Hailing deserted city

Chapter 12

The boy was still completely naked, his smooth skin like silk in the fading light of the half-moon. He stood unashamedly at the edge of the woods, staring straight ahead, showing none of the shyness or embarrassment he had during the day.

What truly terrified Tao Rujiu was the silver mask that had appeared out of nowhere on the boy's face.

He mustn't find out!

This was Tao Rujiu's first reaction. Carefully moving away from the window frame, the young man cautiously tried to retreat back to his hiding place, but then he heard a soft rolling sound of a metallic object.

Turning his head, he saw Da Afu fiddling with the flashlight that had fallen to the ground, ironically shining a round, bright, and dazzling spot of light.

Hiding won't help; as long as she sees the light in this room, Hua Kai will naturally come over.

The young man reached out, trembling, to turn off the flashlight. But it was too late; footsteps outside were already slowly approaching the hut.

Tao Rujiu had no choice but to hide behind the white cloth immediately.

The white cloth covered most of the young man's body, but still left a gap of about five centimeters at the junction with the window frame, through which Tao Rujiu's left eye peered out.

Qin Huakai, who was completely naked except for a silver mask, stopped outside the window.

The silvery moonlight shone on the blooming flowers, making them resemble the thin scales of a ribbonfish in the sea. The deep blue night then enveloped these silvery scales with a cold shell, completely concealing human body temperature and breath.

Tao Rujiu covered his mouth and nose because the boy was too close to him. He was afraid that his breath would disturb the white cloth covering him, and even afraid that the sound of his heart pounding wildly would be detected by "it" in the dead of night.

However, the boy simply stood quietly by the window, motionless. Perhaps the silver mask concealed his expression, or perhaps Qin Huakai had no expression at all at that moment.

It was a silver mask that could be considered a work of art. The front was meticulously crafted into the shape of a raptor with a curved beak, while each side was cast with nine fan-shaped feathers. Each feather tip was inlaid with a gemstone, which now emitted a faint blue light under the moonlight.

The mask had gaps around the eyes, revealing the wearer's eyes. At this moment, Tao Rujiu saw Qin Huakai's eyes through those eye openings.

This is a very strange state: unlike ordinary people who can see objects in front of them and to the left and right within a considerable range simply by moving their eyes, Hua Kai at this moment must turn her upper body to see things on the left and right.

His expression was stiff and awkward, as if he was not used to controlling this body.

Qin Huakai saw the flashlight in the room.

Tao Rujiu hid behind the white cloth. He saw Hua Kai staring at the flashlight for a full minute. It seemed that Hua Kai had already sensed the presence of a human in the room. However, he still didn't move. Tao Rujiu was wondering what Hua Kai would do next when a cool sensation suddenly ran down his cheek.

Suddenly, the boy reached his fingers in through the window frame, one joint at a time.

White, wriggling fingers, like insects, silently passed through the windowpane. Tao Rujiu almost thought that Hua Kai's entire hand would be stuffed into that tiny windowpane.

However, after feeling the base of his fingers pressing against the windowpane, the mute boy let out a soft "oh" and then stopped moving.

Through the gap in the white cloth, Tao Rujiu watched as the boy stretched out his arms, inserted his ten fingers into the window frame, and gently brushed the tip of the boy's nose with the little finger of his left hand, lifting the white cloth.

The same chilling and eerie feeling as that of the deep well immediately spread from my face to my entire body.

Tao Rujiu dared not move, nor could he move. He held his breath to prevent the heat from hitting his pale little finger.

The boy seemed to be thinking about what to do next.

After a while, his left hand trembled slightly, his four fingers curled up, leaving only his index finger slightly tilted at an angle, and then he stretched it out straight—pointing at Tao Rujiu's left eye from a distance.

Tao Rujiu knew he was trembling; even the white sheet covering him was shaking noticeably. He guessed that Qin Huakai outside the window had already noticed his presence. But to his surprise, the boy made no movement other than reaching out his hand.

In fact, that finger was not pointing at Tao Rujiu.

The young man quickly sensed something moving behind him; it was the tall object he was leaning against.

Covered by a white cloth, its entirety obscured, it stirred beneath the silent touch of the blooming flowers. Tao Rujiu heard the sound of fabric rubbing against a hard object, and only then did he realize that what lay behind the white cloth was not merely a bookshelf.

Tao Rujiu leaned against the wall, clutching the white cloth covering her body tightly with one hand, while desperately trying to block the moving object behind her to avoid being exposed.

But the tall object's movements gradually changed from trembling to bouncing, and the jumps became increasingly intense. Finally, the white cloth was ripped off from above, but fortunately, Tao Rujiu managed to grab a piece to cover himself. Underneath the white cloth, the young man saw a tall, dark figure leap to the center of the room, while he took the opportunity to huddle deep into the empty corner.

