pozo profundo

Capítulo 119

"Okay, where is that door...?" I asked.

"If it were that easy to find, what would be the point of calling it the Big Dipper Formation?" Fang Lei retorted.

"Still need to search??" I felt utterly speechless, looking at the ever-growing number of ghosts. I asked Fang Lei helplessly, "What about these ghosts?" "They don't seem to have harmed anyone yet, and there are so many, I can't even collect them all one by one!" Fang Lei frowned deeply and said, "We can ignore them for now. Once we find out who opened the gates of hell, we can deal with them. However, since the gates of hell aren't open very wide right now, most of the ghosts that have slipped out of the underworld are those who are particularly attached to life and don't pose much of a threat to people."

"Oh, why?"

"Because the Ghost Gate is the only way to reach the human world without going through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the more a soul longs for the human world, the more it will subconsciously try to escape the Six Paths of Reincarnation and gravitate towards the Ghost Gate. But once the Ghost Gate opens wide, all the souls suppressed in the underworld will return to the human world. At that time, we will return to the desolate era where humans and ghosts coexist." Desolate era? What is the desolate era? I wanted to ask further, but there seemed to be more and more souls circulating, and they all seemed to be looking at us, making me feel uncomfortable, so I had to give up.

"Don't look at them, don't make eye contact with them, or you'll easily get possessed." Fang Lei quickly tugged at me. I hurriedly lowered my head, but these ghosts didn't seem to let me go. Just where my gaze fell, a ghost that looked like something had been pressing down on half of its head in its previous life slowly emerged from the ground, looking at me with a mournful expression and its eyes that had fallen out of their sockets. I was immediately glad that I hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

This school is practically a perfect depiction of a zombie apocalypse.

Volume 3, Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 66 begins.

Volume 3, Delicacies of Hell, Chapter 66 begins.

Watching the police car escorting Ning Yuanyuan and Xie Dong away and gradually disappear into the distance, Fang Lei and I looked at each other helplessly, not knowing what to say. A strange smell floated in the air, a smell that emanated from the gates of hell. Was this the smell of the underworld? It was indescribably strange, not the stench we had imagined, but rather a somewhat pungent smell.

Looking at Fang Lei's pale face, I suddenly longed to reach out and grab the beauty before me, but my body seemed to have lost its will to obey my brain, remaining motionless. "Choose one, choose one, you can only choose one!" This phrase echoed repeatedly in my ears. Could I even choose? A powerful sense of loss suddenly washed over me, causing me to helplessly lower my hand.

"Are you scared?" Fang Lei didn't turn around to look at me, but suddenly asked softly.

"I don't know, maybe!" I glanced at the ghost making faces at me with disgust. Perhaps after everything that's happened, my nerves have gradually become numb to these things. If I'm afraid of anything, it's not these departed ghosts, but the unknown, unpredictable future, and the living people hiding among them, causing trouble in secret! In this world, there is nothing more terrifying than people.

He glanced almost with pity at the impoverished and indifferent living people around him, who shared the same space with the ghosts, and ignored them... Was this... a punishment for them? Or a stroke of luck?

"I'm not afraid." Fang Lei turned her head and smiled gently at me, then lightly took my hand.

How warm it is! In this campus filled with death, I finally understand what life feels like. Perhaps, Fang Lei, you are much stronger than me! I began to despise my own weakness, and held her hand tightly. At least, we are still together now.

When we got back to the guesthouse, we went to look for Su Qiao. She wasn't there. But that wasn't unexpected; she seemed to be closely connected to the whole thing. I even felt she was Jiang Xiaoqiao, the only child left behind by Jiang Hua and his wife. So, where was Zhao Xing? We didn't find him that day, but we ran into Zhuang Jing.

The brownish liquid in Zhao Xing's room looked exactly like the liquid from the Moonshadow Clan's caves that could prevent corpses from decaying! But how did he know that? How did he learn to concoct this liquid? Did someone teach him?

I gazed out the window at the grove of trees. It seemed even more eerie now. Even in broad daylight, I could clearly see the ghostly figures in the swaying shadows, their mouths gaping open in a sinister laugh. They were like a pack of jackals waiting to pounce, lurking in the shadows, ready to unleash their fury at the opportune moment.

