Eric Bennett chatted with the man while observing the surroundings. Other than the village, there were no other sources of light here. All around was an endless sea of forest, with no roads and not a soul in sight.

Eric Bennett took a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to the man, but the man waved his hand and refused.

“Brother, where is this place?” Eric Bennett asked.

The man replied, “Just call me Adam Grant.”

Eric Bennett thought the name really suited him. He wanted to ask more, but saw Adam Grant make a stopping gesture: “Don’t ask. You’ll understand once we get to the village.”

“Oh,” Eric Bennett said, “alright.”

So the three of them continued in silence, hurrying along the road. Before the sky turned completely dark, they finally reached the small path in front of the village.

Adam Grant visibly let out a sigh of relief and glanced back into the darkness behind them. “Good, we made it. Let’s go, we need to meet up with the others.”

Newcomers, others—Eric Bennett caught these key words. He’d already had a bad feeling when he arrived, but now that feeling was growing stronger. Grace Cooper seemed to sense something as well; she had stopped crying, her beautiful face pale, her eyes filled with fear.

Adam Grant continued forward and soon led them to a three-story building at the edge of the village.

He knocked on the door, and a young girl’s voice came from inside: “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Adam Grant,” Adam Grant said.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Grant, come in,” the girl replied. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Adam Grant reached out and pushed the door open. With a soft creak, the scene inside was revealed. At the entrance was a spacious living room, where about eight or nine people were sitting around a blazing fire, seemingly in the middle of a discussion.

“Newcomers?” Someone noticed Eric Bennett and Grace Cooper behind Adam Grant.

“Newcomers.” Adam Grant walked into the room and casually found a seat. “Sit down. Little Scott, explain things to them.”

Little Scott was the girl who had opened the door for Adam Grant. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, with delicate features. “You two sit as well. I’ll briefly explain the situation.”

Eric Bennett and Grace Cooper exchanged a glance and sat down near the door.

“There’s not much to say, really,” Little Scott said, her tone not particularly warm. “We need to stay in the village for a while and solve some problems. Once that’s done, we’ll be fine.”

Eric Bennett: “What kind of problems?”

Little Scott replied, “We don’t know yet. We’ll have to ask the village chief tomorrow…” She added, “Is anyone here a materialist?”

Eric Bennett raised his hand. “I am.”

Little Scott said, “Then you’ll have to change your beliefs.”

Eric Bennett: “…What do you mean?”

Little Scott said, “It means that supernatural events will happen here.”

Eric Bennett: “……”

Everyone was very cold toward the two newcomers, Eric Bennett and Grace Cooper. Aside from Little Scott, no one else even greeted them.

Before coming in, Eric Bennett thought they were discussing something, but after sitting for a while, he realized no one was talking at all. They just sat quietly in the living room, staring at the fire in a daze. Some were playing games on their phones.

There was no signal here, so they couldn’t contact the outside world, but they could still play offline games.

Eric Bennett did a quick count. Including himself, there were thirteen people in the room: nine men and four women. Judging by their faces, most were quite young, with the oldest probably not over forty.

The firewood crackled in the fire. After a while, Grace Cooper seemed a bit sleepy. She looked around and, seeing that no one was leaving, quietly asked, “Um… excuse me, is there a room where I can sleep? I’m a little tired.”

Eric Bennett wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but after Grace Cooper asked this, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

“Alright, it’s time to rest anyway.” Adam Grant stood up. “Otherwise, you’ll end up falling asleep in the living room. Let’s divide up the rooms.” He glanced at Eric Bennett. “You’ll stay with her. Be careful tonight, don’t wander around…”

Grace Cooper said, “I’m sharing a room with him? But…”

Adam Grant sighed. “Worried about men and women sharing a room? After your first night here, you’ll realize that doesn’t matter. When your life’s at stake, who cares about that?”

Grace Cooper wanted to say more, but seeing the atmosphere among the others, she had to give up and agreed to share a room with Eric Bennett.

Seeing her worried expression, Eric Bennett tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”

Grace Cooper nodded.

There were three floors and nine rooms in total, but it seemed they didn’t plan to have anyone stay alone. At least two people shared a room, and one room even had three people.

“Let’s go,” Adam Grant said. “See you tomorrow.”

Everyone dispersed. Before leaving, Little Scott suddenly walked up to Eric Bennett and quietly said, “Don’t trust others too much. As long as you can survive this time…”