Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"I have been waiting for you here for a long time."
The same phrase suddenly echoed in the silent night sky, identical to what Luo Yu had said. However, this voice did not come from Luo Yu; compared to his rough and booming tone, this voice was delicate and sharp, like nails scratching against a blackboard.
"I have been waiting for you here for a long time, I have been waiting for you here for a long time."
The voice continued relentlessly, each repetition rising higher and sharper than the last.
Luo Yu was startled by the sound and immediately began to search around. Yet the voice seemed to come from all directions, as if whatever was making it had no physical form and was everywhere at once. But neither Jiang He nor Luo Yu could see anyone around them.
"Ghost!" Jiang He exclaimed. "That voice is just like the one we heard from the female ghost on the hill. I thought it was you playing tricks; isn't it?"
To be honest, Jiang He believed that the female ghost was luring the project team members into a trap, but given the current situation, it seemed that the ghost and Luo Yu were not in cahoots.
Luo Yu tightened his grip on the machete, scanning his surroundings anxiously. The pitch-black forest revealed nothing; there was no sign of any ghost.
Steeling himself, Luo Yu shouted, "I don't care what you are or what curse you bring. If everyone in the village is going to die, then come out! Show me how you're going to kill me—come out!"
As soon as Luo Yu finished speaking, both of them suddenly heard rustling sounds around them, as if something was hiding in the darkness. A cold wind swept through the forest at dawn, causing both of them to shiver involuntarily; the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
A figure emerged from the dark surroundings—it was the same female ghost they had seen on the hill not long ago. She still appeared stiff and unnatural, dressed in a red garment with long hair obscuring her face. She moved slowly but steadily approached Luo Yu.
Jiang He noticed that Luo Yu was swallowing hard repeatedly. He raised his machete to chest level, ready to strike at any moment.
The ghost remained unhurried; her head bobbed up and down as if it were about to snap off, her arms stretched forward grotesquely in a way that seemed beyond human capability, yet her movements were as slow as a snail's pace. At such a slow speed, Jiang He and Luo Yu could easily have run away. But neither of them moved an inch; they both wanted to know whether this being was human or ghost.
Curiosity is a feeling stronger than fear—a primal emotion inherent in every creature.
At the pace of the ghost, it would take several minutes just to cover this short distance.
As the female ghost approached, Luo Yu repeatedly encouraged himself, telling himself that nothing could escape his blade.
Just as Luo Yu was ready for a fierce battle with the ghost, she suddenly moved quickly, twisting her body as she advanced, and in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of them. This sudden acceleration caught both of them off guard, and Luo Yu nearly dropped his blade.
"Damn it! No matter what you are, I'm going to chop you down!" Luo Yu shouted as he raised his weapon, waiting for the ghost to come closer so he could strike.
The ghost's speed was astonishing; Jiang He noticed that her feet barely touched the ground, indicating that she was definitely not human. The way her body twisted made it clear that no normal person could achieve such angles.
If she wasn't human, then what was she?
In an instant, the ghost was right before them. Luo Yu swung his blade down towards her head, and in a flash, her head and body were severed in two. The momentum sent the head flying high into the air, but the ghost's body continued to rush forward without stopping.
"Haha!" Luo Yu laughed heartily. "What kind of ghost are you? You can't withstand a single blow from my blade."
"I've been waiting for you."
Even as the ghost's body kept moving, her voice echoed around them, causing Luo Yu to explode with rage. They turned towards the sound and saw another female ghost in red clothing had appeared a few meters away from them without them noticing.
Just like the previous ghost, the head of the first one finally fell from the air with a thud, rolling a few times before disappearing into the darkness.
Luo Yu felt as if he were suffocating; this creature was impossible to kill.
"Die!" The ghost lifted her head, revealing a pale face devoid of color, with only whites where her eyes should be.
Luo Yu's expression turned pale.
"You will all die!" A sharp voice rang out again as yet another female ghost appeared behind them.