Timing? What timing? Murders have already occurred at each of the seven points of the Big Dipper constellation, and I thought the last point would be the end of everything. Unfortunately, I seem to have made a mistake. The Gate of Life and Death hidden within the Big Dipper constellation is the key to everything, and also the end.

So, where is it? I closed my eyes and recalled the entire campus map. Every place seemed like the final gate between life and death, yet every place seemed to be something else entirely!

"What are you thinking about?" Fang Lei asked when I remained silent.

"I'm wondering where that gate between life and death you mentioned is?" I replied.

"Do you really believe that everything in this incident is related to the twins of Jiang Hua and his wife?"

"Choose one, only one? Do you remember that sentence? That day in the sports equipment storage building, the little girl in the red dress said that to me, and there was also Li Yang's phone call. I don't think it's all just a simple coincidence."

"If that's the case, then the mysterious person Bai Ling asked us to find who set up the formation is Su Qiao? Why does Bai Ling care about her so much?"

"I don't know either, but I don't believe Bai Ling's words. Besides, what I find strange is where Zhao Xing went? Where did A Bao go? And that strange custom-made outfit, I've been wondering what Zhuang Jing wanted to say to Zhao Xing that night? As far as I know, Zhao Xing has absolutely no interest in cosplay, so how did he get to know Zhuang Jing?"

"I can't answer all these questions at once," Fang Lei said helplessly. "However, I think this final gate of life and death should be related to water."

"Water? Why?" I asked hastily.

“Don’t forget, Jiang Xiaohui drowned. For ghosts, the environment at the time of death has a great influence on their spiritual power. Water ghosts have the strongest spiritual power in water, and once they reach land, they lose almost half of their spiritual power. If she set up this Big Dipper formation, or if she opened the Ghost Gate through a ritual, then performing rituals in the water would be very beneficial to her,” Fang Lei explained.

"Then, this school and the place related to water..." I thought for a moment and said, "Could it be Xue Si Lake?"

Xuesi Lake is an artificial lake on campus. It is said that on the very day the lake was completed, a female student committed suicide by drowning herself in it, which has given the students a strange atmosphere.

“Possibly.” Fang Lei nodded, but quickly shook her head and said, “No, this lake is too large. For a Gate of Life and Death, it’s very difficult to pinpoint its exact location.”

"This..." I didn't know how to respond for a moment. Fang Lei's words were indeed reasonable. Several tributary rivers of this lake almost run through the entire campus. I really don't know which river the Gate of Life and Death will appear in.

"Could it be in the middle of the lake?" I persisted.

"The middle of the lake?" Fang Lei curled her lip and said, "Let's mark the locations of the incidents on paper first!"

"Okay!" With that, I immediately took out my pen and roughly drew a map of the school on the paper, marking all the locations of the seven incidents. Then I drew a big question mark in the center of the lake.

“If it’s in the middle of the lake, then what is the purpose of the Big Dipper formation? The location in the middle of the lake seems to have nothing to do with the entire formation.” Fang Lei said, “Every formation has its inherent meaning.”

"It has to be related to water, and also to the entire formation?" Good heavens! I ran my fingers through my hair; this was even harder than solving a riddle.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out!" Fang Lei comforted me, and I could only give a vague reply, continuing my battle with my hair! Time flew by as we racked our brains. When I looked up, I was shocked to find the sky terrifyingly overcast, as if layers of dark veils had shrouded the entire campus. Within the indistinct clouds, something seemed to be churning, and those once-grotesque faces slowly reappeared before my eyes, as if mocking me from within these layers of clouds, waiting for me.

Looking anxiously out the window, I saw the ghostly figures hidden in the shadows of the trees now clearly visible: exposed blood vessels, festering wounds, and faces displaying various sinister expressions, their blood-red eyes glowing intensely in the darkness. "This is bad," Fang Lei said anxiously, looking out the window. "It seems their spiritual power is growing stronger. We must find the Gate of Life and Death as soon as possible and close it before midnight tonight. Otherwise, after today, no one will be able to close it!"

Where? Where? I paced back and forth anxiously. Water? Besides Xue Si Lake, what other part of this school is particularly associated with water? Speaking of water, it's practically everywhere. Which teaching building or dormitory doesn't have water in it?

Is it related to the Big Dipper? The Big Dipper is just a constellation. There is an astronomy department in the school, but there is no special location for it! As an astronomy idiot, the only thing I can associate with the Big Dipper is the South Pole.

