It wasnt until the sun was low in the west that the miasma in the forest dissipated, and Yan Xing called out to everyone to continue on their journey. The crowd, who had rested for most of the day, quickly gathered their belongings and followed Yan Xings footsteps. After walking for two hours, the sun had completely set, and the night sky enveloped the entire forest. The surroundings were quiet, with only occasional sounds of insects chirping, making it seem even more serene.
"Brother Star, no signal."
Huang Tian held his mobile phone and said, "Earlier, everyones mobile phones still had signals, but GPS positioning and other functions couldnt be used. The 8 peoples mobile phones were located in 8 different places. It seems that the magnetic field here is a bit disordered, causing some instruments and equipment to lose their signal. Although the network signal was very weak, it wasnt completely gone, and some people even spoke in the group chat. However, as we walked deeper into the woods, the signal got worse and worse, until now, when its completely cut off, not a single signal is left. The mobile phones are only useful for standalone purposes."
"Its normal, if there was still a signal, that would be really spooky."
Ma Rui Xi said at this time, he is the oldest in the team, over 40 years old, but also the most beautiful existence in the team, because of his short stature and that sly temperament.
"Shut up!"
Yan Xing turned his head and shouted at Ma Ruixi, "Do you know where were going and what well encounter? If you keep talking nonsense, please leave the team and go alone, dont drag us down!"
As soon as these words came out, Ma Rui Xis face turned red and white, he had previously said the word "ghost", which was indeed a taboo, but the more someone didnt have a sense of existence, the more they wanted to gain one. Yan Xings rebuke towards himself made Ma Rui Xi not dare to retort back, his eyes only flashed with a hint of resentment and venom, but in the darkness of night, no one noticed.
In the team, walking in the front was Yan Xing, followed by Huang Tianci, Zhao Zhu, Wang Ye, Li Liangjian and Ma Ruixi walked in the middle, Xiao Ge and Shi Chong walked at the end. It was probably around midnight when Yan Xing waved his hand to signal everyone to stop.
"Theres a light ahead." Huang Tianxi said after taking a look with his binoculars.
Wang Ye also stepped forward and took the telescope from Huang Tianxis hand, looked at it for a moment, and said: "The light is a bit scattered, not moving, it should be a village in the distance."
"Brother Xing, according to the map route, must we go through that village?" Huang Tianci asked.
Yan Xing nodded, "That village is just at the mouth of this mountain ridge. The location of the ancient tomb we are going to is in the depths of the valley at the mouth of the ridge. Unless we take a detour and climb over the mountain, if we go straight, we must pass through that village."
"Theres always something that doesnt feel right in my heart," Wang Ye said.
Zhao Zhu smiled and took out a box of wooden sugar, distributing it to everyone. "Whether its good fortune or bad luck, we cant avoid it," he said. "No matter what kind of creatures are living in that village, we cant escape. If we take a detour, there wont be enough time, and if we dont complete the side quest, 500 points will be deducted from our coupons. Im already out of points, so Ill be penalized."
Huang Tianci and Wang Ye nodded together, apparently they were the same, in preparation for this task, before that, they had all used up their points coupons.
Yan Xing furrowed his brow slightly at this time, because he could feel that the surrounding yin energy seemed to have become denser. Therefore, while waving his hand to signal the team to continue advancing, he silently took out a duster and grasped it in his hand.
His action was discovered by Zhao Zhu, who also quietly pinched two talismans in his hand.
The team continued to move forward, and about half an hour later, a small village appeared in front of everyone. This was not the kind of ancient desolate village, but inside were brick houses. This mountain forest village looked like it was definitely not wealthy, but just by looking at these houses, you could tell that it couldnt be some isolated tribe.
"This shouldnt be that kind of village, right?" Huang Tianxi asked.
"Go take a look."
Yan Xing led the way into the village, with the others following behind him. In the village, from time to time, there were whispers of people, childrens crying sounds, womens laughter, and mens boxing sounds. However... it was strange that after walking through half of the village, not a single villager was seen. It seemed as if these sounds came and went hastily, making it impossible for anyone to catch their tracks.