Two female ghosts screamed as they slowly approached the two of them. The unkillable beings filled Luo Yu with dread, especially after he caught a glimpse of their faces, leaving him utterly devoid of fighting spirit. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Luo Yu turned and fled, vanishing into the night within mere moments.
The two female ghosts continued to creep closer to Jiang He, who stood his ground, unmoved.
"Die! You will die!" the ghostly figures shrieked.
Jiang He glanced at the two ghosts without a hint of panic. "I won't die. If you truly wanted me dead, you could have emerged after Luo Yu killed me. Your timing is too perfect; I have a ninety percent chance of believing your sudden appearance is not random. Therefore, you don't want me dead."
The two female ghosts kept inching closer, seemingly unable to comprehend Jiang He's words.
Jiang He walked toward the first ghost, speaking as he approached. "No matter what inexplicable things we encounter, as long as we believe there are no ghosts in this world, everything can be explained from a scientific perspective. When I first looked at this ghost, I felt something was off."
"Then I realized that the reason this ghost is perceived as such is that she is different from normal people. The key point of her difference lies in the degree of distortion in her body. Whether it's her arms or torso, it gives off an impression of being broken."
"This isn't just a feeling; it's true. This ghost's body is indeed broken because she isn't a real person. If she were a large marionette, everything would make sense. The ghost on the hill was precisely this one. As long as fishing line ties her body and loops around tall tree trunks, the puppeteer can hide anywhere and gently pull the string; the ghost would move slowly. Pull harder, and she would fly."
As he spoke, Jiang He reached the side of the ghost. He crouched down and pushed aside her outer clothing, revealing the body inside—crafted from wood in a humanoid shape. Her arms and legs were loosely connected, making her appear segmented; when the puppet stood up, it looked as if her entire body was broken.
"There are two thin grooves on the ground; those are marks from the fishing line's friction. If you observe closely, everything can be explained," Jiang He stated.
There are no ghosts in this world; all so-called ghosts are merely impersonations by those with intent.
"I just have one thing I don't quite understand," Jiang He said as he stood up. "Who are you really? Why does Luo Yu flee immediately upon seeing your face?"
Jiang He awaited their response.
"Indeed, there are no such things as ghosts in this world." One of them spoke while removing a wig from atop her head.
"Indeed, it's you." Jiang He looked at the cross-dressing High Taoist and said, "We found women's clothing in your home. You must be the one behind the curse in the village. But what exactly is your purpose for being here? Old Shao told us that you must have other intentions, rather than just being interested in the feng shui of this place."
The High Taoist shook his head as he approached Jiang He, while another female ghost, who had previously been in a slow, twisted state, returned to normal.
Jiang He continued, "Aside from the first female ghost, the degree of distortion in your bodies is within the normal range for humans. Therefore, I am eighty percent sure that you are indeed real people."
"Your observation skills are impressive, but you're not clever enough," the High Taoist said with a hint of exasperation as he looked at Jiang He. "This village is not a place for you. From the moment you arrived, I hinted that you should leave. Yet, you remained indifferent. Later, I made it clear that you needed to leave immediately, but you still ignored me."
"Now, Luo Yu knows that you are aware of the village's secrets. So even if you want to leave now, it’s unlikely to happen. Luo Yu will definitely tell the villagers what has happened. From this moment on, once you fall into their hands, there will be no place for your burial."
"But perhaps that's just how life is; some calamities are destined to happen. You should come over too; they don't seem like bad people—archaeologists, right?" The High Taoist directed this remark at the female ghost beside him.
The female ghost nodded and took a few steps forward. Jiang He noticed that her pallor was due to makeup rather than her natural skin tone.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang He chose not to reveal his true identity and simply nodded.
"I want to know what all of this is about," Jiang He said.
The High Taoist collected himself and glanced around before saying, "Now let's return to my wooden cabin. You can't be seen in the village anymore. However, I don't have enough provisions; I need to find a way to help you escape."
Comment 0 Comment Count