The nights here seem particularly quiet. The sounds of insects, which could still be heard during the day, had completely disappeared. Not even the sound of the wind brushing against the branches and grass could be heard.
Yet, Wen Xirou could clearly feel the chill of the night breeze on her cheek and see the grass along the roadside swaying in the wind.
All she could hear were the dragging sounds of footsteps, as figures passed by, the sound of shoes scraping the ground.
Have you ever seen someone suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis? When they walk, their joints are stiff, so their legs remain rigid, and their steps drag across the ground with a scraping sound.
The group in the distance walked exactly like that. But Wen Xirou remembered clearly that none of the interns who entered with her had any mobility issues. Thanks to their slow pace, Wan Qian and the others quickly caught up.
As they got closer and could see clearly, it was indeed Jiang You and the others. However, under the cold moonlight, it was clear that their uniforms had changed from white to green.
They were holding hands, their expressions numb and hollow, dragging their feet with each step as they walked forward. Their voices could be heard, speaking in an eerie monotone, constantly murmuring.
"Wake up, it's time to work... We need to work..."
After walking for a short while, they turned down a small path. The small path was clearly overgrown, with weeds and fallen leaves everywhere, not having been cleaned for a long time.
Wan Qian continued to follow them. After walking for about ten minutes, they finally stopped.
Ahead of them stood an abandoned building. Despite its dilapidated appearance, with one side of the wall covered in ivy and vines, it was still evident that it had once been a fine residence.
After Jiang You and the others arrived here, they stood for a moment before scattering in all directions.
They walked in circles around the area, occasionally pushing aside bushes or lifting stones. Some even crouched by an old well next to the building, peering into it.
Wan Qian was utterly confused. What... were they doing?
"They're looking for something." Suddenly, a voice came from not far away.
Tian Fang and Liu Wen appeared from another small path. Both of them were in a sorry state, with messy hair tangled with grass leaves, their clothes wrinkled and dirty, as if they had just rolled around in the mud.
"You two—" To her surprise, on such a night, there were actually others who, like herself, couldn't sleep and were wandering around. Wan Qian glanced at Tian Fang and Liu Wen, her eyes inevitably carrying a hint of oddness.
Noticing her look, Tian Fang and Liu Wen immediately tensed up. To avoid being mistaken by Wan Qian as stalking her, Tian Fang quickly pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and spread it out in front of Wan Qian.
"We found a map. This is the former butler's old house."
They hadn't expected that after much effort and nearly risking their lives, they had obtained this map and learned the address of the butler's old house.
Yet, Wan Qian had already arrived ahead of them. Moreover, looking at Wan Qian, there wasn't a single sign of disorder on her, exuding an air of effortless competence. Is this the power of the Secrets Unraveler?
"What are you doing here?" Wan Qian asked, still puzzled.
At this late hour, not sleeping and following the map to come to such a place—surely it wasn't for sightseeing?
Tian Fang and Liu Wen exchanged a glance and did not dare to hide anything. Or perhaps, they knew that even if they wanted to conceal it, it would be hard to escape Wan Qian's sharp eyes.
After all, she was the Secrets Unraveler who had learned their true identities simply from a conversation.
"We came to find the 'butler's diary' and hoped to find some clues there," Tian Fang explained.
"The workload has been increasing recently, and it's hard to complete everything on time. I thought maybe the 'butler's diary' would contain some methods for dealing with it," Liu Wen added.
Wan Qian: "..."
Alright, I know you're here to sneak a peek at the work log of the senior at the workplace. Is workplace competition this fierce these days? It almost feels like a spy thriller.
But then, thinking about her own situation after losing her job and repeatedly hitting walls while job hunting, Wan Qian could somewhat understand.
Sigh, the difficulty of finding a job... After a moment, Wan Qian sighed.
"Forget it, forget it. We're already here. Let's go in and take a look together." Honestly, she was curious about what the former butler might have left behind.
Without hesitation, Wan Qian took the lead and walked toward the small house. Wen Xirou and Tian Fang and the others didn't react in time and actually failed to stop her.
As they watched, the contaminated interns around them, sensing Wan Qian's presence, all stopped their actions. Slowly, they shuffled their feet, step by step, closing in on Wan Qian. Wan Qian remained unaware.
She stopped in front of the old house, where the door was tightly shut, secured with a thick iron chain. The chain was wrapped around the door several times, and seven or eight locks were fastened onto it. The lock holes were rusted shut, and even if they found the keys, it would be impossible to open.
Wan Qian observed the locks for a while. With both hands, she tightly grasped the ends of the iron chain wrapped around the door. With a strong pull, she wrenched the chain apart.
In an instant— "Crack, crack, crack!" Several sharp sounds echoed as the iron chains snapped one by one.
As Wan Qian released her grip, the broken chains and locks fell to the ground with a clatter.
The interns, who had gathered around, stopped in their tracks. They stood still, silently gazing at the fallen chain and locks for a moment.
Then, they turned away and resumed their actions—some continued to rummage through the grass, others lifted stones.
Wan Qian clapped her hands in satisfaction. It was just as she had guessed— these chains, already rusted almost to the point of disrepair, would definitely be easy to unlock.
Turning around, she noticed that Wen Xirou and the others were still standing there in a daze, so she quickly waved them over.
"What are you standing there for? Come inside."
Wen Xirou swallowed and pulled Xiao Lin forward. Tian Fang and Liu Wen quickly followed.