Uncanny Valley - Chapter 19
Luo Fei's breathing became increasingly rapid. He stared wide-eyed in horror as the laughter pounded against his heart like heavy hammer blows, and he felt he could no longer hold on.
Zhou Liwei noticed Luo Fei's unusual behavior and stepped forward with concern: "Officer Luo, what's wrong?"
Luo Fei shook his head painfully, seemingly unable to speak. Just then, a hand suddenly gripped Zhou Liwei's forearm tightly.
Zhou Liwei suddenly turned his head, almost face to face with Yue Dongbei. Yue's chubby face was contorted with fear, his eyes wide open, but his gaze was unfocused and unfocused.
“He…he’s here…the demon…” Yue Dongbei mumbled incoherently, as if squeezing the words out from the back of his tongue.
Zhou Liwei couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He narrowed his eyes and looked into the dark and gloomy jungle.
He saw Zhao Liwen and Bai Jian'e, each wielding a sharp blade, plunge into the dense forest together.
When that laughter first rang out, Zhao Liwen instinctively felt a flicker of fear, but immediately, anger took over completely. His eyes were bloodshot, his right hand gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, and the veins on his wrist bulged.
This was an anger mixed with sadness, despair, and pride. In just a few days, he had lost two companions, which undoubtedly gave him a desolate feeling of shared sorrow.
The horrific deaths of Xue Mingfei and Wu Qun often haunted his mind. Would he become their next target? This was a question he couldn't avoid deep in his heart.
What Zhao Liwen found even more unbearable was that the terrifying perpetrator had not yet revealed a single clue. He knew that the man was secretly watching him, and he could strike at any moment, delivering a fatal blow.
It felt like a butcher eyeing the pigs he was raising.
Whenever he thought about this, Zhao Liwen became so depressed that he was almost driven mad. Although he was not talkative, he was an extremely proud person at heart. He hated the other party's contempt for him, and this hatred made him forget his fear.
No matter how terrifying your power is, I will fight you face to face! This was the only thought in Zhao Liwen's mind as he rushed into the jungle.
The thought made his blood boil. He pinpointed the direction of the laughter and lunged straight at it without any warning.
Facing a ruthless opponent, Zhao Liwen's state was undoubtedly dangerous. In comparison, Bai Jian'e was much calmer. However, he did not stop Zhao Liwen's reckless behavior.
The events of the past few days have placed immense pressure on Bai Jian'e. Two of his capable subordinates have inexplicably lost their lives, and the enemy's spearhead seems to be truly aimed at him. Who exactly is he? How does he know the secret of the Rain God statue? What is he trying to do? These questions are like a fog, and he is at the center of it, unable to see the path ahead.
We must break through this fog! And now, the opportunity has finally arrived.
The sudden laughter alerted Bai Jian'e to the hidden danger. However, the oppression of the past few days had left him no time to think about anything else; he desperately wanted to see what was shrouded in mist. Therefore, when Zhao Liwen rushed out, he followed closely behind, running while cautiously looking around.
He didn't believe the other side could attack two people simultaneously. In such a critical moment, if sacrificing Zhao Liwen could give him a chance to retaliate, then it would be worthwhile.
The master and servant walked one after the other, inching closer and closer to the unpredictable danger...
Suddenly, the laughter stopped, and the woods fell silent.
Like a hunting dog that has lost its target, Zhao Liwen suddenly stopped, holding his knife and looking around blankly.
Bai Jian'e also stopped and whispered, "Don't panic, stay alert, and search carefully."
This is a treacherous spot in the forest. Not only are the plants dense and their branches and leaves blocking out the sky, but not far ahead, there stands a huge rock, about seven or eight meters high. Its front is steep and straight, while its sides blend into the mountainside, making it look like a platform that nature has deliberately carved out on the hillside.
Several tall, sturdy trees grow close to the boulder, with vines intertwined and attached to it.
Soon, Bai and Zhao's eyes were fixed on the boulder. However, what attracted them was not the wonder of nature, but the two lines of striking characters on the boulder.
Each character is half a foot square and is crimson in color. The sixteen characters are arranged vertically, forming two sentences:
"To walk with the demons is a joyous and carefree experience."
Those who harbor rebellious intentions will be imprisoned in terror!
The edges of the writing seemed to be subtly twisted and fluttering, resembling eerie flames, strangely unsettling.
Both Bai and Zhao were descendants of Li Dingguo's subordinates, so they naturally knew the origin and meaning of these sixteen characters, and their expressions changed.
A moment later, Zhao Liwen took a step and slowly walked towards the boulder.
Bai Jian'e maintained a distance of about two meters from him, while slightly turning his body to the side, observing his surroundings with extreme vigilance to prevent any unusual movements.
Zhao Liwen approached the boulder and examined the sixteen characters up close. The sight before him stunned him, a chill running down his spine. After the initial shock subsided, extreme hatred and disgust filled his face. He then raised his machete and slashed fiercely at the characters.
Where the blade touched, the crimson strokes that made up the characters stirred and scattered, revealing themselves to be naked, black-legged centipedes. These centipedes varied in size and were densely packed together, a truly chilling sight.
