Like a wandering soul, I returned to the dilapidated house where Xiao Zhang and Meiling were hiding. When I pushed open the crooked wooden door, I was greeted by two pairs of eyes filled with anxiety and expectation.

  "Sister Xue! How is it? You're back! That old man.didn't he do anything to you?" Xiao Zhang asked first, with a voice that was difficult to conceal. Meiling also nervously grabbed my arm, her eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that she cried again during my absence.

  I shook my head, feeling my throat dry and my body so weak that I could barely stand. "He.he didn't do anything to me." I leaned against the cold wall, took a breath, and briefly recounted the heart-pounding conversation with the old man, emphasizing the legends about the "Night Wandering Ghost" and the "White Snake Granny," as well as the stern warning - never get close to the water source in the back mountain.

  "White Snake Granny?!" Xiao Zhang and Meiling exclaimed at the same time, their faces instantly turning even paler. Obviously, this word full of ancient superstition and horror associations once again struck their fragile nerves.

  "Really. is there really such a thing?" Meiling asked tremblingly, her voice as thin as a mosquito.

  "That old man. is he trying to scare us?" Xiao Zhang tried to remain calm, but the fear in his eyes betrayed him. "What era is this? A white snake spirit. isn't this too much?"

  "I don't know." I said tiredly, my mind was in a mess, "but he didn't look. like he was joking. And he mentioned 'Night Haunter', which might explain the strange noises we heard last night."

  The atmosphere in the room fell silent again. The thick fog outside the window made the air dead silent, and the three of us seemed to be connected to a world completely isolated from modern civilization, full of ancient taboos and unknown horrors. The old man's words, like a huge stone, weighed heavily on the hearts of the three of us.

  Especially the warning about the "water source in the back mountain" stands in our hearts like an invisible warning sign flashing a dangerous red light.

  However, human curiosity, or the instinct to go to the tiger mountain even though knowing there is a tiger, is an extremely subtle and powerful force, especially for a journalist like me who is dedicated to seeking the truth.

  The more severe the old man's warning, the stronger the temptation of that forbidden place became in my heart.

  Grandma White Snake.what is her connection with the abandonment of this village? What secrets are hidden in the water source in the back mountain? Is that.the source of all the horror?

  These questions were like countless little bugs, constantly crawling and gnawing at my heart, making me restless.

  What’s more…we are facing an extremely realistic problem – water.

  The only bottle of mineral water left in my backpack was empty. The drinking water that Xiao Zhang and Meiling brought was also running low. Although I had a portable water filter, first of all, you had to find a water source. In this dead village, apart from the water source in the back mountain that I was warned not to approach, I didn't find any other running water!

  Are we really going to die here due to lack of water?

  Fear and the pressure of survival began to fight fiercely in my heart.

  Reason told me that I absolutely could not go there! The old man's warning was still fresh in my mind, and last night's horrific experience also proved that this place was evil. If I rashly approached that forbidden place, I would undoubtedly seek death.

  But another voice was tempting me: Maybe the old man was just exaggerating? Maybe the so-called "White Snake Grandma" is just an ancient totem or legend? Maybe. as long as we are careful, just observe from a distance, and don't directly touch the water source, there should be no problem? Besides, we need water! It is a basic need for survival!

  The journalist's professional instinct was also stirring. If the water source in the back mountain was really the key to everything, then giving up the exploration would undoubtedly be giving up the opportunity to get closest to the truth.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  After struggling for a long time, I looked at Meiling, who was pale and had empty eyes, and then at Xiao Zhang, who was restless and at a loss. I knew it was impossible to expect them to make a rational decision. This decision could only be made by me.

  "We. are out of water." I finally spoke, my voice a little dry.

  Xiao Zhang and Meiling looked up at me blankly.

  "I've finished the water I brought with me." I continued, "I'm afraid yours. won't last much longer. We must find a source of water."

  "Then.what should we do?" Meiling asked tremblingly, "Didn't the old man say.that we can't go to the water source in the back mountain?"

  "I know." I nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to sound calm and rational. "But maybe. we can stay a little closer? Just. take a look around? Maybe we can find some relatively safe streams or springs that flow from the main water source?"

  This is the excuse I made for myself, an excuse that sounds reasonable. But deep down I know that what drives me is not just the need to find water, but more of an unstoppable desire to explore the unknown and taboos.