From outside the window, he looked like nothing more than a white sheet, at most covering a pile of junk on the ground.

A breeze blew outside, and the moonlight brightened a bit. The thing that had slowly emerged from behind Tao Rujiu's back revealed its hazy form.

It is a zombie.

To be precise, it was a damaged zombie machine ready for recycling and repair. It wore an old, ornate court robe and a wooden court bead. Its drooping hands were only vaguely discernible in the darkness, revealing ten long, curly, sharp fingernails. Looking further up, the zombie's head was also hidden in the darkness, but the faint resinous scent in the air made it easy to guess its extremely realistic, decaying face.

Qin Huakai stood outside the window, quietly watching the zombie hop towards him.

There was no, and it was impossible, any verbal communication; the boy simply drew a circle in the air with his pale fingers.

The zombie began to hop around the hut, occasionally rummaging through the area with its sharp claws, clearly trying to find any humans hiding in the shadows. Tao Rujiu had no idea what would happen if it discovered her. She only saw pieces of paper falling and fluttering on the ground not far away, all torn to shreds by its sharp claws.

The zombie seems to rely solely on its hands to touch things, carefully examining everything, even dissecting and studying it thoroughly before moving on to the next item.

Tao Rujiu couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be touched. However, through the gap in the white cloth, she could already see the zombie's thick-soled official boots leaping in front of her.

"Crack, thud, crack!"

He heard the sound of those sharp claws trembling and clashing in the air. It seemed to contain a ghostly excitement, anticipation, and a desire to tear everything to shreds.

The young man involuntarily closed his eyes. He didn't know if it was wise to continue hiding in this state, or if he should suddenly jump up and run away.

Escape from this house, escape to the territory of that long-haired head outside.

But after a long time, what he feared did not happen.

Tao Rujiu opened her eyes slightly, filled with doubt.

Suddenly, a bizarre and mutilated face appeared before them. The greenish-blue, decaying skin was torn open from the middle of the bridge of the nose, revealing the white skull underneath. Three dark red, blood vessel-like wires protruded from the eye sockets, connecting to two eyeballs that had detached from their sockets and were hanging in mid-air.

This may be why it chooses to touch rather than observe.

The zombie's forehead and about three-quarters of its body were split open; its skull was missing. Amidst the sparse, scattered black wig, countless red, yellow, and white electrical wires were tangled and protruding from its head, resembling a brain and brain matter, tragically exposed before Tao Rujiu in the dim light. The zombie mechanism was originally designed to scare tourists in the Corpse Town, hence the joints at the waist for easy adjustment. However, this particular zombie, due to worn-out components, had been placed in a rest area awaiting repair, and over time, its parts had begun to rust.

Tao Rujiu, wrapped in a white cloth, squatted on the ground, appearing shorter than everything else in the room. The zombie had to bend down to reach him, and a strange "crackling" sound suddenly echoed in the dark little house.

When the cracking sound subsided, Tao Rujiu felt the thin cloth covering his head being gently lifted, and the strange face that was lowered down gradually came closer, gently grinding on the white cloth.

The way it looked was as if it were sniffing the scent of a living person on the cloth.

It was clearly a machine made of resin and machinery, yet it performed actions that only a living being could do. This made Tao Rujiu think that a ghost controlled by the silver mask was hidden inside the body that was moving at this moment.

Although there was no sound of inhaling, the zombie seemed to have really smelled the scent of a living person. It bent down little by little, about to press its bony nose against Tao Rujiu's forehead.

The young man pressed himself against the wall, forcing himself to stop trembling. He closed his eyes to avoid looking at the outstretched claws, but his mind was still filled with chaotic, bloody images. The feeling of being slowly tortured made his stomach churn.

Finally, I felt a sharp, hard object scraping against my cheek.

It was too late to escape. The zombie sensed the warmth of the human fingertips and felt Tao Rujiu's presence. Its dark mouth opened and closed, revealing a red-lacquered oral cavity, as if it were laughing. But what escaped from its mouth wasn't laughter, but cockroaches and dragons that had taken up residence inside its body.

The silver-masked figure outside the window spotted Tao Rujiu and finally stopped standing silently by the window. He turned and walked to the left along the eaves, and soon only the sound of rustling footsteps could be heard.

But the footsteps were circling the house, so it seemed he was going to go inside.

Ten seconds later, the door to the cabin was pushed open again, and a chilling draft rushed in from the corner of the door. At the same time, in the darkness blocked by zombies, a shrill cat's meow suddenly rang out.

Tao Rujiu felt the sharp touch on his face disappear, followed by a muffled thud in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw only a flash of white light. It was Da Afu, baring his teeth and standing guard at the door, his back arched, making a threatening gesture.

