Chapter 1671: Chapter 1672: The Hand Reaching Out from Beneath the Earth
The group continued forward, and you all quickly ascended the mountain path. At this very moment, the eerie wind blew ceaselessly. Within this bone-chilling wind, various cries and screams were interwoven, seemingly coming from right beside your ear or perhaps from behind you. Intermittent and faint, they kept your heart suspended, and your steps felt increasingly unsteady.
"Hee hee hee."
At this moment, within Du Yanan’s flashlight beam, half a body suddenly ran past. Yes, you didn’t see it wrong, only half!
This half body reached only the waist, and it started circling around you as it ran. As it moved, its intestines jiggled up and down, giving the constant impression they might fall out.
Fortunately, this disgusting scene did not last long. Soon, that half body ran off, allowing you all to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"My body~~my body~~" A shrill and trembling voice suddenly echoed from beside Deng Fang, and Du Yanan instinctively turned around, shining her light in that direction. Initially, having not looked was fine, but this sight frightened Deng Fang into screaming again!
In the light, the upper half of a mutilated torso was struggling to crawl toward you, dragging a long trail of blood behind it, with entrails dangling at the end, an utterly horrifying sight.
Terrified once more, Deng Fang burst into tears, burying herself in Xu Mingjie’s arms, continuously pounding his shoulders, "I don’t want to play anymore, I don’t want to play anymore!"
Xu Mingjie hurried to comfort Deng Fang, although it seemed ineffective at first. After all, Deng Fang was just an ordinary high school senior, and under such circumstances, a breakdown was inevitable after experiencing continuous intense stimuli. Fortunately, Xu Mingjie was by her side, or she might have done something extreme due to the unbearable stress.
You said to Xu Mingjie, "Little Jie, carry her!"
Hearing this, Xu Mingjie’s face flushed slightly, but seeing the half body gradually crawling closer, he mustered up the courage, lowered his waist, and wrapped his arms around Deng Fang’s slender body, lifting her into a princess carry.
"What are you doing?" Embarrassed in front of so many people, Deng Fang was hesitant.
"I told you, I would protect you!" Xu Mingjie’s eyes shone with determination.
"Real love needs challenges to mold it."
You chuckled, then glanced at Liang Xinyue beside you, noticing that despite being only thirteen years old, she seemed surprisingly brave, and these ghostly apparitions had little effect on her.
Seeing this, you remarked to Liang Xinyue, "Our Little Xin Yue is the bravest, these things don’t scare you at all."
Liang Xinyue responded to you with a series of hand gestures, and Wei Yingyue translated, "Xiao Xiao says she’s seen scarier things than this. What we see here is fake, but those were real."
Hearing this, you fell silent for a moment before urging everyone to continue forward.
Although the mountain path was rugged and challenging to traverse, it no longer caused any ripples of fear for all of you, who were gradually getting used to it. Deng Fang had also come down from Xu Mingjie’s arms, although she held Xu Mingjie’s hand more tightly now. This adventure journey greatly strengthened their bond. In some ways, Xu Mingjie should thank you because if not for you constantly diverting everyone’s attention and serving as a calming presence, he might have broken down himself.
Because along the way, the sporadic flashes of scenes were indeed horrifying. These things would scurry under your feet, drift past your side, and suddenly utter strange laughs above your head, even obstructing your path with gaping mouths. Although knowing they were illusions, anyone would still feel a chill in such environments.
Furthermore, as you progressed, the faint sounds of barking dogs and howling wolves echoed from the surrounding woods, but even more so were the piercing human shrieks that made one’s heart tremble.
"Wh-where is the dog barking coming from?" Xu Mingjie seemed a bit afraid of dogs, and hearing the barking, he grew more fearful.
You waved your hand to dispel a floating spirit before you, smiling as you spoke, "Legend has it, there’s a place called Evil Mongrel Ridge and Golden Rooster Mountain in the Netherworld. Many who wander lost on the Netherworld Road end up at Evil Mongrel Ridge. There, thousands of evil dogs reside. Of course, those who loved dogs in their lifetime, especially those who belonged to the dog zodiac, will easily pass through, as the dogs will even wag their tails to guide them; but those who often consumed dog meat or abused dogs will have their bodies dismembered, experiencing the torment we humans dish out."
Hearing this, Xu Mingjie patted his chest and laughed, "Luckily, though I’m afraid of dogs, I’ve never hit one."
"I have a little husky at home, and I’ve always pampered it." Deng Fang weakly added.
"That’s why people must do good deeds while they’re alive because whether or not there’s an Underworld after death, all we do allows us to live without guilt and face everything calmly."
After hearing your words, everyone nodded, even Wei Yingyue slightly bowed her head in agreement.
"Are we there yet?"
Even though fatigue wasn’t an issue, after walking for so long, the sudden appearances of things around you could only occasionally widen your eyes, and the feeling of a heartbeat was almost forgotten.
"This is what they call ’seemingly no way out amid countless hills and streams.’" You had barely finished your sentence when a loud crowing of a rooster resonated around, and suddenly you felt a brightening before you!
The pitch-black environment vanished instantly, revealing that you were in an apparently desolate place, surrounded by withered grass and trees. Before you extended a stretch of dilapidated walls.
Glancing back, you noticed a pitch-black zone behind you, with a faint black aura threatening to break through the invisible wall that held it at bay.
"Blackwater Town?" At the front, Du Yanan put away her phone and looked up at the plaque hanging above the gatehouse.
"There are still places like this in the Netherworld, how strange." Xu Mingjie looked at the lifeless town ahead, wanting to take a couple of steps forward, but was tightly held back by Deng Fang.
Having acted quite relaxed throughout the journey, you suddenly furrowed your brow slightly. You pinched your left hand and asked Du Yanan, who walked ahead, "Lao Du, do you feel something’s off?"
"No, what is it?"
"Nothing, maybe I’m a bit nervous."
"Hey, you’re nervous? That’s rare."
As Du Yanan spoke, the soil beneath suddenly loosened, and unexpectedly, a hand emerged, grabbing Du Yanan’s foot!
"What is it?"
Stamping down fiercely with the left foot, Du Yanan hurriedly retreated as the hand released its grip.