# Chapter 44: Castle Exploration (Part 2)
The door hadn't opened on its own—or at least, not from any force he applied. His companions might have assumed the villa's entrance swung open under his influence, but the cap-wearing youth clearly saw a dark shadow flicker across the widening gap between the door and its frame.
Pressed close as he was, he could distinctly hear the metallic click of the lock being released from within. This door had been locked just moments ago. Something inside had unlatched it, then retreated with remarkable speed.
Bai Jing swallowed hard as he surveyed the expansive foyer, its decorations opulent and extravagant. The villa spanned three floors, yet its layout bore no resemblance to ordinary houses—there wasn't a single room on the first level. Only a vast living room and a staircase leading to the second floor.
Which meant there was nowhere to hide. No cover of any kind. Anyone or anything would be completely exposed.
*"Don't come in. There's..."*
These were the words from the text message Bai Jing had received earlier. The message had consisted of only a handful of characters before cutting off abruptly. He'd originally dismissed it as nothing more than a typical prank, but now he found himself inclined to believe its warning held some truth.
The very next moment, his suspicions would be confirmed further.
The Paranormal Society had organized this expedition. Those who participated in such events typically possessed curiosity that exceeded normal bounds, yet they could be divided into two distinct categories. The first type had curiosity that outweighed their fear. They delighted in testing all manner of paranormal phenomena, verifying whether such occurrences held any authenticity—and they found it exhilarating.
The second type were those who dared not put anything to the test. Though they too possessed curiosity, that curiosity hadn't been strong enough to conquer their fear. They'd eagerly gather accounts of events that defied scientific explanation, but they only dared to listen, never to participate.
The villa they'd selected was legendary within paranormal circles. No matter what ghost-summoning game one attempted here, the likelihood of success would increase dramatically. What's more, this location didn't exist within any domestic navigation system—all magnetic fields and signals failed to function in this place. Situated in an extremely remote area with few inhabitants, it was said that a member of the society who loved adventure had discovered it by chance. After learning of this place's unique characteristics, news of it spread throughout the entire paranormal community—but only within these walls.
"Why aren't those people greeting us at the entrance?" someone asked, surveying the surroundings with a puzzled expression.
Their Paranormal Society had split into two groups. The first team had arrived first, responsible for attempting various ghost-summoning games. The second team would observe from the sidelines without participating, serving only to document everything.
And they belonged to the latter group.
They had agreed beforehand that the first team would be waiting for them at the main entrance.
*—Flick*
For reasons unknown, the light bulb on the ceiling suddenly flickered.
"Is there... even electricity here?" A young woman with beautiful long hair glanced upward toward the light fixture. "Didn't they tell us to bring flashlights and stuff?"
"One of us fixed it. We planned to stay here for a while, and relying solely on flashlights and candles would be inconvenient. Turns out someone knew a thing or two about this sort of thing, so he got it working." Footsteps echoed as a group descended from the staircase.
The speaker leading them was a burly man with his chest bare, his arms and midsection rippling with exaggerated musculature—at first glance, he resembled nothing so much as a bear. The only thing that caught Qi An's attention was the blood-red bodhi seed tattoo on his left arm, though its color and aesthetic appeal far surpassed the one on the scholarly young man.
Behind him, except for one old man dressed in peculiar clothing, were a group of young men and women. Among them were several faces Qi An and Zhang Zhaoqi recognized—Wang Ziyi and Gao Lijun, with whom they'd just teamed up, as well as Zhao Qizhu, whom they'd encountered in the school world.
The girlish young woman smiled sweetly at Qi An upon seeing him, then蹦蹦跳跳地 bounded past the others toward them. Wang Ziyi and Gao Lijun, however, acted as though they'd never met them before—especially Gao Lijun. Her expression had become notably composed and restrained, her beautiful eyes lacking their former boldness and vitality, as though she were afraid of something.
"You should change into the slippers first." The bear-like muscular youth spoke in a low, gruff voice. He gestured with calloused fingers toward a row of slippers along one side, casting a meaningful glance at the scholarly young man.
"Slippers make sense. The floor really is incredibly smooth and clean. It would be a shame to dirty it." The long-haired girl immediately selected a pair of pink slippers and slipped them on. "Did you guys clean up beforehand?"
"Clean?" Another young man冷笑了一声, his eyes narrowing. "Someone did... clean up. That's for sure."
He paused oddly in the middle of speaking. Several people standing with him immediately shivered, some already paling, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads.
Strangely enough, there were eight people, and eight pairs of slippers happened to be arranged on the floor. Qi An noticed that the shoe cabinet beside them held nothing—no extra slippers, nor any shoes from the first team that had already changed.
Curious.
The slippers varied completely in style, color, and design, and even their craftsmanship differed dramatically. They couldn't have been purchased as a set, nor could each person have brought their own individually.
"After you've changed, we'll assign rooms." The low voice spoke again after noticing the scholarly young man had put on slippers printed with an animal pattern.
The group slowly made their way inside after changing, Qi An's gaze lingering on the remaining slippers, his expression shifting.
One pair bore a pattern of black and white flowers intertwined.
Qi An narrowed his eyes, glancing at the bear-like young man, the scholarly young man, and the shoes of the other transmigrators he'd encountered before. He noticed their footwear was unusually fine, and without exception, each bore the image of an animal.
"You wear these." Zhang Zhaoqi placed the slippers before Qi An, then took the last remaining pair with an animal pattern for himself.
"You..." Qi An's gaze happened to sweep across every face in the room when the bear-like young man suddenly rushed to his side and seized his wrist, examining him intently. Only after Zhang Zhaoqi pulled his hand away did the man ask, "Do you have any brothers? Younger or older?"
"What?" Qi An's pupils widened slightly, his black lashes trembling against his pale skin.
The bear-like young man furrowed his brow, breaking free from Zhang Zhaoqi's grip, then fixed the confused young man with an intense stare.
"That..." Bai Jing swallowed nervously, finally summoning the courage to ask his question, "what exactly did you guys do here?"
"Do?" The young man who'd冷笑 earlier suddenly smiled meaningfully. "We played a ghost-summoning game, of course."
His pupils suddenly turned deeply dark—dark enough to almost glow.