Chapter Ninety-Five: Midnight Horror 12

Hu Si was shocked and rushed over to check on Lu Cen's condition.

He lifted his upper body, his breathing rapid, his vision blurring. He wasn't much better off than Lu Cen. "How are you? Are you alright?"

The scorching sunlight formed bright circles in the air, and the heatwave distorted the desert. Lu Cen squinted, panting. He was too tired, his strength had reached its limit, and he couldn't take another step. He was suffering from severe dehydration and stomach cramps due to not eating for a long time.

He raised his thin finger and tapped the screen. An ice cream with a white top and brown bottom appeared out of thin air. Hu Si was speechless with shock. This scene was beyond his understanding and his long-held worldview. Where did this ice cream come from?

He glanced at it out of curiosity, but couldn't take his eyes off it.

It was as if ice cream had a fatal attraction for him.

Lu Cen only ate the top part. The sweet taste of the ice cream, which was emitting cold air, entered his mouth and invigorated him. He used a lot of self-control to hand the rest of the ice cream to Hu Si. In a few seconds, the ice cream was divided between the two of them. With their strength restored, they helped each other continue forward.

The two of them would eat ice cream every two hours.

Hu Si went from being initially surprised and uncertain to eventually remaining silent.

Fate was on their side; on the afternoon of the third day, instead of yellow sand, some low-lying vegetation appeared before them.

This indicates that they have reached the edge of the desert.

The two were invigorated. After crossing the sand dune, a lake came into view, surrounded by many plants, which were severely dehydrated and emaciated.

Two people were sitting by the lake.

They gathered around a fire, on which were grilled fish.

They turned around at the sound and saw Lu Cen. Jiang Zhao's eyes lit up. He handed the fish in his hand to Yang Jiali and ran towards Lu Cen, grabbing his hand and asking urgently, "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? How have you been these past few days?"

Lu Cen's mind was not on him at all, but on the fish that smelled delicious.

Seeing that Lu Cen's lips were chapped and his face was covered in spots, Jiang Zhao knew that he must have suffered a lot these past few days. He handed the fish to Lu Cen and gave Hu Si a fish as well. Lu Cen ate a little too quickly and even felt like crying. He hadn't expected that he would still have to go hungry in this instance.

Jiang Zhao: "Xiao Wei and the others got separated from me. I met Yang Jiali on the way. It took us many days to get here. According to the directions, if we go out from here for a few more hours, we should be able to reach the edge of the desert. So if nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to get out tomorrow."

Hu Si made the same judgment, since the sand here was not as fine as before.

After they finished talking, they also finished eating the fish.

It got dark.

The next morning, as Jiang Zhao had said, the further they walked, the more they felt they were getting further and further away from the desert.

Halfway there, Lu Cen couldn't hold on any longer, and Jiang Zhao carried him back to the hotel.

Lu Cen forced herself to take a shower and then ate a meal that almost choked her before finally going to sleep. She woke up at 2 a.m.

He felt dizzy, so he got up and drank half a bottle of water.

As he put down the water bottle, someone stood behind him. The reflection from the wall startled Lu Cen. Without thinking, he turned around and found Jiang Zhao. He was shirtless, with a strange expression and a blank look in his eyes. Lu Cen felt a chill. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Hu Si was not on either of the beds. He was shocked. The three of them shared a room, and they had eaten together when they came back. Where was he?

Where is Hu Si?

Jiang Zhao remained silent for a long time, only staring at him, which terrified Lu Cen. He tried to push Jiang Zhao away with trembling hands, but Jiang Zhao grabbed his hand instead. The warmth of his body made Lu Cen breathe a sigh of relief. Jiang Zhao also seemed to have turned on a switch, acting like a living person. However, his words were chilling, "What, Hu Si is there?"

Lu Cen was stunned and asked, "Isn't Hu Si with us?"

Jiang Zhao touched his cheek with his hand, "What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't Hu Si die in the desert?"

Lu Cen: "??!!"

"What do you mean? Didn't he come back with us?"

"Are you still half asleep?" Jiang Zhao took his hand, rubbed it, and then half-hugged him. "When he came back yesterday morning, he was accidentally bitten by a scorpion and was in critical condition. Didn't you see it with your own eyes? How could you forget it after just one night's sleep?"

Lu Cen felt that he was telling a ghost story. They had eaten together and returned to their room together last night. Now Jiang Zhao was telling him that Hu Si was dead, or rather, bitten to death by a scorpion. Then who was the one who came back with them? Was it Hu Si's ghost?

"How come I can't remember any of it?"

Jiang Zhao covered him with a blanket, "Go to sleep first, you'll feel better when you wake up."

Lu Cen was so scared he couldn't sleep, but Jiang Zhao's words seemed to have a magical power. Plus, he was too tired from the desert for several days, so Lu Cen actually fell asleep. The next day, Lu Cen woke up the earliest. He occupied a bed by himself, the blankets were messy. He immediately went to look at the other bed and saw two boys lying on it. They had three-dimensional features, slender bodies, and tired faces. Lu Cen carefully got out of bed. Just like encountering a ghost story, he secretly squatted down next to Hu Si and used his hand to check his breath. It was warm.

