Chapter 5

Jeffrey followed Charles into the kitchen, mumbling under his breath.

Soon after, Piper, who had been sobbing, also came into the kitchen.

"Alright, alright, calm down."

Charles twisted open a bottle of water and shoved it into Jeffrey's arms, trying to shut him up and stop him from being annoying.

"How can she be so unreasonable? Has she never been disciplined?"

Jeffrey took big gulps of water, trying to suppress his emotions.

"If she wants to take care of him, let her. Besides, maybe it's not a good thing."

Charles spoke in a calm tone, his hands busy preparing ingredients.

Hearing this, Piper, who was about to calm down, felt her heart leap into her throat again.

"What do you mean?" Jeffrey and Piper asked in unison.

Charles stopped what he was doing and turned to look at them.

"Have you forgotten what that elite guy said?"

"We have to come back alive before he answers our questions."

"That means the room is full of hidden dangers, possibly even deadly ones!"

After hearing Charles' words, Piper's small frame started to tremble.

"Wha... what kind of dangers?"

Charles shook his head and turned back to the ingredients.

"I don't have any ideas yet, but since the task is to take care of the patient, I guess the greatest danger is probably the patient."

"Anyway, it's best to stay away from the patient as much as possible."

After hearing Charles' speculation, Jeffrey thought it made sense and lowered his head to comfort the sobbing Piper.

"It's okay, you'll be safer with us."

Charles glanced at Jeffrey, sighed, and said nothing more.

After finishing with the ingredients, he forcefully opened the freezer door, looking for some meat.

Seeing the pile of meat stacked like a small mountain, Charles estimated it to be at least a hundred pounds.

He took out a bag labeled "Beef" and put it in the microwave to defrost.

Just as he was about to close the fridge, a round piece of meat rolled out.

Charles picked up the bag, weighed it, and then opened it to take a look.

This piece of meat had no label and was heavily frozen. The color of the meat was strange, indicating it had been there for a long time.

Oddly enough, there were many black, fuzzy things intertwined with the ice, making it impossible to tell what they were.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

Jeffrey, noticing Charles had been standing still for a long time, walked over curiously.

"Look, this meat is really strange."

Just as Jeffrey was about to reach out, the sound of a ceramic bowl shattering interrupted them.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I..." Piper frantically squatted down to pick up the broken pieces.

Seeing this, Jeffrey hurried over to help.

Charles had no choice but to rewrap the meat and put it back in the fridge, then went over to help as well.

Since Piper's hand was cut, she had to rest, leaving the rest of the cooking to Charles and Jeffrey.

However, during the cooking process, Charles found he was completely out of his depth, as Jeffrey did most of the work.

"You're quite the cook," Charles joked.

Jeffrey smiled, his hands never slowing down.

"Being a single dad isn't easy. My daughter is always a bit careless."

"Dinner's ready, call them down!"

Charles and Piper started setting the table, and the people upstairs came down one by one.

But when everyone was seated, they found one person missing.

"Where's Rachel?" Piper asked.

Madeline picked up a piece of meat from her plate and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "She's still upstairs, no idea what she's doing."

Charles was the first to pick up his utensils, "Let's not wait for her, let's eat."

At this moment, the sound of high heels came from the stairs; it was Rachel.

She looked upset and even rolled her eyes, "Couldn't wait for just a moment, huh?"

"You..." Jeffrey started to get up, but Charles pulled him back, shaking his head to signal not to argue.

During the meal, everyone was silent.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Even though everyone ate quickly, the light outside dimmed rapidly, and it got darker and darker.

Eventually, they couldn't see what they were eating at all.

Suddenly, all the lights on the first floor came on, and no one even noticed when Jeffrey left the table to turn them on.

"This place is creepy, how does it get dark so early?"

Madeline glanced at the clock, which showed it was just seven o'clock.

Her voice was sharp and youthful, which seemed out of place in the quiet atmosphere.

"Keep your voice down," Gerald frowned, adjusting his glasses.

"The hostess already said it's the rainy season, the weather is unstable, it's normal. What's there to be so surprised about?"

Gerald's speech was fast and his tone brooked no argument.

Though it might be a habit from his profession, everyone knew his current state of mind.

Trapped in a house like this, what else could they do but try to numb themselves?

"Hey! You!"

Jeffrey sat in his chair with his arms crossed, lifting his chin towards Rachel.

"Don't just worry about yourself, you need to take care of the patient too. The patient's meal is in the blender, go take it out."

Rachel stood up abruptly, the chair scraping the floor with a sharp sound.

"Do I need you to remind me?"

She roughly served the meal and, before going upstairs, shot Jeffrey a fierce glare.

"Some people should mind their own business!"

The sound of high heels faded as she disappeared into the shadows at the top of the stairs.

Everyone watched her vanish into the darkness, and for some reason, their hearts tightened again.