(Time: late night of the fourth day to early morning of the fifth day)

  The horrible knocking outside the door and the cold and strange laughter suddenly stopped, just like a sudden storm, leaving behind an even heavier and more desperate silence.

  Miraculously, the crooked wooden door was not smashed open. Perhaps the debris behind the door worked, or perhaps. the "things" outside the door got bored and temporarily lost interest. But in any case, after the direct and violent threat faded, the terrifying atmosphere in the house did not weaken, but became more sticky and ominous because of this short "calm".

  The three of us, like frightened birds, huddled in different corners of this dilapidated house, the distance between us seemed like a bottomless abyss.

  Xiao Zhang sat slumped in the corner, completely losing his previous out-of-control madness and rage. His eyes were empty and lifeless, his mouth was slightly open, saliva unconsciously flowing down the corners of his mouth, and the whole person seemed to be completely defeated by the terror just now, and turned into a walking corpse with only the breathing instinct left. He would twitch unconsciously from time to time, and his mouth would make unclear murmurs.

  Meiling was still curled up in the corner of the bed wrapped tightly in a blanket, with her head buried deep in her knees. She no longer screamed or cried, but her body was still shaking violently, like a leaf in the cold wind. She seemed to have completely shut down her senses, refusing to accept any horrible information from the outside world, and immersed in a self-constructed inner world that was also full of despair.

  And me. I leaned against the wall beside the door, tightly gripping the cold wooden stick. My body was stiff but my brain was working at high speed, and at the same time, I was repeatedly torn by boundless fear and fatigue.

  What was that knocking and laughing just now? Was it the "fox spirit" that the old man mentioned? Or. something else? Why did it attack us? Was it because Xiao Zhang wanted to rush out? Or. was it just out of teasing and malice?

  Countless questions swirled in my mind, but none of them could be answered. Terror had become so direct and concrete, but its true face was still hidden behind the thick fog and darkness, making it impossible to grasp.

  This unknown is more frightening than known dangers.

  Time passed by minute by minute. The room was dead silent. I could even hear my heartbeat speeding up due to nervousness, and the subtle sound of blood flowing inside my body.

  I don't know how long it took, maybe the terror had temporarily subsided, or maybe my body had become numb and extreme fatigue came back like a tide. My eyelids slowly closed and my consciousness began to blur.

  But my intuition told me that I couldn't sleep, absolutely not.

  Once I fall asleep, who knows what will happen? The terrifying experience of being pressed down by a ghost is still vivid in my mind. And now there are two "companions" in the room whose mental state is extremely unstable, so I must stay alert.

  In order to dispel sleepiness and find something to divert my attention, my eyes once again fell on the small recorder beside me.

  This cold machine has faithfully recorded my horrific experiences over the past few days. It is my only "witness" and the only "evidence" I can take out (if I can still get out alive).

  Yesterday morning, I found the creepy "hissing" sound and heavy breathing in the recording, which confirmed that "ghost pressing on the body" was not an illusion. The night before yesterday, I heard the malicious sneer in the recording of "ghost wall".

  These discoveries, like keys, unlock a corner of the horrific truth.

  So.is there more?

  In those clips that I thought were just ambient sounds or my own voices, are there more voices from another dimension that I have ignored?

  A strong urge came over me - listen to it again! Listen to it again from beginning to end, carefully, without missing any details!

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Perhaps, we can find more clues? Perhaps, we can piece together more fragments of the horrific truth about this village?

  This idea has an almost masochistic appeal. Fear makes me resist, but my journalistic instinct and desire for the truth drive me not to give up.

  I took a deep breath, picked up the recorder with trembling hands and put on the headphones again. This time I planned to start listening from the first recording when I entered the village.

  The first thing that came out of the recorder was the relatively calm description of my entering the village, as done in the professional manner of a journalist. In the background was the whimpering of the wind blowing through the ruins and the sound of my footsteps.

  Next is the conversation when I met Xiao Zhang and Meiling. Their voices were still full of youthful vitality and excitement and curiosity about the unknown world, which formed a sad contrast with their current zombie-like appearance.

