Looking up at the sky, taking advantage of the decent sunshine outside, Jiangcheng suggested going for a walk to familiarize themselves with the surrounding environment.

The raincoat man agreed, seemingly the leader of the trio.

"We're tired. You guys go if you want." After consulting with Jiang Zhao, Ouyang Huanbin said to Jiangcheng and the others. Then, the three of them headed towards the building.

Jiangcheng didn't trust Jiang Zhao and his group, so he left Fatty and Huai Yi to keep an eye on them. The raincoat man was also worried about Jiang Zhao playing tricks, so he called over two teammates, whispered a few words, and instructed them to watch those people carefully. Afterward, Jiangcheng and the raincoat man went out for a walk.

The manor's area wasn't as large as imagined, and the more they walked, the more they could feel the desolation and dilapidation. The garden was overgrown with weeds, obviously having been neglected for a long time.

Soon, they arrived at the crooked-neck tree again. The tree was huge, requiring several people to encircle it, but it had long since died. Only a few thick branches remained, jutting crookedly towards the sky, just like the feeling the entire manor gave them, filled with a desperate and bleak atmosphere, like a black and white obituary photo.

Uneven patches of ground were occasionally covered with puddles of water, combined with the surrounding dampness, indicating it had rained not long ago.

His gaze inadvertently swept over a puddle on the ground, and the raincoat man suddenly shivered.

"What's wrong?" Jiangcheng looked at the raincoat man, his tone full of concern, a pair of seemingly sincere eyes examining the raincoat man's face.

"Nothing," the raincoat man took a deep breath. "I suddenly thought of some bad things from the past, nothing to do with this mission," he added, as if worried Jiangcheng would press him for details.

"Really nothing?" Jiangcheng's gaze inadvertently swept around, before returning after a moment, his tone sincere as he said, "Brother, you look terrible."

The raincoat man forced a smile, shaking his head. "Really, it's nothing. Let's go back, I'm worried about Jiang Zhao and the others."

"Okay," Jiangcheng nodded.

The raincoat man's pace back was noticeably faster than before, his body also tense. Jiangcheng followed behind the raincoat man. He was now certain that the latter had seen something, causing him to be frightened.

But the raincoat man didn't say anything, so he couldn't force him to speak. What was important was that he was nearby, but hadn't seen anything.

But the reality was worse than Jiangcheng thought. The raincoat man's heart was pounding fiercely. He walked ahead, not wanting Jiangcheng to see his face at that moment.

Just now, he had lowered his head, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the puddle at his feet. Through the reflection on the water's surface, he had seen the crooked-neck tree behind him covered with people.

No, not covered! But like bats, hanging upside down on the branches, one next to the other.

But when he came back to his senses and looked again, everything had disappeared.

Back at the building entrance, the raincoat man's complexion improved slightly. Fatty was waiting for them at the door. Seeing them return, he immediately greeted them, "We've been waiting for you."

Following Fatty not far, around a corner, the rest were there. This was a well-arranged dining room, with plate covers on the dining table.

Several had already been opened, each plate containing exquisite dishes.

The dishes were very sumptuous, the portions extraordinarily large, piled on the already sizable plates, like small mountains.

Jiangcheng stepped forward and touched a plate; it was still warm.

"Made not long ago," said the woman who always followed Jiang Zhao. Perhaps because of Jiang Zhao's previous outrageous behavior, no one responded to her.

Each serving of food was about the same, a total of 9 servings, exactly matching their number.

"Who brought them?" Jiangcheng asked. He and the raincoat man had walked for so long without seeing a single person.

Unexpectedly, Huai Yi shook his head. "We don't know. We were checking the rooms upstairs just now, and suddenly we heard a sound downstairs, a very crisp tapping sound. When we came down, there was food on the table."

As he spoke, Huai Yi picked up a fork and gently tapped the plate, making a crisp sound.

"That's right, that's the sound," Fatty said excitedly.

"Should… should we eat?" the slightly chubby girl asked hesitantly.

While speaking, the raincoat man had already taken off his raincoat, draped it over the back of a chair, and sat down. "Why not eat? Can you hold out without eating anything?"

The raincoat man picked up a spoon and gently scooped up something like mashed potatoes, putting it in his mouth. He and the slightly chubby woman were on the same team, so there weren't so many taboos when speaking.

The slightly chubby girl hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant. It just feels strange. The butler didn't mention there was food here. I'm worried..."

After seeing everyone sit down and start eating, she subconsciously closed her mouth. She also sat down, but seemed to have no appetite, just watching everyone eat, without touching her food.

During the meal, everyone introduced themselves to each other.

The raincoat man was called Miao Qing, a company boss. The number on his back was 3. The other two in his group were women, a slightly chubby girl named Liu Hui, a pharmacist, and a more mature, plump woman named Bai Xiaojie, Miao Qing's personal secretary.

In just an hour, Jiang Zhao seemed to have completely forgotten the previous unpleasantness. He now wore a smile on his face, his tone amiable as he said, "I am the master of a martial arts school, and these two are my disciples."

Jiangcheng already knew about Ouyang Huanbin. The other woman was named Mu Wanming, who was indeed very beautiful, but the lower part of her face was very pointed, and she liked to look at people with her chin raised, giving the impression that she was difficult to approach and somewhat harsh.

"Huai Yi," Huai Yi introduced himself, "I am a photographer."

"I'm a chef, Wang Fugui." Fatty had worked too many jobs, so he just randomly reported one. Jiang Zhao's previous targeting made him feel that it was better to be careful.

When everyone looked at Jiangcheng, Jiangcheng brewed for a few seconds, then slowly straightened his body, looking at everyone with a final, climactic posture. Fatty's left eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

"I am a movie actor," Jiangcheng said.

"Actor?" Because of what happened before, Mu Wanming had a very bad impression of Jiangcheng. After looking him up and down, she disdainfully said, "Someone like you can be an actor? Then I can do it too."

"Of course, Miss Mu has a lot of talent in this area. I can introduce you to the industry, as the female lead in my next film," Jiangcheng said sincerely and seriously.

Mu Wanming's heart fluttered. Looking at Jiangcheng's face, he didn't seem so annoying anymore. Objectively speaking, this man was quite good-looking, and filming movies was much more promising than being with these wooden-headed senior brothers all day. Her tone couldn't help but waver, but her attitude remained strong, raising her chin and saying, "It's not that I can't consider it, what movies have you been in?"

Jiangcheng revealed a smile that was not quite a smile. "The censorship has been stricter recently, many websites with my work have been shut down."