Original Mystery Novel: "ℬ𝓁𝒾𝓏𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 ℳ𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓇" EP36

He walked to the coffee table, placed the leather suitcase in the center, and opened the lid. Photographs, diaries, and letters were laid out one by one before everyone. He didn't hide anything—at this moment, hiding would only deepen the fear. "Mist Valley Village," he said. "A village that vanished overnight eighteen years ago. I was once a resident there. I had forgotten everything, until now." Silence. Shen Yuehua's lips moved as if to speak, but no sound came out. Lin Jing stopped writing. Old Zhou looked up from under his hat brim, his gaze sharp. Fang Guodong stood at the doorway, like a silent statue. Xu Ziqian walked over, looked down at the photos, then raised his head: "So you were the 'Eighth Person'? You were the real target of this manor from the beginning?" "Perhaps," Chen Mo said. "But I'm not sure. Because I still have too many blanks." He turned his gaze to Shen Yuehua. "Dr. Shen, the remote village your foundation funded—was it Mist Valley?" Shen Yuehua's fingers tightened around her water glass. Her lips trembled slightly, then she nodded. "I... I don't know what to say. When I took over the foundation five years ago, I saw an old file saying a mountain village needed long-term psychological counseling. I went to that place—there was no one there, only abandoned houses and a temple. On the temple wall, names were carved all over." "Who were those names?" "All residents of Mist Valley Village. Not a single one missing. Forty-seven people in total. But (To be continued)