CH78

Robert anxiously explained himself, fearing that Helag might strike him down without warning.

Though he was a great knight, he had witnessed wizards in action before.

Those strange spells left him with no means of countering, making him helpless against a wizard's whims.

Robert never thought of fighting back against a wizard; his only concern was how to survive if Helag decided to attack him.

Helag carefully analyzed Robert's words, sensing that he wasn't lying, but something still felt off.

"You said you were trapped in a house. Which one?" Helag demanded.

Robert looked around, identifying the house. "It's that one."

Helag turned to see a three-story building with no lights on.

He stepped back, distancing himself from the house.

"Do you hear the footsteps behind me?" Helag asked, taking a few more steps back, the footsteps echoing his movements.

Robert's face showed fear. "I hear them, but I don't see anything behind you."

"It feels like something is following me," Helag sighed, feeling helpless.

He glanced at Robert. "We need to leave this place quickly. These houses are all problematic."

Robert had knocked on a door and suddenly found himself inside, unable to get out. Helag suspected the same would happen to him if he knocked.

What puzzled him was how Robert had gotten out without doing anything and just as Helag passed by.

"Hmm?" Helag noticed the surroundings suddenly lit up.

The house next to them had its lights on, emitting a soft yellow glow through the windows.

Helag tried to peer inside but saw only the yellow light.

Deep Blue's scan showed the house was empty.

Helag didn't believe it. He knew from experience that Deep Blue couldn't detect non-living entities like spirits.

He assumed it was due to his lack of knowledge in this area, making Deep Blue ineffective at detecting spirits.

Helag also realized that Deep Blue was no longer just an ordinary gene chip from his previous life.

As he grew stronger as a wizard, Deep Blue's capabilities evolved, far surpassing a typical gene chip.

"Let's go!" Helag shouted at Robert, then bolted.

The moment the house lit up, he felt a malevolent presence. Whatever was inside seemed troublesome, and his first instinct was to flee.

Seeing Helag's urgency, Robert understood the seriousness and followed suit.

"Huh? Where did he go?" Robert suddenly realized Helag had vanished after running a few steps.

Looking around, Robert couldn't find Helag, and a chill ran down his spine.

***

After running a few steps, Helag found himself inside a house.

He looked around, confirming he was on the first floor.

Helag walked to a window and looked outside, seeing Robert searching around in confusion.

Based on the street view, he confirmed he was in the house that had just lit up.

Helag checked the doors and windows. The window latches could be opened, but the windows wouldn't budge.

Bang!

He grabbed a chair and smashed it against the window, but it didn't even crack.

Helag tried slashing it with his sword, but it left no marks.

Seeing this, he gave up on breaking the window.

Helag moved to the door, finding it unlocked. The handle turned, but the door wouldn't open.

No matter how hard he pulled, the door remained shut.

After a while, he stopped trying, not wanting to waste energy. It was clear that conventional methods wouldn't work here.

Outside, Robert occasionally glanced inside. He seemed unable to see Helag, but Helag could see him.

"It looks like I'm in the same situation Robert was in. He got out somehow, but what's the hidden rule?" Helag pondered.

He looked around the house, finding it to be an ordinary residence with nothing special.

Helag explored the first floor, which consisted of a living room and kitchen.

"What's on the second floor?" Despite Deep Blue's scan showing the second and third floors were empty, Helag knew that didn't mean there was nothing there.

He cast three shields on himself and cautiously climbed the stairs.

The house was pitch dark, and Helag relied on Deep Blue to see.

Though the house had lit up earlier, there were no lights on the first floor.

As Helag ascended, the footsteps behind him continued, echoing his own.

Reaching the second floor, he paused.

In the middle of the floor was a dining table with a plate holding a human arm.

Judging by the wound, the arm had been torn off, still dripping blood, indicating it was freshly severed.

"This arm looks familiar," Helag thought, feeling he had seen it before.

Approaching the table, he saw utensils neatly arranged and a slightly askew chair.

It seemed someone had been about to dine and left abruptly, not even pushing the chair back in.

Helag didn't touch the table or the arm, continuing to explore the second floor.

In a nearby bedroom, he found a leg hanging by the window, blood dripping onto the floor, forming a pool.

The bedroom appeared to be a typical resident's room.

"A family photo?"

On the nightstand, Helag found a photo of a family of three—a couple and their young daughter.

Oddly, none of them had faces.

Their faces weren't blank but completely featureless, just smooth surfaces.

The house was eerily quiet, the sound of dripping blood clear and unsettling.

Helag glanced at the leg again. Unlike the arm, it had some torn fabric still clinging to it.

"That looks like Robert's pants."

Helag recalled that the fabric on the leg resembled Robert's trousers.

"But isn't he outside?"