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墨書 Inktalez
The dark ambition, the quiet gloom, and the cold howling of the wind filled the air. Occasionally, I could hear the rustling of leaves in the breeze. As midnight approached, a shadow suddenly brushed past me. I turned around abruptly, but under the pitch-black moonlight, the tree shadows danced, and I saw nothing. The eerie silence around me felt terrifying, as if the darkness was about to swallow everything!
I stood alone in place, vigilantly staring ahead. That shadow seemed to have come from over there... I focused my gaze and suddenly realized it was from where the crow had flown by earlier!
I was certain that Sudai and the others would never leave me behind. Suddenly disappearing without a sound was not something they could easily do, right? Could there be some mechanism around? While my thoughts raced, a crisp sound suddenly came from behind me. Startled, I quickly turned around to see the tent flap swaying in the wind, as if a ghost hidden beneath its fabric was beckoning.
I stood frozen in place, not daring to take a breath. Cold sweat trickled down my back; it was getting chillier. I felt as if something was behind me, yet I didn't dare to turn around. Wasn't it said that everyone has two lights on their shoulders? One on the left and one on the right. When you look back to the left, the light on your left shoulder goes out; when you look back to the right, the light on your right shoulder goes out. When both lights on your shoulders are extinguished, wandering souls will immediately cling to you. And without the protection of those lights, you would no longer find your way home...
I wasn't naturally suspicious, nor did I believe in ghosts existing in this world. But disbelief didn't mean I wasn't afraid, especially in this desolate wilderness with my companions mysteriously vanished. I couldn't help but wonder if there really was something watching me from behind, waiting for me to turn around and pounce... The more I thought about it, the more terrified and restless I became.
Closing my eyes, I tried hard to convince myself that none of this was real—where would such a ghost come from? It was just me scaring myself; calm down!
After a while, I slowly opened my eyes. The tent was still in front of me, and beside me, the fire crackled softly. That unreliable flashlight that always failed at critical moments lay discarded nearby. Everything seemed normal but emitted an abnormal vibe.
"Song A? Sudai? Wu Xiaoshou? Stop messing with me and come out! I can see you!" After calling out several times, silence enveloped me once again.
With another crisp sound echoing through the air, I instinctively turned to look and saw a shadow dart quickly past and disappear into a nearby cave. I thought to myself that there were no ghosts in this world; it was just people scaring each other. Moreover, I remembered that they had only disappeared after the crow flew out—could that be where the problem lay?
After hesitating for a moment, I lifted my feet and walked toward that direction. Each step felt like walking on the edge of a cliff; it was as if I were treading on thin ice. I tugged at my collar to wrap myself tighter against the cold wind.
Looking at the dark cave entrance felt like staring into hell itself—ominous and filled with an eerie silence. Yet it also had an immense allure that drew me closer.
The cold air gushing from the cave sent shivers down my spine while an unpleasant stench wafted through the air like withered willows. My heart raced wildly as I fought against the urge to vomit. If I hadn't seen wrong earlier, that shadow had run inside here. Holding my breath, I hesitated about whether or not to go in immediately.
Suddenly remembering that I hadn't brought my flashlight! Forget it; going back now would only scare myself more. Damn it! If worse comes to worst, it's just death—eighteen years later, I'd still be a man! Resolute in my decision, I strode boldly into the cave, thinking that if anything jumped out at me, I'd punch it dead!
The moment I crossed into the cave's mouth, an icy chill rushed outward as if too much Yin Qi was spilling out!
Fortunately, it wasn't completely dark inside; I could see some things clearly but only just enough to make out shapes. After adjusting to the light for a moment, I cautiously moved forward a few steps. However, it was freezing and foul-smelling inside; without any visual reference points, everything felt beyond my control. Just moments ago outside had seemed brave enough for me to muster courage; now immersed in darkness felt like stepping into another world.
Feng Zi, oh Feng Zi! Weren't you just wanting revenge and saying you'd destroy that thing? Why are you now scared like a turtle withdrawing into its shell? I kept berating myself internally for being useless; however, this tactic had little effect at this moment. Perhaps due to heavy psychological suggestion, I feared something would suddenly leap out at me—a bloody face or some unclean thing silently lurking behind...
The more I thought about it, the more scared I became, and I felt as if there was really a ghost standing behind me! Wait, what about that shadow that ran in? I didn't dare to look back or breathe heavily. After standing still for a while and realizing nothing was rushing at me from behind, I finally moved. But as soon as I did, I felt something hard under my foot. Suddenly, with a "crack," my tense nerves finally collapsed in that instant! Looking down, amidst the slanted moonlight, I suddenly saw a bone—a chilling white bone!
"Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" I quickly stepped back a few paces and sincerely apologized. Just as I finished speaking, a cold wind suddenly rushed at me from behind, sending shivers down my spine!
I swallowed hard and stood frozen in place, because I saw a shadow beside me—an extra figure standing motionless right behind me...
I mechanically turned around, cold sweat pouring down my back, and saw that there was indeed a person standing at the cave entrance!
"So you did it on purpose?" the person said with a smile, his tone teasing. He was tall and muscular, but due to the backlight, his face wasn't very clear. However, I immediately recognized him and felt a surge of joy; at that moment, all thoughts of bones and ghosts vanished! I excitedly ran up to him and asked, "Songzi, what are you doing here? Where's my dad?"
Songzi wasn't very handsome, but his eyes were always filled with laughter, giving off a friendly vibe.
He and Song A were brothers and my neighbors since I moved to Sichuan. Although we had only lived there for two years, I felt like we got along pretty well. I just didn't expect Songzi to voluntarily join a group to go treasure hunting in Heizhugou. I had heard that this group was quite wealthy and had invited some skilled treasure hunters with generous offers—except for my dad, who was taken away by force!
These thoughts flashed through my mind before returning to the present. Songzi didn't answer me; instead, he pointed ahead. Squinting into the darkness, perhaps my eyes had adjusted somewhat because I vaguely saw that there was actually a small dirt tunnel inside the cave. The tunnel was only about half a meter high with uneven edges; it was unclear whether it was man-made or naturally formed. Either way, it made me feel uneasy.
"Follow me," Songzi said before leading the way inside without waiting for me. He bent down and crawled in.
"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? Wait for me!" I said helplessly before immediately following him.
The cave still reeked terribly, but after crawling for a while, my mind gradually calmed down. Perhaps it was because we hadn't seen each other in so long; Songzi, who was silently crawling ahead of me, felt somewhat unfamiliar. The old Songzi used to talk a lot—especially when he came back from vacation; he would chatter endlessly at me. Now he was quiet, and even his breathing felt different from before. Could someone change so much in such a short time?
Trying not to overthink it, I casually asked, "Oh right, Songzi, have you seen Song A?"
Songzi didn't turn around but his voice slowly came from ahead—somewhat flat: "Who is he?"
I thought maybe Song A hadn't heard my question clearly, so I asked again: "Song A, do you... not recognize him?" Originally, I wanted to say he was your brother directly but changed it at the last moment and almost bit my tongue...
To my surprise, Songzi replied without even looking back: "I don't know him." Then he added another question: "Who is he?"
I really wanted to slap him against the wall at that moment. How could he not recognize his own brother? Could it be that this guy was truly a fraud? Feeling uneasy, I didn’t dare to make a scene. I thought it was not the right time to confront him, so I quickly replied, "Yes, he is a friend of mine. Aren't there others? You haven't seen them?"
"No," Songzi answered flatly.
"Um, where are we going?" I asked, trying to sound calm.
This time, Songzi stopped, turned around, and gave me a "friendly" smile. "We're going to a fun place." After saying that, he smirked again, but that smile looked so strange and stiff in my eyes!
"A fun place?" I didn't know why I could see through his expression, but I did. I was now one hundred percent sure that this guy was not Songzi. What was his purpose? Why did he trick me into coming here?
"You'll know when we get there," Songzi said with another eerie smile before continuing to crawl forward.
The deeper we crawled, the wetter and softer the ground felt under my hands. It seemed like it wasn't dirt but some kind of excrement. The increasingly strong stench around us seemed to confirm my suspicions, making me feel nauseous...
"What's wrong?" Perhaps sensing that I had stopped, Songzi turned back to ask.
In the darkness, his expression was stiff and devoid of warmth. His pitch-black eyes glimmered with a green light. Others couldn't see it, but I could see it very clearly; this person was not only not Songzi but might not even be human!
Looking at his oddly distorted face, I wanted to turn around and run immediately. But in the end, reason triumphed over emotion. With a pained expression, I said to him, "It's nothing; I'm just tired. A little rest will help. How much longer until we arrive?"
"Soon," Songzi replied with an eerie smile as if he were completely oblivious to the foul smell surrounding us. He continued crawling in an abnormal manner. I didn’t stop or have the courage to take off my shoes and really hit him; I could only carefully crawl backward. Once I felt a certain distance between us, I immediately turned and ran without caring about the nausea, using all four limbs like a mole digging frantically while I crawled...
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