"Theres no one, but theres a voice, whats going on?" Huang Tianci asked with some trepidation.
"Dont speak, lower your head and lets get through the village first." Yan Xing waved his dustpan and noticeably quickened his pace.
The crowd also followed him and walked towards another exit of the village together.
The sound in his ears grew louder and louder, as if the "villagers" around him were speaking directly into his ear. Zhao Zhu felt like his entire brain was buzzing, and finally, his body stumbled and he fell to the ground involuntarily. When he hurriedly got up and crawled back up, he bumped into someone and they both fell to the ground together.
"Whats wrong with you, you silly kid, what are you blindly doing?!"
Zhao Zhu raised his head and found an old man wearing a Liberation uniform, covering his waist and sitting on the ground, shouting at him with a look of dissatisfaction.
Zhao Zhu looked around, he saw the women washing clothes and chatting together, saw the men returning with firewood and hunting spoils, saw the children playing on the side, saw the sheep in the pen, saw the old yellow cow resting in the corner of the wall. He saw the source of the sound, saw the owner of the sound, but Zhao Zhu did not have a bit of joy brought by exploration and discovery, because he knew that he had fallen into the trap.
Almost subconsciously, Zhao Zhu directly stuck the two talismans in his palm onto the old mans body in front of him. However, the talismans were still just talismans and didnt have any effect whatsoever. The old man simply tore off the talismans on his body and said inexplicably:
"Whats wrong with you, kid? Why stick this thing on old man me?"
Zhao Zhus mind flashed back to Xiong Zhiqis words: "Generally, when talismans lose their effect, there are only two possibilities. One is that the ghost in front of you has become so powerful that it can ignore the talisman, just like if you were bitten by a mite, what would you feel? The other possibility is that youve stuck it on the wrong person, what youve stuck it on isnt a ghost or an evil spirit, but a living person. Of course, its also possible that its not a living person, but at least, a person isnt a ghost."
"Whats going on?"
Zhao Zhu felt a bit disheveled. If the old man in front of him was alive, then the people around him should also be alive. But why did he inexplicably leave his team and end up here with them?
"Huh? Youre from outside the mountain, arent you?" The old man got up first and then reached out to pull Zhao Zhuang up as well. "Since youre from outside the mountain, its no wonder. At this time, ordinary people wouldnt dare to enter this forest."
"Why?"
"Because once you enter, youll inexplicably forget who you are. This forest is quite eerie." The old man chuckled and patted his thigh, saying: "Since weve met by chance, why dont you come to my place for a cup of tea?" The old man surprisingly extended an enthusiastic invitation.
"I...". Zhao Zhu was at a loss for words, and even he himself didnt know how to react, because the contrast was just too great. However, his feet naturally began to follow the old man, his mouth started to water, and a craving for wine rose up in his heart.
However, at this moment, Zhao Zhu felt a sudden severe pain in his ears, the pain gradually became clear, and someone was shouting loudly into his ears. Zhao Zhus brain transmitted a dizzy feeling, a wave of nausea, and he immediately squatted down and vomited desperately.
Buzz!
After some saliva was spat out, a cool breeze blew across his face, and Zhao Zhu felt that his body had become much cooler. When he raised his head again, he found that the old man in front of him was somewhat indistinct, and the children playing around and the women washing clothes were also somewhat blurry. In the end, Zhao Zhu shook his head, rubbed his eyes hard, but his vision became increasingly blurred, until he couldnt see anything clearly with his eyes anymore.
Bang!
The back of his head was hit hard, and Zhao Zhu stumbled and fell to the ground. This blow really made Zhao Zhu see stars, but when he looked up again, what he saw was no longer the old man who had invited him home for a drink, but Yan Xing holding a duster.
"Youve left the village, but your soul is still hooked there. Luckily I found out early, otherwise you would have been gone for good."