13. Baron Joseph

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The cold room, adrift with dust, was permeated with a stench that could not be waved away.

It seemed to be the smell of some kind of meat that had been left too long and had spoiled, yet there was no way to locate the source of the odor—it was omnipresent.

Perhaps the source of the rotting scent had already been taken away—or had left on its own.

The old, faded floor was not heavily footmarked, with disordered prints scattered near the living room and by the door, the owners of the footprints moved with distinct purpose.

Lu Li found the same footprints and faint acrid smell in room number 6 across from them. Indeed, room number 6 also had the stench of decay. The windows were open, and it seemed that airing out the room for a long time had significantly reduced the odor. If one went directly from room 12 to room 6, it would be easy to overlook this foul smell.