Nachtpuppe

Kapitel 4

Zhong Lei's face immediately turned ugly. He'd been weaving stories for so many years, and today he'd been exposed! Sigh! One slip-up! How could he cover up his lie? ...Aha!

Zhong Lei then slowly said:

“Both landlords were surnamed Ning! Am I confused? It must be like this. They might be a family. The son of the landlord Ning, whose property was burned down, was lucky enough to survive. He survived with the help of the villagers and, after growing up, developed a business that was almost as big as his father’s. Then, after liberation, he was criticized and struggled against. That’s how it is!” He wiped the sweat from his forehead after saying that.

"Oh, is that so? Then why was that landlord criticized and denounced again?"

After hearing this, Zhong Lei smiled subtly, without anyone noticing, and said:

"Because, after that landlord developed his fortune, he displayed the true nature of the landlord class, becoming ruthless and vicious, exploiting tenant farmers, and forcibly taking women... What's most hateful is that when the People's Liberation Army passed by, he actually assassinated two PLA soldiers in his home because he hated the Communist Party and hated those who were dividing his property..."

Before they could finish speaking, a muffled clap of thunder sounded outside, very close, as if it were right above their heads. In an instant, the surroundings were brightened, but only for a very short time before darkness returned.

The four were startled and before their racing hearts could calm down, they heard another sound from outside the door:

"Ah"

Chapter Two Follows (Part One)

One

It was Lin Wei's voice!

The sound was exceptionally shrill! And the echo lingered! It was like a sharp military knife tearing through the sky, and one could almost hear the groan of the sky after the blade had passed.

The four of them ran out and saw Lin Wei lying on the ground in a very stiff position. His eyes were wide open, his black pupils shrank to the size of soybeans, and white filled his eye sockets. His mouth was also wide open, and white liquid kept gushing out. His hands were claw-like, palms down, gripping the soil, and his legs were straight, slightly apart, and trembling incessantly.

The four of them panicked instantly, including Zhong Lei. They exchanged glances, unable to find an explanation for the phenomenon in each other's eyes, and stood frozen in place, staring at Lin Wei on the ground, at a loss for what to do. They craned their necks, as if a hand was pulling their heads down from behind, and the atmosphere around them suddenly turned as if they had fallen into an ice cave, and they all began to feel their limbs getting cold and trembling.

A long, oppressive silence followed.

Suddenly, Zhong Lei broke the chilling silence in the forest and said:

"Shouldn't we take him back to the duty room?"

Then he tilted his head and glanced at the other three. Although his eyes still held fear and his gaze was somewhat unfocused, he was much calmer than the other three.

After hearing this, Bi Bin immediately responded with an "Mm," and then said:

"Okay, I agree. We need to...we need to take him to the hospital!"

Then Liu Dong and Su Shengwen also snapped out of their fear, nodded quickly, thawed their bodies, bent down, and clumsily tried to lift Lin Wei.

Zhong Lei walked over and said:

“Let Bi Bin and I do it! You guys clear the way ahead, the weeds are too deep, I'm afraid you'll twist your ankle. Also…” He seemed to hesitate for a long time before saying it, “I feel like Lin Wei was frightened by something, otherwise he wouldn’t…” Then he closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. The others didn’t press him further at this point, and seeing that Zhong Lei was no longer going to talk, they didn’t ask any more questions.

Zhong Lei reached out and bent down to grab Lin Wei's arm. The arm was frighteningly cold. As mentioned before, it was still summer, and even at night it shouldn't be cold. Lin Wei's arm shouldn't be this cold.

Bi Bin grabbed the other arm, and just as they lifted Lin Wei up and were about to put his arm around their necks, Lin Wei suddenly moved. His claw-like hands sprang up and locked Zhong Lei's left hand with lightning speed, causing Zhong Lei to lose his balance and almost fall to the ground.

At this moment, his mouth was closed, and the foam had stopped flowing. His lowered head slowly rose, his eyes wide open, his gaze fixed on the ground. He looked up, his eyes glazed over, and his expression changed. He looked up, his eyes glazed over, and his expression changed again. He looked up, his expression changed, and his expression changed again. He looked up, his eyes glazed over, and his expression changed again. He looked up, ...

Lin Wei stared at Zhong Lei, his gaze already sending chills down Zhong Lei's spine. But then, a smile gradually spread across his face. He just kept smiling, white foam still clinging to his cheeks, his eyes wide and fixed on Zhong Lei without blinking. Yet, he was smiling. This eerie expression reminded Zhong Lei of a rag doll in a certain movie, its wide, evil eyes radiating a sinister murderous aura. At that moment, a chill ran down Zhong Lei's spine, and he couldn't help but tremble.

When the pale moonlight mercilessly swept across Lin Wei's face, these four teenagers were left with a nightmare that would haunt them for the rest of their lives!

Zhong Lei could no longer control his fear. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his expression was visibly erratic—eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, and lower lip quivering. He dared not move a muscle, terrified that any movement would provoke an attack from the monster in his arms!

This continued for five or six minutes before Lin Wei finally dropped his intimidating smile. Instead, he adopted a ferocious, beast-like expression, his eyes once again blazing with a chilling light, filled with hatred, as he gritted his teeth and said:

“You little bastard, I remember you!”

After saying that, he threw his head back and fainted.

II

The four of them froze on the spot. Zhong Lei's hand trembled, and Lin Wei slid to the ground as if he had no bones.

Liu Dong's hair was practically standing on end. He grabbed Bi Bin's arm and asked in a trembling voice,

"Brother Bin, what...what should we do?"

