My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 555: The Night of the Genting Tower Murder

With the Zhou family pulling strings and building connections, the construction project for the Genting Tower was finally able to officially commence.

Standing beside the bustling construction site, Zhou Zhengxian gazed at the busy scene before him, his nose tingled, and his eyes instantly reddened. For the sake of the Cloud Top Building, the core project of the Zhou family, he had endured countless sleepless nights. Now that the project had finally broken ground, the pressure and grievances that had been building up for so long surged into hot tears in his heart.

The atmosphere in the temporary office at the construction site was quiet and solemn. Zhou Zhengxian, Zhou Weiran, and Xuan Yangzi sat on three sides, with steaming tea on the table. Zhou Zhengxian spoke first, his tone full of sincerity: "Many thanks to Master Xuan Yangzi for resolving the crisis for my Zhou family and saving the Cloud Top Building project."

Xuan Yangzi remained calm and nodded slightly: "Benefactor Zhou, there's no need for such formality. Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path is the duty of cultivators. Besides, Ms. Zhou Weiran has already paid her enough. I'm merely taking her money to eliminate her troubles."

Zhou Zhengxian smiled and waved his hand, his eyes full of gratitude: "Master, you are mistaken. The Cloud Top Building is the lifeblood of our Zhou family. By saving this project, you have saved our entire Zhou family. We will remember this kindness in our hearts."

Xuan Yangzi picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and softly said, "Amitabha."

Since Xuan Yangzi subdued the evil energy, the construction of the Cloud Top Tower has progressed by leaps and bounds. In just half a month, the amount of work completed has surpassed the progress of a whole month in the past. Seeing the project steadily advancing, Zhou Zhengxian's long-held anxiety finally subsided.

But this stability did not last long.

As night quietly fell, the construction site of the Genting Tower was plunged into darkness, and a small, thin figure silently slipped into the depths of the site. Because of the construction, a lively food street had spontaneously formed around the site. Workers leaving get off work sat in twos and threes around the food stalls, drinking, eating, chatting, and laughing; the bustling atmosphere dispelled the quiet of the night.

A worker named Zhang Tao, feeling the effects of the alcohol, mumbled something to his companions and staggered away from the table, running to a secluded corner of the construction site. He looked around, then unzipped his pants and relieved himself on the spot.

A minute later, he shook himself and was about to turn and leave when a cold hand suddenly pressed down on his back.

Zhang Tao, thinking it was a prank by a fellow worker, impatiently yelled, "Stop messing around! What are you doing, drinking too much and acting recklessly!"

A childish yet eerie voice whispered in his ear, "Uncle, will you play with me?"

Zhang Tao assumed it was just some mischievous kid from the neighborhood and, drunkenly, waved his hand, saying, "Get out of the way! I don't play with kids, go away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt the surrounding light dim, and everything in front of him went dark. He squinted through his drunken eyes and saw a completely black infant floating in front of him, its gaping mouth stretching all the way to the back of its head, filled with fine, sharp fangs, giving him a sinister smile.

"If you don't play with me, I'll eat you up."

These words struck Zhang Tao like a thunderbolt, instantly shattering his drunkenness. His pupils contracted sharply, his blood seemed to freeze instantly, and he opened his mouth in terror, but due to extreme fear, he couldn't utter a single word.

A dark shadow flashed, and a black infant with a mouthful of sharp teeth pounced forward, biting off half of Zhang Tao's head. Warm blood splattered on the ground. The black infant licked the blood from the corner of its mouth, spitting out a disgusted look: "Pah, that tastes awful."

At the food stall table, Jiang Ming, who was with Zhang Tao, couldn't help but curse when Zhang Tao hadn't returned for a long time: "Zhang Tao, did he fall into a latrine? He hasn't come back for ages."

Shen Yue, who was sitting at the same table, frowned slightly and said softly, "Go and find Zhang Tao. See why he hasn't come back yet. Maybe he got drunk and something happened to him."

Jiang Ming waved his hand impatiently: "Fine, you wait here, I'll go take a look."

He grumbled and walked in the direction Zhang Tao had left. The night was dark, and the construction site was overgrown with weeds. He looked for a long time but couldn't find Zhang Tao. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Where did that bastard go? He's such a worry."

Jiang Ming was completely unaware that in the grass not far away, a corpse with half its head drooping was lying quietly.

Just then, a sudden urge to urinate struck, so Jiang Ming simply unzipped his pants and relieved himself on the spot.

Just then, a small, jet-black hand suddenly emerged from the grass and reached out to grab the direction where he had urinated. A piercing sizzle rang out, and the black hand was hit by the boy's urine, instantly emitting billowing black smoke, its flesh corroding and carbonizing at a visible speed.

The black infant cried out in pain, letting out a sharp screech. Its body swayed, and it swiftly fled into the depths of darkness. It turned back and glared venomously at Jiang Ming, who was urinating, then looked at its own hand, which was emitting black smoke, and hoarsely uttered three words: "Boy's urine..."

Jiang Ming, oblivious to everything, finished urinating, pulled up his pants, and returned to the food stall, cursing as he said to Shen Yue, "That bastard has disappeared somewhere; I've been looking for him for ages and can't find him."

Shen Yue frowned even more, her face full of worry: "What should we do? He came out with us. What if he gets drunk and runs away, or something happens to him?"

Jiang Ming scoffed, "What could possibly happen? You think you'd die here? Don't worry about it."

"Jiang Ming, Zhang Tao is, after all, our friend." Shen Yue felt a pang of bitterness upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming quickly replied perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, I understand. I'll go find him after we finish eating, alright? Let's eat first."

Time passed slowly, and the noise in the food stalls gradually subsided. Many workers noticed that their companions who had come with them had not yet returned. Anxiety spread like wildfire through the crowd.

Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the night. A woman walked out, pulling up her pants. "I'll take it, will you?" "Yes, I've put it on him." "My pants." "Do you have any paper?" "That...that thing." "Right?" "Mine's so delicious." "It's okay, I'll put it in a bag." "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

Everyone was instantly jolted by the scream, and the once noisy food stall fell into dead silence. Then, the crowd erupted in chaos; the workers who couldn't find their companions paled and rushed frantically towards the direction from which the scream had come.

The sight in the grass froze everyone in place, chilling them to the bone. Seven or eight corpses lay scattered about, some missing half a head, others with their chests ripped open and their hearts gone. Blood soaked the soil beneath them, and the stench of blood mixed with the smell of alcohol filled the air.

Fear, like an invisible hand, gripped the hearts of everyone present. Chaos erupted instantly; screams, cries, and running filled the air as everyone frantically fled the food street.