Lu Cen went to see Jiang Zhao again and tried the same method once more.

They all breathe.

So, where did Hu Si go yesterday?

Why did Jiang Zhao say that Hu Si had died in the desert?

Why is she back in bed perfectly fine this morning?

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice when Hu Si woke up. Hu Si was almost scared to death. He wiped his face and said, "It's so early in the morning. If you want to scare me to death, just say so."

The noise woke Jiang Zhao up as well. He didn't think anything was wrong with Hu Si being there and went to the bathroom to wash up as usual. Lu Cen was so upset by him that he couldn't understand the purpose of his behavior yesterday. He tried to find out from the side that Jiang Zhao had no memory of last night. Lu Cen felt cold all over in broad daylight. After finishing his meal, he realized that all nine of them had returned.

The group discussed that they had been away for too long and school had been in session for several days, so it was time to go back. At noon, the group headed back home.

After a long day of travel, there were plenty of hotel rooms available, one for each person.

Lu Cen was lying in bed after taking a shower when he heard someone knocking on the door. He looked outside and saw Hu Si. He wasn't on guard and opened the door.

As soon as he came in, he saw that Lu Cen looked normal and said, "You seem to be in good spirits. I thought you would be very sad."

Lu Cen was completely baffled. "Sad? What am I sad about?"

"Aren't you sad that Jiang Zhao is dead?" Hu Si found a seat and sat down. "Weren't you two on good terms at school?"

Lu Cen: "...Jiang Zhao is dead?"

"He died from a snake bite when he came back the day before yesterday. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Hu Si asked in surprise.

Lu Cen: "???"

Not again?

The two of them took turns telling him ghost stories.

He rubbed his forehead, completely bewildered. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he remembered the mission description.

Was the person who died either Jiang Zhao or Hu Si?

Once he determines who died in the desert, his mission is complete.

Lu Cen's eyes lit up as she looked at Hu Si, "How come I have no memory of this at all?"

Hu Si looked at him curiously, "You really forgot?"

Lu Cen asked in confusion, "If he died, how did I get back? I remember he carried me back on his back."

Hu Si looked at him with a strange gaze, as if he were an idiot. "You forgot that I carried you back? What's wrong with you? Did the shock cause you to lose your mind? That's impossible. Even though you were close to him, there's no need for you to be so shocked as if your wife died and lose your memory, is there?"

Lu Cen then realized the situation was tricky. During the day, everyone was there, but at night Jiang Zhao said that Hu Si was dead, and Hu Si said that Jiang Zhao was dead.

How can this be determined?

Lu Cen was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "You say he's dead, but who can prove it?"

“Yang Jiali, he came back with the two of us, and other people can also testify to that. Xiao Wei and the others didn’t see Jiang Zhao on our way back.”

I don't believe it.

Helpless, Hu Si went out and called the other six people. All of them were present, some standing and some sitting. Xiao Wei asked, "Why did you call us here so late?"

“Li Yan, if you don’t believe Jiang Zhao is dead, then let you prove it.”

Xiao Wei was speechless for the first time. "Jiang Zhao's death is already painful enough. Why are you still provoking him like this? Just forget about it."

"Won't reminding him of this make him feel even worse?"

"What are you thinking? What good will it do him to know? It will only add to his sadness."

"Forgetting it might be better."

Hu Si: "......"

After being told what to do by everyone, Hu Si couldn't take it anymore and left with them. Before leaving, he looked at Lu Cen as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

The door closed completely, and Lu Cen realized that their thinking seemed to be fixed. They all believed that Jiang Zhao was dead. If Jiang Zhao were alive, they would definitely believe that Hu Si was dead as well. This path was blocked, and it couldn't prove who was dead and who was alive.

Lu Cen lay on the bed, his fair feet clad in hotel slippers. Lost in thought, he was completely unaware that a pale hand was slowly emerging from the darkness beneath the bed, inching closer and closer to his feet. Lu Cen rolled over, kicked off his slippers, and slipped under the covers, and the hand missed its mark.

As time passed, Lu Cen clutched the blanket, feeling drowsy, and her consciousness slowly drifted away.

In a daze, he felt something was wrong in the room. There was a faint sound, like some kind of insect crawling on the floor, causing the floor to vibrate. It was so faint that he could hardly hear it if he didn't pay attention. His consciousness became deeper. Under the dim light, the white blanket slowly slid down from his chest to his waist.

A dark figure emerged in the light, standing at the foot of the bed. Its pale hand grasped the thin ankle as it wished. After a while, another figure crawled out from under the bed, looking exactly the same as the first one. Then, another one appeared. The space under the bed was like an endless blind box, with one after another appearing until the room was too crowded to contain them all. The shadows overlapped and all stared at the sleeping Lu Cen. Except for the hand that first grasped Lu Cen, the other ghostly figures did not move.

Just watching quietly like this.

Just watching.