Zhao Liwen continued hacking at the stone wall with his sword, one strike after another. With each blow, several centipedes were decapitated, their severed limbs falling into the grass below. At the same time, sap splattered, and a foul stench spread.
Seeing that Zhao Liwen was acting somewhat erratically, Bai Jian'e shouted from behind, "That's enough, stop cutting!" But Zhao Liwen ignored him and continued to slash with all his might, as if all the fear, anger, and sorrow he had suppressed for the past few days were now being vented on these centipedes.
The vines on the boulder were also caught in the crossfire, snapping one after another under Zhao Liwen's chopping. Some of the vines, which ran through the entire boulder, were immediately thrown off after being cut.
Zhao Liwen was startled, feeling something was amiss, when suddenly his ankle tightened as a vine bound him tightly. A tremendous force then pulled him upside down. Before he could react, his entire body was already airborne, rising higher and higher. Suddenly losing control of himself, Zhao Liwen couldn't help but cry out in alarm, "Ahhhhh!"
The change happened incredibly fast. Bai Jian'e noticed the anomaly and only managed to shout "Watch out!" before Zhao Liwen's body disappeared into the depths of the branches and leaves of the large trees above. Before the swaying of the branches and leaves had even stopped, Zhao Liwen's shout abruptly ceased, and then a shower of blood rained down through the branches and leaves.
Raindrops fell on Bai Jian'e's upturned face, still carrying the warmth of his body. But Bai Jian'e's heart had already turned ice-cold.
...
When Zhou Liwei saw Bai Jian'e and Zhao Liwen rush into the jungle, he had a very bad feeling. But he did not stop them.
On their first night in the jungle, a skinned snake suddenly appeared on their campsite. From that moment on, Zhou Liwei felt uneasy, as if he were sitting on a time bomb, with trouble potentially looming at any moment.
Later developments worried him even more. Although so far, there was no indication that the mysterious "demon's" actions were directed at him, he knew very well that in this environment, he and Bai Jian'e and the others were now in a completely interdependent relationship.
The confrontation between the two forces will inevitably lead to a result. From Zhou Liwei's perspective, he not only hopes that Bai Jian'e and others can turn the tide, but also that this result cannot come too late.
Now, the face-to-face confrontation has finally arrived. In that dense jungle, in which direction will things develop?
About two or three minutes later, a chilling scream seemed to reveal the answer to the above question.
Zhou Liwei felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around and saw that Luo Fei and Yue Dongbei were in a very abnormal mental state.
Sweat beaded on Zhou Liwei's forehead. He had to do something! Although he seemed safe for now, what exactly was that terrifying and mysterious force in the jungle? What was its purpose? Did he have the courage to face it alone?
After weighing his options, Zhou Liwei finally made up his mind, then left the riverbank and headed towards the jungle.
However, his choice seemed meaningless. As soon as he stepped into the jungle, he was struck hard on the back of the head, and then everything went black as he collapsed into a pile of dead branches and withered grass.
...
The feeling of fear came so suddenly that in a moment, Luo Fei felt ice-cold all over, as if he had fallen into hell.
He was enveloped in a thick, dark fog, unable to see any light from the world. All the terrifying things that had ever appeared in his mind since birth were now hiding in that fog, appearing and disappearing intermittently. They howled, laughed sinisterly, or wept, emitting all sorts of chilling sounds.
It is a fear that comes from the deepest part of your heart, yet seeps into every bone marrow, every skin, and even every pore of your body. That feeling tightly envelops you, leaving you nowhere to hide!
An indescribable, mysterious aura still lingers nearby. Something terrifying beyond your imagination is slowly approaching; it's getting closer and closer. You can't see it, but you can clearly feel its presence!
A profound fear, like this, weighed heavily on Luo Fei's heart, nearly suffocating him. He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn't hear his own voice. He tried to muster the last vestiges of his sanity to fight against the terrifying emotions surging like a tidal wave, but his efforts were futile. Under the relentless mental pressure, Luo Fei felt something snap in his brain, and his heart pounded violently, as if it were about to leap out of his chest. He could no longer hold on; he had reached the brink of collapse!
The fear that had been lingering all around finally revealed its true form. It was a ghostly black shadow that emerged from the mist and slowly approached Luo Fei.
As Luo Fei dodged backward, he tried in horror to see "its" face clearly. But before him, there was only a pair of eyes wrapped in black cloth. Those eyes were bloodshot and, though they gleamed with a sharp light, they held no emotion befitting the world of light.
Those eyes stared at Luo Fei, conveying a chilling sadness, despair, hatred, and fear.
Then something seemed to touch Luo Fei's face, and liquid flowed down, seeping into Luo Fei's lips.
The sweet, fishy liquid still retained a trace of warmth.
“A demon! Is ‘it’ a demon from hell?” Luo Fei tried to shout, but he found his tongue was already stiff.
These are the last memories that exist in Luo Fei's mind.