  Xiao Zhang frowned, obviously aware of the danger, but at the same time, the fear of lack of water also made him waver. "Just. take a look around?" he asked tentatively.

  "Yes." I nodded affirmatively, "We will never get close to that main water source. If we find anything wrong, we will retreat immediately."

  There was another silence. In the end, the pressure of survival overcame the fear of the unknown. Xiao Zhang gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Then. let's go and have a look! It's better than waiting to die here!"

  Although Meiling's face was still filled with fear, she could only nod helplessly.

  After the decision was made, the three of us began to prepare. We gathered the little food and water we had left, checked the power of the flashlight (even though it was daytime, the light in the forest was dim, so the flashlight was still essential). I handed the stick to Xiao Zhang, and I held the trekking pole and camera tightly.

  Walking out of the shabby house, we were once again in the thick fog and dead silence, and a chill hit us again. The three of us huddled together, encouraged each other, and walked towards the direction of the back mountain in our memory.

  The path leading to the back of the mountain was more difficult and desolate than any other path we had taken before. There were almost no obvious trails, and we could only rely on our senses to struggle forward through the steep slopes and dense trees.

  The further you go in, the weirder the surrounding environment becomes.

  The trees became abnormally tall and twisted, with their barks showing an unhealthy dark blue color, as if infected by some toxin. Thick, python-like vines were entwined around the trunks, and some of the vines even had flowers of gorgeous colors and strange shapes, emitting a sweet and dizzying fragrance.

  The moss on the ground became extremely slippery and thick, taking on a dark green color that was almost black. It felt soft to step on, as if there was quicksand or a swamp hidden underneath.

  The air also became colder and more humid, and the fog was so thick that it was almost impossible to dissolve. When it was inhaled into the lungs, it brought a biting chill and a strong earthy smell.

  And the surroundings became. too quiet. It was quieter than ever before. Even the sound of our footsteps and breathing seemed to be absorbed by the thick fog and the dead silence. It was as if there were only three of us tiny beings left in the world, and we had entered a realm that did not belong to the living.

  Suddenly, Xiao Zhang, who was walking in front, stopped and uttered a low cry of surprise.

  "What's wrong?" I asked nervously, taking a step forward.

  Xiao Zhang didn't say anything, but just pointed to a place on the ground in front of him.

  I looked in the direction of his finger, and my pupils shrank suddenly!

  On the muddy ground not far ahead, there suddenly appeared a.extremely wide, smooth, drag mark that looked as if it had been run over by some huge and heavy body?!

  The drag mark was more than half a meter wide, deeply sunken in the mud, and the surface was extremely smooth, without any footprints or claw marks. It meandered out from the dense bushes on the side and extended into the depths of the denser fog ahead, like a trail leading to hell.

  "What.what is this?!" Meiling was so scared that she hid behind Xiao Zhang, her voice trembling.

  Xiao Zhang swallowed his saliva, his face pale: "Look. it looks like. something huge. crawling over."

  Something huge. crawl over.

  "Grandma White Snake." These four words popped out of my mouth involuntarily.

  In an instant, terror struck the three of us like an icy electric current!

  Could it be that. the legend is really true?! There is really a giant white snake here?! And this horrible drag mark was left by it?!

  The three of us froze where we were, looking at each other, our eyes filled with extreme fear and anxiety.

  Back off? Back off now?

  But. we have come this far. And the water source.

  Just when we were hesitating and in a dilemma, an extremely faint but unusually clear sound suddenly came from the depths of the thick fog ahead.

  That sound. is like. water?

  Crash.crash.

  It doesn't sound like an ordinary stream, but more like the sound of some huge object slowly stirring and rolling in the water?

  At the same time, a richer, colder smell with a strong fishy smell also diffused from the depths of the fog along with the sound of water.

  The water source. is just ahead!

  And there. seems to be "something" there!

  My breathing almost stopped. The sweat in my palms had made the trekking pole slippery.

  Go? Or not?

  Fear was screaming frantically, "Run!"

  But another stronger force, a mixture of curiosity, obsession, and the desire to survive, was like an invisible hand that firmly grasped my ankle and dragged me, step by step, slowly moving towards the depths of the fog where the strange sound of water and the cold smell of fishy air came from.