I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 919 - 919 918. Truth or Dare

Chapter 919: 918. Truth or Dare Chapter 919: 918. Truth or Dare Lu Ban, confident in nothing else, was very sure of his memory. Once he had seen someone, he would never forget their face. After carefully examining the photos of the local children, Lu Ban confirmed that the three kids he had seen on the beach that day were none of them.

This wasn’t a matter of different camera angles or makeup. The kids in the photos were in candid or group shots, and they were not the same ones who had called Lu Ban a “ghost.”

“The island’s children usually go to boarding school on the island we flew to, and since it’s summer break, they’re all at home.”

Cui Siter added, having contacted the local police station and shown his credentials to gain cooperation. On this small island, a policeman like Cui Siter, from a major country, seemed almost like an Interpol officer to them, and they revered him.

“No, the people I saw aren’t in these photos.”

Lu Ban said and handed the photos back to Cui Siter.

“Not in them?”

Cui Siter was confused by what Lu Ban meant.

“Are these all the photos?”

Lu Ban double-checked.

“I guess so—there aren’t many kids on the island.”

Cui Siter also took a serious look at the photos here, noting the children’s naive and cheerful smiles, filled with unpretentious beauty.

These children, who had grown up on the island along with the sea, might not know as much as their city counterparts, but their reverence for nature and the simple natural philosophy gleaned from years of island life made them more approachable.

But clearly, those were not the ones Lu Ban had encountered.

“It’s either that the island’s police are hiding something from you, or there’s something wrong with those kids.”

Lu Ban concluded. Based on his observations at the beach, where the police and lifeguards seemed genuine in their duties, he thought of the drowning victim’s companions, who had also seen some children. He wondered if they were the same ones he had seen.

“I’ll ask again.”

Cui Siter secured the photos and then, as if remembering something, asked,

“By the way, have you guys had dinner? If not, I can ask the cook to warm something up for you.”

“We’ve already eaten—it was fresh fish.”

Shia spoke up first.

“Uh…”

Cui Siter was momentarily speechless.

“That’s good, mixing work and leisure isn’t bad.”

All he could say was that.

At night, several young people gathered in Lu Ban’s house. Originally, Red Leaf wanted to play a murder mystery game, but Shia quickly vetoed the idea.

“Are you sure you want to play a murder mystery game with someone who studies psychology?”

“…Then let’s play Truth or Dare instead.”

After thinking it over, it seemed reasonable to Red Leaf. She glanced at Amber and then suggested,

“It would be nice if we had mahjong.”

Shia muttered.

But she still joined Red Leaf in pulling out a deck of cards.

The last time Lu Ban had played Truth or Dare was probably back in his school days.

Such party games, frankly, were created to foster emotional connections. Whoever suggested playing surely had an ulterior motive.

The four dealt the cards and began by drawing jokers to decide who would go first.

As night fell, the island became exceedingly quiet. Sounds of insects chirping could be heard from outside the window, and the curtains drawn. Shadows of trees danced in the moonlight, looking like some kind of monster flailing about.

The three girls were quite engrossed in the game; shortly, Shia won, finishing her deck of cards first.

Red Leaf was second; she was lucky that in the last two picks, Amber ended up drawing the joker.

Now it was just Lu Ban and Amber left.

Drawing the joker was essentially a psychological mind game.

Sometimes, microexpressions and slight changes in demeanor could give someone away.

Of course, there were also social experts able to deceive others through acting skills and win the game. Why such people didn’t go to film industry to save the domestic entertainment sector and were instead playing drawing joker here was beyond Lu Ban.

He was left with only two cards, one of which was the joker.

If Amber drew the other card, he would lose.

But if Amber drew the joker, Lu Ban still had a fifty-fifty chance of winning.

The moment of truth had arrived.

Lu Ban saw that Amber’s hand was on the joker.

He knew that at this moment he couldn’t show any expression, otherwise he would be seen through.

He kept his cool, staring only at Amber’s tremulous eyes.

Feeling Lu Ban’s stare, Amber grew embarrassed and moved her hand away from the card she was initially holding, opting for another as if to escape.

“Uh…”

Lu Ban, looking at the ghost card in his hand, felt somewhat awkward.

“I win!”

Amber immediately set down her poker cards and happily hugged Red Leaf next to her.

This kind of game might be too childish for kids, but it seemed just right for adults.

Shia looked at Lu Ban.

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

Lu Ban responded without hesitation.

This caused a slight disappointment in Red Leaf and Amber nearby.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll make you kiss these two little sisters?”

Shia asked with interest.

“If I really have to do that, then so be it.”

Lu Ban sighed.

This, conversely, caused panic among the two young girls.

“I warn you, if you dare to do that, I’ll kill you!”

Red Leaf threatened Lu Ban menacingly, yet she leaned in closer.

Amber didn’t speak, but she kept sneaking glances at Lu Ban.

“Ts-ts, I wouldn’t let you off that easy. Let me think…”

Shia was pondering when suddenly a clear thud was heard coming from the corridor.

In the relatively quiet night, the thud was distinct, sounding like something had fallen onto the carpet.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Shia instantly came up with an idea.

“Go out and check it out.”

She directed Lu Ban.

“Is this the dare?”

Lu Ban stood up, glancing at the two girls on the bed, unable to discern if they were disappointed or something else.

He opened the door; the lights in the corridor were still on, and it was empty.

Quietly closing the door, Lu Ban looked both ways, searching for the source of the sound.

He approached the staircase and looked down; it was empty except for some faint chatter coming from the dining room, likely Cui Siter and the Zou Changyu Couple talking.

Thud—

The same sound echoed again.

Lu Ban heard it, coming from behind him.

He turned around; the corridor was empty.

Lu Ban walked back, passing through the guest room door; he was certain the sound was coming from the end of the hallway.

His shoes on the soft carpet made no noise.

Lu Ban took a few steps forward, just past the door of his own room, when he heard a faint sound of footsteps behind him.

It was as if someone was quietly tiptoeing behind him.

He heard from his room the chatter and teasing of the girls, the content of which he couldn’t understand, likely something about relationships.

Lu Ban looked back; the corridor was still empty.

However, the corridor seemed a bit longer.

He turned his head and quickly walked to the end of the corridor. There was only a decorative vase and a closed window.

Lu Ban looked outside to see if the sound came from there.

His gaze shifted from the freshly bloomed flowers to the glass.

Lu Ban saw a dark figure with two dark red eyes staring back at him through the window.