The door to the cabin was ajar. A slender, silver hand slid quickly off the handle and disappeared into the darkness behind the door.

Just then, the sound of sharp, hurried footsteps came from afar.

Because of Tao Rujiu's absence, Ling Li had to carry three watermelons by himself, but at this moment he was in a fairly good mood. Compared to the treacherous schemes and intrigues in the business world, he preferred this time of year every summer, when he could freely open his collar, sweat, and enjoy the sea breeze.

His sharp-tongued mother was passionate about gardening, so he was quite familiar with the idyllic life of the countryside. His current vacations are less about relaxation and more about reminiscing about bygone days.

Even the toughest person has a soft spot in their heart, which is why Ling Li resolutely decided to take over the nearly abandoned film studio from Ling Bojin.

It has little to do with profits.

Of course, there are some other considerations that cannot be said, which are known to almost no one except Ling Li himself.

The man, carrying a watermelon, slowly walked to the entrance of Corpse Soul Town. Just then, Da Afu's shrill roar pierced the night sky. Ling Li was startled and hurried over.

Pushing open the door, the first thing you see is a mess. Tables and chairs are overturned, and there are scraps of paper and scattered documents all over the floor. A flashlight is shining on the floor, but Tao Rujiu is not the one standing guard there.

"Get out of the way."

He kicked Da Afu away from the ground with a sharp kick. In his opinion, the mess in the house was all the work of this night owl.

"Tao Rujiu! Tao Rujiu..."

The room wasn't large, but its clutter made it dizzying. Ling Li put down the watermelon and searched around for the young man. Finally, he found Tao Rujiu, wrapped in a white cloth and seemingly lost in thought, in the corner by the south window. Ling Li was surprised and walked over, only to notice a dark, human-shaped figure lying diagonally in front of the young man.

Upon seeing the figure, Ling Li immediately tensed up. Just as he was about to grab his flashlight, the fluorescent light starter above his head flickered twice, and the light suddenly came on.

With the power restored, the entire Soul Town was filled with the faint sound of electricity and the click-clack of mechanisms resetting.

After his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Ling Li squinted and looked at the lying shadowy figure again, and was not too surprised.

"This is... Ha! Who brought the zombies here?"

The machine, as tall as an adult, was filled with wires and metal support components, and its weight was no less than that of a real person. It normally required two employees to lift it, and it was impossible for it to be lying on the ground because of a cat's mischief. Moreover, he had personally checked it before leaving and found nothing unusual.

Ling Li frowned, stopping himself from thinking about another possibility that led to the current situation.

"Tao Rujiu, what's going on?"

He bent down and removed the white sheet covering the young man. The fabric was slightly damp to the touch, indicating that he had broken out in a cold sweat. Ling Li couldn't figure out what had frightened Tao Rujiu to such an extent, and at this moment, Tao Rujiu no longer had the courage to recall or recount it.

"Can you stand up and speak?"

The surroundings were chaotic. Ling Li gestured for Tao Rujiu to get up and leave Corpse Soul Town first. The young man stood up against the wall as instructed, but due to the prolonged high tension, his muscles were weak and powerless. Before he could even step over the zombie, he collapsed forward as if his body had fallen apart. Fortunately, Ling Li was quick-witted and caught him in his arms.

“Sharp… Sharp… Sharp…”

Sensing human body temperature, Tao Rujiu, who had been silent for a long time, spoke for the first time, his voice soft and hoarse. He repeatedly called the man's name. His hands then gripped the other's sleeve tightly, not daring to let go.

The young man's sudden action surprised Ling Li. But he was even more surprised that he didn't reject such intimate contact.

On the contrary, he felt a mix of emotions when faced with the sudden closeness of Tao Rujiu, with whom he had previously been at odds. It was as if he had won a tug-of-war, or received a satisfying gift.

However, at this moment, Tao Rujiu had already buried his head in Ling Li's shoulder and lost consciousness.

When Tao Rujiu woke up again, he was lying in the bedroom of Cuiying Pavilion. The light was on, and Xiao Li was lying on the edge of the bed. There were a few slices of watermelon on the table.

Ling Li is indeed Ling Li; not only did he bring the person back, but he also didn't forget the watermelon.

Tao Rujiu got up and leaned against the wall. The light overhead was blinding, so he raised his hand to shield his forehead and breathed softly.

Hearing the noise from the bed, Xiao Li immediately looked up.

"Tao Tao, you're awake! What happened? You scared me to death!"

Tao Rujiu shook his head. The chaotic memories in his mind gradually settled, and he recalled the bits and pieces before he lost consciousness. A chill crept up his spine again.

"I...don't want to, I don't want to think about it anymore."

He spoke honestly, and Xiao Li nodded understandingly.

"You've sweated a lot, have some watermelon, I'll go get you a basin of water."