Water? The Big Dipper? The South Pole?

Wait a minute! Maybe we're overthinking it? A sudden thought struck me: if the Big Dipper can simply be located in a few places on a map, then… what about the South Pole?

"Do you know where the South Pole should be around the Big Dipper?" I asked Fang Lei.

"South Pole Star?" Fang Lei's eyes lit up as well. She glanced at the paper and immediately pointed: "Here it is!"

Here? The stadium? I scratched my head; it doesn't seem to have anything to do with water!

"Where is this?" Fang Lei asked.

"It's the school's gymnasium! It doesn't seem to have anything to do with water!" I was about to give up on this place when I suddenly remembered something! It seems that the year I graduated, I heard a classmate mention that the school was going to add an indoor swimming pool to the gymnasium! "A swimming pool! An indoor swimming pool!" I almost jumped up. This was even more exciting than when I found out I had been admitted to university.

"You mean there's an indoor swimming pool in the gymnasium!?" Fang Lei asked hurriedly.

"It should be, although I didn't have it before graduation. But a classmate told me about it!" I quickly pulled Fang Lei up and said, "Let's go there now."

"Wait a minute!" Fang Lei said, "Now that we've found the exact location, I think it's not too late for us to go after Li Yang and Grandma Su return!"

"This..." I stopped. Grandma Su's role was indeed undeniable; she was a trump card in our hands. However, looking at the oppressive scene outside the window, I wished I could rush over there immediately.

…………

Abao hadn't eaten in a long time, and the bright red clothes made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable; something felt off. Looking around at the dark walls, the complete lack of light and the enclosed space made it hard for Abao to breathe! Really! Had no one noticed she was missing? Why hadn't anyone come to rescue her yet? Closing her eyes, Abao tried to imagine that perhaps a prince on a white horse would come to save the princess soon!

What would a prince be like? Suddenly, a wicked grinning face flashed through A Bao's mind! Damn it, how could I have thought of that idiot Li Yang?

While Ah Bao was still angry with himself, he didn't notice that a hidden door was quietly opening, and a figure slowly walked out from inside.

"Are you ready?" the shadowy figure suddenly spoke.

"Wh...what?" Abao was startled by the sudden voice.

"Looks like you're all ready." The shadowy figure seemed quite satisfied that A Bao was dressed properly, and slowly approached A Bao, saying, "Then, the ritual shall begin!"

A ritual? What kind of ritual? Abao wanted to continue thinking, but then he smelled a strange fragrance wafting from the shadows. So sleepy… his eyelids were so heavy…

Someone, please save me... save me...

This was A Bao's last thought before he fell into a coma...

Volume 3, Hell's Delicacies, Chapter 67: Basketball

Volume 3, Hell's Delicacies, Chapter 67: Basketball

“Mom…Mom…Don’t send me away…” Abao felt that he was holding his mother’s hand tightly. The woman in front of him was so unfamiliar. Was she still his mother?

Why? Why are you driving me away? I don't want to leave my people, I don't want to leave everyone. I haven't... I haven't betrayed anyone! I haven't betrayed our people's beliefs, so why are you driving me away?

"Go! Get out of here!" The woman broke free from Abao's grasp and said, "Remember! Never! Never! Come back!" With that, she shoved Abao violently. Abao felt himself being pulled backward by a strange suction force, his body being violently thrown into endless darkness…

"No...!" Abao woke up screaming in despair. The sky above him was no longer pitch black, but a strange dark blue sky that seemed to be slowly undulating.

How could there be such a strange sky? Abao tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't move at all, as if his hands and feet were chained together, lying on a protruding stone platform.

Where is this? Abao strained to look around. It seemed to be another secret room, only with a strange sky. There was no one in sight. The mysterious dark figure from before was long gone. Had he brought him here?

Is it the sky? Blinking, Abao suddenly realized that the strange fluctuations in the sky might actually be ripples in the water, so... does that mean he was underwater?

"You're awake?" A voice suddenly came from behind. Abao turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in front of him: a sallow face, and eyes with bluish-white irises that were gleaming with a sharp light. When he opened his mouth to speak, Abao saw a set of large, blackened yellow teeth.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Abao asked.

