Manual for Survival in a Strange World

The eerie and sorrowful scream, which seemed to be both a cry and a laugh, caused Ning Zhe to shiver all over. Before his brain could process the sound, his body instinctively spun around, kicking in the direction of the noise.

When he regained his composure and looked, the owner of the voice had been knocked to the ground, clutching her abdomen in pain as she curled up.

“Turns out it’s a living person.” Ning Zhe sighed with relief.

Behind him, Zhang Yangxu and the female assistant, who had been startled by the noise, were approaching the side door.

Realizing he had already been exposed, Ning Zhe stopped thinking about leaving. His gaze quickly scanned the woman who had suddenly appeared behind him and was now lying on the ground after being knocked over.

She appeared to be a middle-aged woman, probably in her thirties or forties, though this estimate wasn’t entirely reliable. She wore a considerable amount of expensive jewelry and had a luxurious, eye-catching outfit.

Around her neck, a pearl necklace gleamed with perfectly round pearls, and on her left wrist, a translucent white jade bangle might cost more than the demolition compensation for Ning Zhe’s family house. Her long, jet-black hair was carefully styled into an updo, secured with a golden hairpin inlaid with jade. Her fair, delicate skin showed no signs of wrinkles, suggesting she had avoided much sun. In her right hand, she held a string of well-polished Bodhi seeds, hinting she might follow Buddhism.

She wore a deep purple, form-fitting long dress, with a powdery purple waistband decorated with exquisite lace trim. The delicate design and tailoring emphasized her full, mature figure. Her round, goose-egg-shaped face exuded an elegant and refined beauty, with well-defined and graceful features.

All of this indicated she was a woman used to a life of luxury and comfort, well-maintained through careful attention. People with good living conditions tend to age slowly, so Ning Zhe wasn’t sure of her exact age. She looked like she was in her thirties but could easily be in her forties, or even older.

Hearing the footsteps of Zhang Yangxu getting closer, Ning Zhe gently patted the woman’s shoulder. “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”

Although his kick had been an instinctive reaction, the narrow space of the side door had prevented him from using full force. He believed that the kick had only caused some moderate impact to her abdomen, not enough to injure her organs or cause internal bleeding.

He was very precise in these matters, having learned early in life how to handle such situations. Back in elementary school, Ning Zhe was able to beat up the kids who provoked him, leaving them with nothing more than bruises, never causing any serious injuries. This time, the result was no different.

After a moment, the woman, still adorned with her jewels, struggled to rise from the stone-paved ground, clutching her abdomen and panting against the wall.

“You… why did you hit me as soon as we met…” The woman’s voice was weak due to the stomach pain, but surprisingly, she didn’t direct any harsh words at him.

“I really am sorry,” Ning Zhe apologized repeatedly. “You appeared suddenly behind me without a sound, and I thought it was one of those strange, half-human, half-ghost members of this village sneaking up on me. My reaction was a bit overboard.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine…” The woman shook her head repeatedly. “I understand. In a place like this, anyone would be on edge. It’s not your fault. Not your fault at all…”

Ning Zhe noticed that her expression towards him was complex. Her pale face showed an unease towards this strange place, her slightly pursed lips revealed fear and apprehension from being struck by the young man, but more than that, there was a sense of relief and joy from finally seeing another living person after being on edge for so long.

“This woman’s personality is weak, indecisive. After I hit her, she didn’t show any hostility or disgust. Instead, she tried to justify my actions and actively sought to make amends, attempting to gain my favor,” Ning Zhe quickly analyzed her character in his mind.

He then turned around and greeted Zhang Yangxu, who had arrived at the side door. “Hello, Mr. Zhang. I didn’t expect to see you here. My name is Ning Zhe, a senior at Qinyuan High School in Qinwan City.”

“Hello, I’m Zhang Yangxu,” Zhang Yangxu replied nonchalantly.

“I’m Mr. Zhang’s legal advisor. My name is Xie Sining,” the woman following Zhang Yangxu said in a somewhat more cheerful tone.

Zhang Yangxu quickly scanned both the woman leaning against the wall and Ning Zhe, a bit surprised. “Madam Bai is here as well… Ning Zhe, is it? Do you know me?”

“Who doesn’t know you?” Ning Zhe smiled lightly. “Mr. Zhang, you’re being humble. At least, no one from Qinzhou doesn’t recognize you.” He continued, “It’s thanks to you that I was able to take leave from school and come back home. I thought I’d become a demolition beneficiary, collecting rent and living comfortably, but who knew that when I opened my eyes, I ended up in this ghostly place.”

Zhang Yangxu nodded slightly. “I see.”

He hadn’t expected Ning Zhe to be a local from Gubei Town.

Ning Zhe nodded toward the woman leaning against the wall and asked, “You mentioned Madam Bai earlier. Is this lady’s surname Bai? Do you know her, Mr. Zhang?”

Zhang Yangxu didn’t respond. It was Xie Sining, his legal advisor, who spoke up and introduced the woman. “This is Mrs. Feng Yushu, the wife of Mr. Bai Fugu, the largest shareholder of the ‘New Homeland’ Group. Mr. Bai and Mr. Zhang both have their eyes on the development contract for the Gubei Town area, and currently, our two companies are in competition.”

“I see,” Ning Zhe smiled slightly at Xie Sining. “But in a place like this, it seems like business relationships don’t matter much.”

Zhang Yangxu also smiled. “Indeed, they don’t.”

In the outside world, Zhang Yangxu was a business mogul worth billions, a prominent figure with extensive connections in many circles. But in this isolated, eerie village with strange forces at work, he was just a middle-aged man with a slightly receding hairline and a bit of a paunch.

This was one of the reasons he could speak to Ning Zhe on equal terms.

Ning Zhe moved closer to the wall and extended his hand to help the elegantly dressed Feng Yushu up. “How did you end up here, Mrs. Feng?”

Feng Yushu winced from the abdominal pain but patted the dust off her dress. She answered somewhat hesitantly, “I came to Gubei Town with my husband and daughter. My husband is always busy with work and rarely home. We originally planned to take this opportunity to visit and relax, but we didn’t expect…”

They hadn’t expected a sudden turn of events that pulled her into this eerie place known as He Family Village.

“So where are your husband and daughter now? Did they come here as well?” Ning Zhe asked.

Feng Yushu shook her head. “No. I searched the village all day yesterday, and though I made several mistakes, I couldn’t find them. It seems I’m the only one who ended up here.”

“I see, understood.” Ning Zhe nodded with satisfaction. Now, he had a basic understanding of the situation with these people.

Meeting other living people in such a place was, of course, a good thing, but beneath the seemingly harmonious gathering for warmth, the actual situation was far from peaceful.

Behind Zhang Yangxu, Xie Sining’s phone vibrated slightly. She discreetly unlocked the screen and glanced at the message from the contact labeled ‘Mr. Zhang’:

“The almanac was turned by Ning Zhe. He arrived before any of us. Be careful around him.”