Bi Bin stood there dumbfounded. Perhaps he didn't hear, or perhaps he was too nervous to speak. So, he didn't answer Liu Dong, but just stared wide-eyed and opened his mouth, remaining silent.

Liu Dong received no reply and dared not ask any more questions, so he shut his mouth and quietly hid to the side.

Su Shengwen then spoke:

"Everyone, I... I really need to pee, I need to go to the toilet, I'm leaving now!"

Before the words had even faded, the person had already disappeared into the night.

Zhong Lei was both scared and angry. He wanted to catch up with that guy and give him a good scolding, but he didn't dare to move. He could only watch the hateful figure get further and further away.

Bi Bin finally reacted, looking up and glaring fiercely in the direction Su Shengwen had run off to. Then he lowered his head again, raised his large hand to stroke his hair, sighed deeply, and remained silent.

This was the first time Liu Dong and Zhong Lei had seen him like this, and neither of them expected that the usually "fierce" Bi Bin would be so nervous.

Lin Wei lay quietly on the ground, his eyes closed, looking peaceful. It was as if the tension and terror of the three people around him had nothing to do with him.

Zhong Lei thought that staying here like this wasn't a solution, and he was also very nervous; this wasn't a place he could stay. It would be best to leave quickly. So, he suggested to the other two:

“Let’s hurry back! Back to the duty room. I don’t know what’s wrong with Lin Wei, but at the very least, we need to get him to the hospital, right?”

Bi Bin nodded in agreement. His silence, usually so full of empty boasts, was a testament to the extreme abnormality of tonight's events.

Then, Zhong Lei pulled Lin Wei's arm again and said to Bi Bin:

"Come on, let's carry him back!"

Bi Bin hesitated for a while before reluctantly reaching out, grabbing Lin Wei's left arm, and wrapping it around his neck. With a little effort, the two of them lifted Lin Wei up.

Then they walked into the alley.

Liu Dong supported him from behind, his head constantly turning back as they walked, his eyes seeming to widen with each turn. Bi Bin's grip on Lin Wei tightened, and he clearly felt Liu Dong's legs trembling. Turning to look at Liu Dong, he would normally unleash a torrent of abuse, but this time was different. He remained silent, his own eyes wide with fear. Finally:

“Ah………………”

Bi Bin let out a scream he had never heard before, a scream so high-pitched it didn't sound like a boy's.

Before Zhong Lei could react, Liu Dong and Bi Bin had already abandoned Lin Wei and run away, which made him nervous. He looked back at the small house with its eerie light flickering in the darkness, and then at Lin Wei in his arms, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

To run or not to run? He hesitated, but after at most six seconds, he took off running.

Chapter Two Follows (Part Two)

three

The three people ran as if their lives depended on it, or perhaps they really were. Even in the darkness, the dust they kicked up was visible to the naked eye.

In what seemed like an instant, they reached the door of the duty room. Seeing the light shining through the glass of the door, they finally stopped, bent over, put their hands on their knees, and began to breathe heavily.

Zhong Lei asked, panting heavily:

"Why did you suddenly start running?"

Bi Bin glanced at him, said nothing, and lowered his head again, panting heavily.

Liu Dong opened his mouth as if to say something, but he only opened his mouth and no words came out. He shook his head helplessly, and it was obvious that his breathing became heavier.

Suddenly, Bi Bin remembered that Su Shengwen had run back first—that heartless bastard! Thinking this, he walked to the door, kicked it open, and Zhong Lei and Liu Dong followed.

A large group of people were gathered around the bed inside the room, and they seemed to be staring intently at something, not even noticing that the door had been kicked open.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"

Su Shengwen's cowardly voice came from the bed.

Zhong Lei and his two companions approached and saw that the group of people were students from Group Two, including their group leader, Yu Kai.

Yu Kai is Zhong Lei's best friend. They have been classmates since elementary school, and then became deskmates in high school. So Zhong Lei and Yu Kai are the closest of buddies. Their friendship is beyond words.

Zhong Lei was the first to walk up to Yu Kai, put his hand on Yu Kai's shoulder, and asked:

"What are you all looking at?"

Yu Kai turned back and gave Zhong Lei a deep look, a look that was both strange and familiar. Strange, because Yu Kai had never looked at Zhong Lei with that kind of gaze before; familiar, because Lin Wei had just looked at him with the same gaze!

Zhong Lei immediately took five or six steps back and stopped at the doorway:

"What... happened?"

After saying that, Zhong Lei suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.

4

In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Zhong Lei woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw his classmates surrounding him, their eyes full of concern. He was lying in bed. Yu Kai was standing closest to Zhong Lei's face, his brows furrowed as he looked at him. But when he saw Zhong Lei open his eyes, his brows relaxed instantly, and he asked excitedly:

"Lei Zi! You're awake! You scared me to death! How could someone as healthy as you faint!"

Zhong Lei didn't speak, he just stared at him, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"Lei Zi! What's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhong Lei asked coldly:

"Who are you?"

Yu Kai was startled, wondering if Zhong Lei had lost his memory after being frightened.

He paused for a moment, then asked:

"Who is your seventh aunt's great-aunt?"

The other students present were completely confused. Zhong Lei had amnesia, and what happened to Yu Kai?

After hearing this, the defensiveness in Zhong Lei's eyes gradually disappeared:

"She's your sixth aunt's second grandmother's fourth aunt!"

"So, are we brothers?"

“Yes!” Then, a smile bloomed on Zhong Lei’s face.

Yu Kai lightly punched him: