The Blood Gates of t Chapter 8: Meat with Hair

Ning Qiushui was still speaking when he suddenly noticed sothing. After rummaging through the freezer, he pulled out several pieces of at.

These cuts were vacuum-sealed, without any labels.

Inside… each one, without exception, had so kind of dark, hairy substance.

But due to the heavy frost, they couldn’t quite tell what it was.

So, Ning Qiushui handed the at to Liu Chengfeng beside him.

“Cut it open and take a look.”

Liu Chengfeng took out a knife and sliced open the vacuum-sealed plastic — and suddenly froze in place.

“What the hell…”

He stared at the at inside the vacuum bag, cursing under his breath.

The vacuum pack contained a chunk of at covered in thick hair!

Judging by the location of the hair, it looked like a leg… and it belonged to a human.

“This… this is human at?!”

Liu Chengfeng was so shocked he flung the at from his hand.

The frozen chunk of flesh hit the ground with a crisp thud.

Suddenly rembering the at they had eaten before, Liu Chengfeng couldn’t help but gag.

He knew the at he had eaten was beef — he was sure of it — but just the thought made him nauseous.

Ning Qiushui picked the at off the floor, examined it carefully, then placed it back into the bag.

“I think I know why the old lady on the second floor won’t eat at anymore…”

Liu Chengfeng finally managed to suppress the urge to vomit and asked, pale-faced:

“Why?”

Ning Qiushui said slowly:

“Because before we got here, soone had tried to feed her this kind of at… and it gave her a severe psychological trauma.”

“And don’t you think sothing else is strange?”

Liu Chengfeng frowned.

“What’s strange?”

After repacking the at, Ning Qiushui shoved it back into the freezer.

“The old lady is clearly paralyzed, yet the window in her room is reinforced with steel bars — as if soone was terrified she might escape…”

Liu Chengfeng thought carefully. That was odd.

But then a chill ran through him, as if a horrifying realization had just struck.

“You’re saying… her paralysis…”

Ning Qiushui’s sharp gaze t his, and he nodded.

“It’s very possible.”

“But that’s not the scary part. The truly frightening thing… is what cos next.”

As he spoke, he picked out another piece of lean lamb from the freezer and tossed it to Liu Chengfeng.

“There’s sothing even scarier?”

Liu Chengfeng caught the lamb, his face darkening.

Ning Qiushui’s brows knotted slightly.

“Have you noticed… there isn’t a single photo of the family in this house?”

Liu Chengfeng paused in the middle of cutting the at.

It was true.

Earlier, the villa’s hostess had been seen holding the hand of a little girl around 8 or 9 years old. Even if the husband and wife had divorced years ago, there should still be at least so photos of the woman or the daughter…

But in reality, there were absolutely no photos of the woman, the little girl, or the old lady from the second floor — not on the first floor, and not on the second.

Why… was that?

“And also, if I wasn’t mistaken, those won’s shoes in the cabinet by the front door…”

Ning Qiushui trailed off mid-sentence, then shook his head.

“Forget it…”

“Let’s cook first.”

“A lot of these questions… should be answered tonight.”

Seeing that Ning Qiushui didn’t want to elaborate, Liu Chengfeng wisely didn’t press further.

But he kept secretly observing Ning Qiushui.

This man… was too strange.

Whether it was when they found the fat man’s human skin, or later during the string of bizarre events behind the bloodstained door — Ning Qiushui had never shown a hint of panic.

He was even… eerily calm.

That kind of terrifying ntal composure — Liu Chengfeng had never seen anything like it in all his thirty-plus years.

Was this guy really just a veterinarian in the outside world?

Liu Chengfeng’s curiosity about Ning Qiushui was growing stronger by the minute.

…

Dinner.

Everyone sat around the table, silently.

“Liu Chengfeng, why aren’t you eating anything?”

Xue Guize noticed that the chef, Liu Chengfeng, had only served himself a small bowl of plain white porridge — and hadn’t touched any of the dishes.

The lamb tonight slled amazing.

But Liu Chengfeng hadn’t taken a single bite.

He had even pushed the lamb dish to the farthest corner of the table.

“Huh? The food?”

“Oh, right… the dishes… I—my stomach’s not feeling great…”

Liu Chengfeng muttered an excuse, his face pale.

He and Ning Qiushui hadn’t told the others about the human at they found in the freezer.

After all, two people were already dead among them.

Everyone was like a startled bird — on edge, jittery. If they revealed any more of what they’d discovered, it would only amplify the fear spreading among them.

Besides, even if everyone knew the truth, it wouldn’t help them survive any better.

The mission stated clearly: they had to take care of the elderly in the villa district for five days. That ant they had to stay here for five full days.

After dinner, a new problem arose —

where to place Yan Youping.

Now that both girls in the group were dead, she was the only woman left.

Were they supposed to let her sleep in a room alone?

“I… I don’t want to sleep by myself!”

Yan Youping saw the tension and was nearly in tears.

Was this so kind of sick joke?

Let her sleep alone in a place like this?

How was that any different from sending her to her death?

Compared to life and death, concerns about n and won staying in the sa room didn’t matter to her at all anymore.

“Then how about this… tonight, you sleep with us. We’ll take the couch, you take the bed,” Beidao offered.

Xue Guize had no objections.

After all… their team was shrinking fast.

The fewer people left, the more dangerous it was for those who remained.

Yan Youping nodded and cast a grateful look at the two of them.

Ning Qiushui saw all this and quietly shook his head.

He knew very well: if the ghost hidden in the villa really wanted to kill soone, even if a hundred of them huddled together, it wouldn’t make a difference.

Seeing that the others looked a bit more at ease, he finally spoke:

“It’s getting late. Everyone should rest early… and don’t forget to check the doors and windows. Make sure everything is locked properly.”

“After tonight, we’ll only have three days left before we can leave.”

Everyone nodded.

After turning off the lights in the first-floor hall, Ning Qiushui followed the group up to the second floor. He waited until everyone had entered their rooms before switching off the corridor light.

The light switch was right at the top of the stairs.

Normally, in a place like this, you’d expect a two-way or even multi-way switch — so you could turn the lights on or off from either end. Much more convenient.

But for so strange reason, the second-floor hallway light had only a single switch.

As the corridor lights clicked off, the entire villa was plunged into complete darkness — pitch black, where you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face.

Ning Qiushui felt a strange chill creeping over his skin. He was just about to head toward his room when suddenly—

a faint sound echoed from not far behind him.

It was quiet, but in the dead silence of the dark, it rang out crisp and clear.

That sound was unmistakable—

The lock on the iron door to the third floor… had just been opened!

Ning Qiushui froze in place.

From upstairs…

Sothing was coming down.

And it was right behind him.