Upon receiving a tip from the Observer, Lu Luo immediately acted. According to their neighbor, Brother Qiang, an Exotic Species had appeared here before; now was not the time to be stubborn.
"Let’s start with the first floor. Throw out all the useless stuff; no need to save money on this."
Gu Fangyi said nothing and immediately began to clean up the studio, tossing easels and other items straight out. Lu Luo’s words must be reasonable, he thought. If I can’t grasp the reasoning, it’s definitely because my own understanding is lacking and needs improvement.
"Brother Luo, my evil-warding energy is still decreasing! Is it dangerous to move stuff ?"
"Don’t worry. With me here, nothing will happen."
Lu Luo patted Zhou Kai on the shoulder, which somewhat reassured him. Lu Luo’s strength and judgment had previously won Zhou Kai’s admiration; he had even saved Zhou Kai’s life. Therefore, his words carried significant weight.
Whether it was furniture, miscellaneous items, or studio supplies, they discarded everything. The three of them worked together and quickly cleaned up the first floor.
Although many scraps of paper were still stuck to the dyes, Lu Luo could now at least make out what the dye patterns on the ground depicted.
"What is this? A symbol of a hand holding flowers?"
[My information storage is insufficient to analyze this pattern’s function right now. You should read more books to expand your knowledge base; otherwise, you make me look incompetent. However, it’s certain that patterns requiring crimson dye as a base are somewhat related to rituals or sacrifices.]
Lu Luo took a slow step forward.
BOOM! Thunder suddenly cracked overhead. Dark clouds made the unlit studio even darker. The lightning stretched their shadows long, distorting them.
"Ah! Brother Luo~ Brother Luo, over there~ over there!"
The house was supposedly haunted, its grounds blood-soaked, and a thunderstorm raged outside. Zhou Kai’s shout startled not only himself but also made Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi panic slightly, their bodies tensing involuntarily.
"Damn it, don’t yell! You’re making me nervous!"
Lu Luo looked in the direction Zhou Kai indicated. A woman in red gauze, her face peaceful, leaned against the wall, watching him. She looked like a wife waiting for her husband to return home.
The woman’s lips curved slightly upwards into a gentle smile before she walked towards Lu Luo.
She opened her arms, as if wanting to embrace her husband.
"Honey, you’re back."
[You’ve fallen into an illusion! Wake up! Ah? You’ve already grabbed your knife? Never mind then! I’m not worried about you attacking. I’m worried that with your youthful vigor, you’ll see a woman, lose control, and grab... something else.]
"This place is quite interesting."
Lu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. He released his grip on the Wraith Blade as the woman, the red gauze, and everything he had just seen vanished.
"Brother Luo? Brother Luo? What are you looking at?"
"Nothing! I was just wondering if this place might be haunted." Lu Luo’s expression was natural. When he looked again at the spot where the woman had appeared, there was nothing there.
"Brother Luo, can you please not say things like that? If you keep it up, I’m leaving! Hey, Brother Luo, my evil-warding energy—it’s not decreasing anymore!"
"Is that so? It’s good that it’s not decreasing."
Lu Luo pondered for a moment. Is it because I saw through its illusion? he thought.
After tidying up the first floor, the three of them exchanged glances and began heading towards the second floor.
Logically, Hunters had already been here. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be any danger left. Yet, the trio still felt uneasy.
The wooden stairs produced a CREAK, CREAK sound with every step they took. Coupled with the dim environment, it felt rather spine-chilling.
BOOM! Accompanied by another clap of thunder, the rain outside grew heavier.
Lu Luo inwardly sighed. What a shame, he thought. This heavy rain would be perfect to absorb. But I need to act normally in front of Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai.
The second floor differed somewhat from the first. It had only one larger studio; the other rooms were primarily living quarters.
Judging by the items left behind—a double bed, a woman’s wardrobe, a dressing table, and other things a man wouldn’t typically use—this must have been where the studio owner and his partner lived.
The second floor was much tidier than the first. It looked like someone had cleaned it, possibly the Hunters after they dealt with whatever happened here.
"I haven’t found anything," Gu Fangyi said.
"I haven’t found anything either, and my evil-warding energy has stopped declining. It should be safe here. Should we go down, Brother Luo?" Zhou Kai asked, fear and panic audible in his voice.
Lu Luo had no intention of forcing him, so he nodded.
"Gu Fangyi, go downstairs with him. I’ll take another look," Lu Luo said.
"You found something? Then we’ll stay together," Gu Fangyi responded quickly, his tone resolute.
[Little Gu is a good person, Lu Xiaoluo. Don’t let him down.]
Lu Luo smiled. As a friend, Gu Fangyi was flawless. He patted Gu Fangyi’s shoulder.
"It’s okay, you two go ahead."
Gu Fangyi scanned the surroundings again but still found nothing. He could only nod and lead Zhou Kai downstairs.
"Then be careful on your own."
[Alright, they’re gone. Let’s find that thing creating the illusions!]
After Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai left, the atmosphere on the second floor changed subtly. The sound of thunder and rain seemed to lessen and continued to decrease.
Lu Luo turned to the window. The rain had stopped. As it ceased, the dark clouds in the sky unusually dissipated, allowing a beam of sunlight to stream in.
Lu Luo slowly walked to the window and gazed at the azure sky and the scorching sun, lost in thought.
Counting the one time from the original body’s memory over a decade ago, this was only the second time Lu Luo had seen Lan Tian in this world.
"Husband, the sky has cleared!"
The voice came from beside Lu Luo. He knew it was the woman in red. A Specter Species? he wondered, his right hand tightening its grip on the Wraith Blade.
Without looking at the woman, Lu Luo replied, "Yes, it’s cleared up."
The woman’s attire had changed to white gauze. As she looked at Lu Luo, a hint of brightness shone in her eyes.
"This is my first time seeing a sunny day. I missed it more than a decade ago; what a pity. Sunny days are so beautiful. In the prayers of the Dawn Church, the sun symbolizes dawn and hope—it is sacred light. Husband, we’ve seen hope. Let’s have a child!"
Is she taking this too far? Lu Luo wondered, unsure how to respond. This woman in red is clearly a Specter Species. Should I kill her?
[Don’t rush. The formation of a Specter Species often relates to their circumstances in life. I suggest you play along for a bit. That will give me time to analyze her situation.]