  Then, there is the record of my first encounter with the mysterious old man, the old man's hoarse and vague warning.

  I turned up the volume to the maximum, held my breath, and listened attentively to every detail, especially the background sounds and silent fragments. I even tried to use the simple noise reduction function of the recorder to filter out some obvious noises, hoping to highlight the abnormal sounds that might be hidden in it.

  Time passed by, and the recordings played one after another.

  The symphony of terrifying sounds on the first night. the screams and desperate calls for help when encountering the "ghost wall". and the cold sneer mixed in with the sound of the wind.

  The second night of the haunting… the creepy hissing sound and heavy breathing…

  Two conversations with the old man during the day. Horror legends about "night wandering ghosts", "white snake grandmother", and "fox spirits".

  The horror and vomiting when the body was discovered.

  And. the out-of-control internal fight just now and the terrifying laughter and knocking on the door outside.

  Revisiting these audio recordings filled with terror and despair is a form of mental torture in itself. My palms are constantly sweating, and my body is shaking violently from time to time as I recall the fear at that time.

  But I forced myself to stick with it.

  Just when I was about to give up and thought it was impossible to find any new clues.

  In a recording of myself mumbling to myself while observing and copying those strange carvings on the wall of the ancestral hall.

  I suddenly heard some. extremely faint, almost completely covered by my voice and the background wind. unusual sounds!

  It was not the sound of the wind, nor was it any noise, nor was it any sound that should be present in nature.

  It was like. an extremely low, cold and malicious. whisper?!

  My heart skipped a beat!

  I quickly pressed the pause button, dragged the progress bar back a little, turned the volume up to the limit again, held my breath, pressed the earphones tightly against my ears, and replayed that short segment!

  “…what do these symbols…mean?…I feel…very uncomfortable…” This was my voice at the time, filled with confusion and uneasiness.

  And just as I finished speaking, in the almost negligible background silence, an extremely faint, cold voice, like the tongue of a poisonous snake, sounded quietly:

  "……die……"

  Just one word! But it was like an icy dagger that instantly pierced my eardrum and reached the depths of my soul!

  Then, I heard my own voice again: ". This feeling. is like someone is watching me."

  And right after these words, the cold whisper sounded again, this time with a hint of mockery and ridicule:

  "……us……"

  ".always.always."

  We?! Always been?!

  boom--!!

  My brain seemed to be hit by a bomb, and it went blank in an instant!

  Horror! Indescribable horror was like a black tide, instantly drowning me completely!

  This. this is not an auditory hallucination! This is real!

  When I was concentrating on observing those evil carvings, when I felt the cold gaze, there was "something". or rather, "they", right next to me! Even. right next to my recorder! In a way that I couldn't hear, they whispered cold curses and mockery!

  They.they can hear me talking?! They can even.hear my thoughts?!

  This discovery was more despairing than any previous horrific experience!

  This means that every action, every word, and even every thought** of mine here may be under their (or its) surveillance! I don't have any secrets! No privacy! I am like an experimental subject locked in a transparent glass container, allowing those unknown and malicious beings to observe and play with me at will!

  My recorder. the tool I use to record the truth and find evidence. has actually become a medium for them to spread horrific information?!

  Could it be that. the sneer and the hissing sound I heard before. were left there intentionally by them?! Are they enjoying my fear? Are they playing with my nerves?!

  A bone-chilling chill rushed up my spine to the top of my head, and I almost lost consciousness.

  I frantically pulled off my headphones and threw the recording pen, which seemed to have become the source of terror, aside!

  "ah--!!!"

  I could no longer control my inner collapse and let out a desperate and shrill scream!

  This place. there is no hope at all! No way out! Only endless terror and the despair of waiting for death!

  My screams echoed in the dead silent room, startling the dazed Xiao Zhang and Mei Ling. They looked at me blankly, their eyes full of confusion and. the same fear.

  Perhaps, madness is the only way to survive here?

  I held my head, my body trembled violently, and tears burst out again.

  The cold, malicious whispers in the recorder, like the deepest curse, have completely broken down my last psychological defense.