Escape Filming Location - Chapter 5 - Investigation

At this point, it’s still uncertain whether all the villagers of Yuxi Village have vanished, but Qian Cang Yi has a strong premonition that they have indeed disappeared.

Chances are, the villagers of Yuxi Village have all gone missing.

“Hello! Is anyone there?” Qian Cang Yi began reciting Bian Zhe’s lines.

“Looks like there’s no one here. Let’s just go in and look around since the door is open.” Hawkeye said calmly.

“Yeah, but let’s still be careful.” Qian Cang Yi said with a serious expression, remembering Hawkeye’s advice that following the script could boost their character ratings, so he tried to convey Bian Zhe’s emotions as described.

After finishing their lines, they stepped inside the house.

The scene in the living room matched the script’s description perfectly.

Qian Cang Yi walked to the chair, picked up the teacup, glanced at the tea leaves inside, and then placed it back against the chair leg.

“Anyone here? If so, make a sound.”

His voice echoed through the living room.

“Stop calling out. You search the left side, I’ll search the right. If something happens, shout.” Hawkeye said, heading towards the right bedroom.

“Are we sure about splitting up? In many horror movies-” Qian Cang Yi hesitated, but Hawkeye interrupted him halfway.

“-Do you think sticking together will keep us alive?” Hawkeye asked, looking back.

“I mean, some dangers can be avoided,” Qian Cang Yi frowned.

“Most dangers lead to total annihilation,” Hawkeye replied calmly.

Qian Cang Yi licked his lips and said no more.

“Learn to rely on yourself,” Hawkeye tossed back before entering the right bedroom.

Since Hawkeye had made it clear, Qian Cang Yi wouldn’t force himself to follow him into the right bedroom, as that would border on “causing trouble.”

Qian Cang Yi sighed lightly and headed towards the left bedroom.

The deep red bedroom door was unlocked.

Qian Cang Yi placed his right hand on the door edge and gently pushed it open.

With a creak, the bedroom door swung fully open.

Standing at the entrance, Qian Cang Yi didn’t immediately enter the bedroom but first surveyed the room.

A double bed with a patterned red quilt lay in the room, a blue wardrobe stood against the wall, and an oval mirror hung on the wardrobe’s surface.

There were no signs of struggle in the bedroom, and the furniture remained undisturbed. From any angle, it seemed the person living here hadn’t left Yuxi Village.

Cautiously, Qian Cang Yi entered the bedroom, wary of any sudden scares, checking under the bed and inside the wardrobe, but found no clues.

Both the living room and bedroom gave the impression that the villagers had left recently, yet no villagers were to be found.

Fear slowly crept up from the depths of his heart.

After checking every possible hiding place in the room, Qian Cang Yi returned to the living room.

By then, Hawkeye was already waiting in the living room, his expression serious, as if facing a troublesome issue.

“What happened?” Qian Cang Yi asked softly.

“The teacup seems to have been moved,” Hawkeye pointed with his right index finger at the teacup Qian Cang Yi had examined earlier.

Qian Cang Yi widened his eyes and turned to look in the direction Hawkeye indicated.

Beside the chair, the white teacup was about 10 centimeters away from the chair leg.

Earlier, Qian Cang Yi had placed the teacup against the chair leg for easy memory, but now, the distance between the teacup and the chair leg was noticeable.

As Hawkeye said, the cup had indeed been moved!

“It has been moved,” Qian Cang Yi agreed with Hawkeye.

Who moved the teacup?

Qian Cang Yi turned to look outside, recalling the situation when he searched the bedroom.

The bedroom had a window, and the door remained open throughout the search, allowing him to keep an eye on the outside.

If the teacup’s movement was indeed deliberate, the person responsible must have been intentionally avoiding them.

Even if they were trying to avoid being seen, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be discovered.

The surroundings were very quiet, and any slight noise would attract attention.

What was the point of doing this? A prank?

Qian Cang Yi doubted the villagers of Yuxi Village would be in the mood for such pranks; the situation must be more complex. He said:

“The teacup has indeed been moved. Who could have done it? I didn’t see anyone pass by.”

He turned to Hawkeye, hoping for an answer.

Hawkeye looked towards the living room door and replied:

“Not clear yet, but it might not be a person.”

“Wait, I think I remember something.”

Just as Hawkeye paused, memories began to surface in Qian Cang Yi’s mind, belonging to the character Bian Zhe.

Student Li Ling had a habit of writing a diary.

If they could find the diary, they might uncover new clues.

“I remember something too,” Qian Cang Yi said, pressing his fingers against his temple.

Hawkeye headed towards the door, saying:

“Looks like we need to find Li Ling’s house first; maybe we can find useful clues in his diary.”

Qian Cang Yi followed.

They stepped out of the house.

After Qian Cang Yi crossed the threshold, he felt something was off, so he glanced back at the teacup to see if it would move.

However, the white ceramic teacup remained stationary, still in its original spot.

…

They walked along the muddy road of Yuxi Village, flanked by lush green fields.

The houses in Yuxi Village weren’t clustered together but scattered around, with a house every so often.

In terms of area, Yuxi Village wasn’t small, but it had few residents.

Earlier, they had searched two houses but found nothing of value.

The only noteworthy discovery was that the villagers seemed to have indeed disappeared, along with livestock and larger animals like birds, though insects were still visible.

At the end of the road, a solitary orange tree caught their attention.

Next to the orange tree stood a house.

Qian Cang Yi pointed ahead and said:

“That should be Li Ling’s house. He mentioned in his diary that there’s an orange tree next to his home.”

Along the way, fragments of information related to Li Ling appeared in his mind, providing bits and pieces, though incomplete, and many were useless. Still, he managed to extract some clues.

They quickened their pace.

Li Ling’s house had a similar structure to the previous ones, with nothing special about it.

Qian Cang Yi and Hawkeye stood at the living room door.

The living room door was unlocked, allowing them to see inside through the gap.

Qian Cang Yi peered through the gap, noting the neatly arranged furniture, as if freshly cleaned.

“No one.”

He took a deep breath, placed his hands on the door, and gently pushed it open.

At the same moment, Act Three of the script surfaced in Qian Cang Yi’s mind.