the provincial daily."
"You mentioned a story earlier. About the zombie?" The server's eyes glinted as she hinted, "That chicken this morning..."
Reporter Chai knew exactly what she was getting at, but pretended not to and explained, "No, it's related to poverty alleviation. I wanted to do a piece to see if it could help drive some business here."
Everyone stood in solemn admiration.
After Jian Jing finished treating Ponytail's injury, she told her not to get the wound wet and to keep the cold pack on.
Ponytail was a little awkward but still thanked her. Bun Girl helped her upstairs and asked the server to bring lunch up.
"Since we can't leave, I'm going back to bed." Punk Head yawned and headed upstairs too.
Huangmao and Ban Cun asked the server for tools so they could return to fix the car and drive it back.
Jian Jing stood by the entrance for a while.
The heavy rain was like an invisible barrier, trapping the hotel's guests. The gloomy overcast sky weighed down oppressively, sapping everyone's energy.
Lost in thought, she recalled last night's dream again.
Qixi Festival was certainly a special holiday.
Did the rose represent love after all?
"Teacher Jian." Ji Feng tapped her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"
"The holiday," she said softly. "Chongyang Festival is for the elderly, Mid-Autumn Festival is for families of three, Mother's Day is for mothers and children. The holiday he chose suited his family, except me."
He was silent a moment before slowly saying, "Perhaps..."
Jian Jing didn't let him finish. "I won't change my mind." She gathered herself and folded her arms. "Let's go upstairs. It's cold down here."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a gust of chilly autumn wind blew, making one want to throw on a coat immediately.
Dense white raindrops vied with each other to fall, obscuring the view.
Jian Jing glanced around absently as a premonition surfaced in her mind: With rain this heavy, it'd be hard for anyone coming or going to see clearly.
Over the next few hours, Jian Jing studied the case files brought by Ji Feng. Meanwhile, Ji Feng flipped through a black notebook of his own, occasionally writing and sketching, lost in thought.
The two didn't disturb each other, completely absorbed in work, and time flew by unnoticed.
Until 4 p.m.―
A blood-curdling scream erupted from downstairs.
It startled everyone. The guests poked their heads out of their rooms, calling out, "What happened?"
Ji Feng signaled Jian Jing with his eyes and hurried downstairs himself.
Jian Jing resisted following him and glanced at the system panel.
[New Mission Issued]
[Mission Name: Mystery of the Zombie on a Rainy Night]
[Description: An isolated, dilapidated hotel on a stormy night, bizarre zombie rumors, a gruesome corpse... What bloody case lies behind the legend? Please uncover the truth.]
[Rewards and Penalties: 30 Courage points for success. No penalty for failure.]
Her eyes scanned the people in the hallway.
Chai Reporter (Bathrobe Woman) was there, Wanzitou was there. At the same time, they heard Gao Matou asking "What's going on?" Huangmao poked his head out from the next room, while a unfamiliar man came out from the room opposite - he had a conspicuous sign, his left arm was in a plaster cast from a fracture.
Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then went downstairs one after another.
The screams came from the backyard downstairs. Ji Feng held an umbrella and crouched down to check something. And in front of him lay a person.
"Ugh." Chai Reporter, who was walking in front, seemed to see something clearly. She immediately stopped and turned around to throw up.
The others hesitated to approach, all with stiff expressions.
"What happened?" the man with the fractured arm asked in confusion, as he walked up to take a look.
Then he also showed a nauseated expression.
"You guys stay back, there's nothing good about looking at a corpse." Ji Feng stood up and instructed the female service staff, "Please find some snake skin bags or plastic sheets."
With his family background as a policeman, every cell of him exuded an aura of "uprightness and reliability".
His tone was neither nervous nor casual, making people aware of the gravity of the situation, yet not to the point of fear. Instead, they couldn't help but follow his instructions.
The sassy and sharp service girl, at his call, immediately rushed to the warehouse without another word, and dragged out snake skin bags.
"Thank you for the trouble." Ji Feng softened his tone, so as not to scare the ashen-faced service girl, then called Jian Jing, "Jingjing, come help me cover up the body, don't let it get damaged."
That said, before she came over, he had already used the snake skin bag to cover the corpse's head.
After that, he informed everyone in a concise and succinct manner: "A murder has occurred here. Unfortunately, the victim was the guest staying in Room 204."
Wanzitou and Huangmao revealed astonished expressions, blurting out: "What? It's Jia Yue?"
Ji Feng nodded, and asked the female service staff: "Can you ask the boss to come over?"
The female service staff said in horror: "My, my dad went into town."
"Then call the police first." Ji Feng looked at the others, speaking calmly, "The rain is too heavy, let's talk inside."
Chai Reporter frowned and asked cautiously: "Sorry, but I have to be clear, who are you? Why should we listen to your arrangements?"
"Isn't it obvious." He spread his hands. "An off-duty policeman who failed to have a successful vacation. Do you want to see my ID?"
Chai Reporter readily agreed: "Of course."
Ji Feng took out his ID and opened it for her to inspect.
Chai Reporter stared at it for a good few seconds before nodding slightly: "It's real. So she's your colleague?"
"Miss reporter, I'm on vacation." Ji Feng honestly led the others' thoughts astray. "What do you think?"
Everyone nodded, consciously knowing the answer.
Ji Feng led the way inside, bringing all the suspects into the room. Before entering, he glanced back. Jian Jing was unveiling the snake skin bag, carefully examining the corpse.
She also showed a disgusted expression, of course, but it was followed by full concentration and spirit.
The gloom that had been lurking between her brows and eyes before, had now completely disappeared.
Ji Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the most urgent matter at hand.
Tsk tsk, a rainy night at an inn, zombie legends, who was so "original" as to plan a murder under the guise of supernatural stories?
