Chapter 8: The Haunted Castle

Dinner was prepared together by the two of them. Charlie had once been a member of the New Zealand funeral team, so he was somewhat familiar with the castle. He found the kitchen on the first floor, discarded the old pots and utensils, and replaced them with the new cookware purchased today, with Wang Bo taking on the cooking duties

Wang Bo said: "Did you not say that you have seen more dead people than I have seen living ones?"

Wang Bo took out a set of keys, which jingled like a hand bell. There were probably around 40 to 50 keys on the keyring, with the largest key resembling a chicken leg, which was naturally the key to the main door

Lying on the bed, he did not dare to get up directly but instead listened carefully for a moment; perhaps he was just imagining it

Wang Bo furrowed his brow and said, "You didn't speak? I thought I heard someone talking just now"

Wang Bo pushed open the door and said with a smile, "Someone just died in there, are you scared?"

After watching a movie, Wang Bo leaned against the window to gaze at the bright moonlight for a while, and then lay down on the bed to prepare for sleep

The first floor consists of the conference hall, recreation room, kitchen, living room, restroom, and dining room. Who do you see that has their bedroom and guest room arranged on the first floor?" Charlie said irritably

He has a small flaw, which is neurosis, a common occupational ailment among many programmers. He sleeps lightly and wakes up at the slightest noise. Additionally, since he is sleeping on a new bed tonight, it is even more difficult for him to fall into a deep sleep

Upon turning into the staircase, there are several rooms. Wang Bo tried the key on the two nearest rooms, finding that both water and electricity were functional. However, they contained only a floor, wooden beds, and tables and chairs, with nothing else, the style being simple to the point of being rudimentary

Wang Bo allowed Charlie to choose one room first, and then he would live in the remaining one. He used dirty clothes to wipe down the bed board, then laid out bedding and placed fruits, food, and other daily necessities, and the outline of the bedroom immediately took shape

However, the sanitation of these two houses is quite good. Charlie mentioned that this is because the British government and the New Zealand government’s funeral committee stayed here when Sir Roberts passed away, which was less than a week ago, so the sanitation is naturally well maintained

The first floor of the main castle is exceptionally tall and spacious, with a height of possibly ten meters. It does not resemble a residence but rather a government office building in the country. There are a total of three staircases leading to the second floor, with spiral stone staircases on both sides, and a straight staircase in the center of the hall, divided into four gentle levels, exuding an extraordinary grandeur

The castle is predominantly made of stone, appearing rough yet sturdy. The stairs are also made of stone, but they are polished to a smooth finish, indicating that the Roberts family put considerable thought into the construction of this castle

Charlie sneered, "I have seen more dead people than you have seen living ones"

Although Charlie is timid, he is stubborn. Hearing Wang Bo say this, he sneered and said: "Who is afraid? I am afraid you are afraid! OK, since you are not afraid, let’s stay here— you go first, we will live on the second floor, there are guest rooms on the second floor"

Charlie was still struggling to drag his bag behind him and retorted, "What did you say? I didn't say anything."

He pushed open the door and walked in first, heading directly up the stairs, while Wang Bo opened the windows in the hall and the library to let in some fresh air. This hall was almost like a small square, and Old Wang thought that in the future, they could organize people to dance square dance.

At this point, he fell silent, likely feeling embarrassed even by the boastful claims he had made himself

He left his hometown to study in another place since middle school, and he has over ten years of cooking experience. Although he cannot prepare elaborate dishes, he is quite skilled at home-cooked meals. A stir-fried noodle dish with braised meat he makes is fragrant, and finally, he tops it with two fried eggs and a few strips of cucumber, making this dish a perfect combination of color, aroma, and flavor

He thought that this rusty iron lock would be difficult to open, but after inserting the key, it turned easily without any effort. Charlie explained to him: "In fact, this castle has only been closed for less than half a month; the old lord had been living inside all along."

Wang Bo chuckled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, but your perspective on the praise is quite novel. I really want to pour this bowl of soup on your face as a form of commendation!"

What? Wang Bo, unable to hear clearly, turned around and asked, "Charlie, what did you say?"

Charlie stammered, "Just now, did you hear the phrase 'Who has come'? The tone was quite strange, wasn't it?"

He did not clearly hear that sentence just now, feeling it was a short and vague phrase, thinking it was the sound of the wind or the door opening. But now, after hearing Charlie speak, he feels that he might not have misheard it, because he thinks that the ambiguous tone was indeed quite strange, resembling the way foreigners speak Chinese, which felt very awkward

The castle does not have natural gas, so cooking must be done using an electric frying pan. Wang Bo first boiled a pack of macaroni, cooled it with cold water, and then stir-fried it together with * pictures * books, mixed rice sauce, carrots, onions, and diced ham.