The middle-aged man didn't answer. Instead, he looked up at the ceiling. Countless ghostly figures seemed to be swimming in the dark blue ripples. When he lowered his head, he didn't see a large black door, which was distorted and blurred by the water's reflection, disappearing in an instant… ××××××× "What? Out of commission?" I asked, ignoring the strange noises emanating from the phone while talking to Li Yang. It sounded like the howling wind, or the shrill laughter of a vengeful ghost. Had the ghosts' power increased to the point where they could affect the phone's frequency?

"What can I do?" Li Yang sighed deeply and said, "I'm still using someone else's phone to talk to you! My phone is dead."

"When can you go back to school?" I asked hurriedly.

"I don't know, does anyone know when this car will be ready?" Li Yang said helplessly.

"Why don't you get out and hail a taxi?" I yelled angrily. What kind of time is this to be so stingy with money?

"Okay! Okay!" Li Yang replied.

"Then when you get back to school, go directly to the indoor swimming pool in the school gymnasium to find us." It seems I can't wait for Li Yang to come back, so I decided to go ahead first.

"Swimming pool? I went through all the trouble of bringing Grandma Su back, and you guys went to the swimming pool to have fun?" Li Yang wished he could reach into the phone, go around to Lin Xiao's face, and punch him.

"We're going to take care of something important! You'll see when you get there. Goodbye!" Afraid that Li Yang would continue to pester Xing Yao, I quickly hung up the phone.

"We can't wait for Li Yang, let's go first." I said to Fang Lei after putting down my phone.

"Okay, fine!" Fang Lei looked around at the ghosts that were no longer phantoms and nodded helplessly.

Although it was only around 5 PM, the ghosts' spiritual power seemed to be increasing rapidly, having already materialized. In particular, the dripping blood and bodily fluids were gradually emitting a bloody and foul odor, causing the living people around to instinctively cover their noses. However, they couldn't pinpoint the source of the smell. They could only ask each other, unaware that the ghosts were wandering around them.

On our way to the sports stadium, several seemingly frail girls would occasionally faint, causing passersby to scramble to catch them. Little did they know that Fang Lei and I actually saw several bold ghosts quietly clinging to their backs, trying to disappear into the bodies of the living. However, these ghosts seemed quite afraid of us; as soon as they saw Fang Lei and me approaching, they would immediately emerge from the bodies and quickly drift away.

I don't know how long this phenomenon can last. Maybe their spiritual power isn't strong enough yet, so they naturally run away in fear when they see someone with spiritual power approaching. But what if their spiritual power increases? I dared not think any further and just quickened my pace with Fang Lei.

Arriving at the gymnasium entrance, thankfully it was still open to the public, but after all that had happened, hardly any students were in the mood to come and work out. It was completely empty; not a single person could be seen.

Because the indoor swimming pool is behind the gymnasium, we chose a shortcut: we went through the indoor basketball court.

The basketball court was decorated very luxuriously, with a few basketballs scattered sparsely on the brand-new floor. The already dim interior was made even darker by the fact that not all the lights were turned on. I could even hear the echo of my own footsteps, which reverberated unrestrainedly in this empty space, as irritating as the ticking of an alarm clock.

Just as I was passing the basketball hoop, I suddenly felt something drip in front of me. Looking up, it seemed like a basketball was stuck on the edge of the rim and backboard.

Squeak...! It sounded like a mouse squeaking, or like something cooking in a pot.

Rolling...! The basketball, which had been stationary, began to sway from side to side, like a human head, gradually growing sparse hair. Veins, resembling blue veins, began to emerge on the surface of the basketball. Warmth spread throughout the entire ball, and then some veins seemed to burst open as if by the gas inside the basketball, flowing out red blood.

The drop of blood falling in front of me came from the basketball stuck between the rim and the backboard. As the blood flowed across the surface of the basketball, bluish-black skin slowly emerged, transforming into a strange face. The face, a mixture of basketball surface and skin, with sparse, almost bald hair and red blood, blended together so naturally. It was as if such a head had always been hidden inside these basketballs.

I pulled Fang Lei behind me, and in that instant, one of the basketball heads suddenly bounced up from the ground and hurtled towards me and Fang Lei. I instinctively reached out my hands to try and catch the ball.

"Don't catch that ball!" Fang Lei's voice came from behind, but it seemed too late. Just as I pulled my hand back, the head of the basketball still grazed my right palm.