Chapter Twenty-One: The Hamo People
Like waking from a deep drunkenness, Luo Fei's head throbbed with a heavy, dizzy feeling. His thoughts, like a kite with a broken string, drifted outside the realm of his own control. After an unknown amount of time, the remnants of his rationality gradually regrouped, and his once-shutdown sensory system resumed functioning. Luo Fei opened his eyes, somewhat dazed, looking at the bright world around him, as if from another world.
Where am I? What happened? Luo Fei tried hard to recall. Numerous jumbled fragments of memory jumped and sifted through his mind, finally managing to piece together some clues.
We set off early—passed through Yijian Gorge—arrived at Qingfeng Pass—set up camp—rested and ate—then a sudden burst of laughter erupted, and fear spread—it was as if we had fallen into a dark hell, our thoughts gradually blurred, and our memories ceased—
Luo Fei's heart sank: despite his best efforts, he had still fallen into a trap! There was no time to think about anything else. He pulled out his pistol from his waist and focused his eyes, searching for his companions.
The scene before him made his heart grow even heavier. He remembered that before the accident, everyone was on the riverbank, preparing to continue their journey. But now, only Yue Dongbei was sitting alone not far to his right.
The fat man was completely devoid of his usual arrogant and flamboyant demeanor; his eyes were glazed over, and his body was still trembling slightly involuntarily.
Luo Fei stepped forward and supported his shoulder, shouting loudly, "Mr. Yue, Mr. Yue!" Seeing that the other party was still in a daze, Luo Fei handed the gun to his left hand and pinched his philtrum hard.
A moment later, Yue Dongbei seemed to regain some of his senses. He looked at Luo Fei, his eyes still filled with terror: "The demon, the demon... it came!"
A demon? Luo Fei frowned. He seemed to see that dark figure again, emerging from a cloud of mist like a ghost. And those blood-red eyes—were these terrifying scenes an illusion, or reality?
Suddenly, Luo Fei noticed several dried bloodstains near the corner of Yue Dongbei's mouth. He had an idea and rubbed his cheek with his thumb.
A dark red powder appeared on my fingertips. Yes, it was blood! Those blurry memories weren't a hallucination!
Luo Fei didn't have time for in-depth thinking; his immediate priority was to figure out the situation.
"What about the others?" he asked Yue Dongbei.
Yue Dongbei was stunned for a long time, obviously trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts. Then he shook his head: "I don't know. I only remember a burst of laughter coming from the woods. After that, it was like a nightmare, all blurry."
It seemed that Yue Dongbei's situation was the same as his own. As Luo Fei thought this, he turned his head and looked at the forest not far away.
Just then, a man emerged from the jungle, clutching the back of his head, staggering, and seemingly not quite lucid.
Luo Fei recognized the man as Zhou Liwei at a glance and quickly went to greet him.
Zhou Liwei also saw Luo Fei. He stopped in his tracks, staring blankly as the other man walked towards him, his eyes filled with confusion.
"What happened? Where are Bai Jian'e and the others?" Luo Fei asked hurriedly as he walked.
Zhou Liwei didn't answer; his expression was somewhat dazed, his thoughts wandering elsewhere. Only when Luo Fei stood before him did he murmur, "What...what happened to you just now?"
Luo Fei waved his hand: "This question can't be answered right now. Tell me quickly, where are Bai Jian'e and the others?"
Zhou Liwei rubbed the back of his head vigorously, and his thinking ability seemed to have recovered somewhat as a result. Then he recounted to Luo Fei how Bai Jian'e and the other man rushed into the jungle, how he followed them, and how he was ambushed.
"I passed out after that blow. I just woke up," he said at the end.
Luo Fei examined Zhou Liwei's head and found a noticeable swelling, but no external injury, indicating that he had been struck by a blunt object.
"Let's go in and take a look." After a moment's hesitation, Luo Fei made this decision.
At this moment, Yue Dongbei also arrived. Luo Fei, holding a gun, led the way, and the three of them walked into the dark jungle together.
The forest was overgrown with weeds and trees, offering no clear path. Luo Fei and his companions were unfamiliar with the area, and blindly wandering around would not only be reckless but also dangerous. Luo Fei raised his left hand, signaling everyone to stop, then he shouted twice with all his might, "Chief Bai! Chief Bai!"
The shout shattered the stillness. Several birds, startled, fluttered away from the branches above their heads and scattered. A moment later, a faint echo followed, but there was still no response to the call.
Luo Fei frowned and thought for a moment, then turned to Zhou Liwei behind him and asked, "Where were you attacked? Can you still find it?"
"It should work." Zhou Liwei nodded, looking around. Then he started walking southeast, with Luo Fei and the other man following closely behind. After walking about ten meters, Zhou Liwei squatted down and pointed to a patch of trampled wood on the ground, saying, "This is it."
Luo Fei crouched down and carefully searched outwards from the area marked with those marks. Soon, he found his target not far away: a drop of blood.
This method works! Luo Fei's heart skipped a beat, and he instructed his two companions, "Help me search and see which direction this bloodstain came from."
Zhou Liwei and Yue Dongbei immediately understood Luo Fei's intention and searched in different directions. About one meter west of the previous bloodstain, Zhou Liwei found the second bloodstain.