Just as Charlie had just stepped onto the second floor, his figure suddenly paused for a moment, then slowly turned his head to look at Wang Bo, his expression one of terror

Uncertain of how long he had slept, Wang Bo suddenly heard a vague voice: "Hungry, hungry, hungry... Who is it, who is it, who is it..."

Upon entering through the main gate, there is an inner wall that is somewhat lower than the outer wall, creating a passage between the two walls. Only after crossing the door of the inner wall does one truly enter the castle. On either side of the inner door, there are small rooms resembling guardhouses or reception areas. Directly in front of the entrance is a small square, overgrown with weeds, in the center of which stands a statue that is only half intact.

Charlie seemed to have even less courage than Wang Bo. He ran down with his luggage, making a "papa" sound, and asked, "Are we really going to stay here? Brother, someone just died here."

Charlie took a bite of the noodles, and his eyes immediately lit up. He slurped the noodles into his mouth and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Wonderful, your culinary skills are far more impressive than your looks!"

In addition, he made a thick soup using tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs. This is quite simple: chop the tomatoes as finely as possible, dice the cucumbers, stir-fry them with chopped green onions, and then add the beaten eggs to make the soup.

Upon hearing this sound, Wang Bo suddenly became alert, his adrenaline surged rapidly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back

The sound is quite awkward, just as Charlie mentioned on the stairs, the intonation is strange. To draw an analogy, the tone is similar to that of a foreigner speaking Chinese, very stiff. Like a * picture * book

Wang Bo looked at him with amusement and asked, "What about the first floor?"

With rapt attention and bated breath, Wang Bogan perked up his ears, only to be startled by a sudden loud "bang bang bang" coming from his door

A simple dinner concluded amidst the laughter and chatter of the two. Wang Bo sincerely said in the end: "Charlie, thank you very much for your help over the past few days. Our conditions are not ideal today, but I will prepare a grand meal to express my gratitude to you in the future"

Charlie waved his hand dismissively and said, "You are being too polite, Wang. First of all, this is my job, and it is only natural. Secondly, didn't I say that we hit it off right away?"

"What happened?" Wang Bo asked, his heart tightening.

Look at this guy's ghostly appearance. Wang Bo, on the other hand, became bold and patted Charlie on the shoulder, saying: "Alright, buddy, let's just stay here. The helicopter has gone back, and we haven't bought a tent, so where else can we sleep? Besides, maybe you just misheard earlier. Anyway, there's no need to be afraid; there are no ghosts in this world, haha"

Charlie whispered, "But many people have died here! For a century and a half, during the heyday of the Roberts family, there were over 200 people, all of whom died here. Can you calculate how many that is?"

On both the east and west sides of the square, there are several trees and buildings. The trees are tall but have already withered, and the buildings vary in height and their purposes are unknown. Charlie introduced to him that this is the barn, that is the bakery, and that one is the auditorium, and that one is the church. He understands quite a bit, but because these buildings are so dilapidated, it is impossible to discern their purposes.

Charlie said to the book with irritation: "Are you trying to scare me? Step aside, quickly put down your things and take a break..."

The only thing that can be seen is a massive building at the front of the small square, which is the main stone tower of the castle, standing approximately 40 meters high, grand and majestic, as immovable as a mountain

The castle appears magnificent from the outside, though ancient, it still retains a sense of grandeur. However, upon entering, one can discover that the castle is now dirty, chaotic, and in a state of disrepair

Wang Bo swallowed and said, "I didn't hear clearly, damn it, Charlie, don't joke with me, you didn't hear any sounds too, did you?"

At this moment, the sun sets behind the western mountains, and the dim twilight barely illuminates the interior of the castle, creating a somewhat desolate and eerie atmosphere. The mountain breeze passes through, causing the few windows that Wang Bo had just opened to creak and groan, gradually imbuing the castle with a strange aura

The castle's main gate is constructed from long wooden planks assembled together, resembling a fence. It stands approximately five to six meters high and about ten meters wide, appearing worn and dilapidated, secured with a large iron chain, which is fastened with an antique-style black iron lock.

Although this bedroom is quite simple, Wang Bo still feels very good about it because it belongs to him, even better than the luxurious apartments he rented in Beijing

It is said that, but Wang Bo still feels indebted to him. Charlie indeed has no complaints about him; for instance, when he saw that Wang Bo's phone could not access the internet, he even lent his own iPad to Wang Bo for use

With a feeling of admiration, Wang Bo pushed open the door. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly heard a muffled English phrase.