Chapter 41: Judge Two I was the only one who noticed something was wrong...
Xiaohui, a boy wearing glasses, is a primary school student from Hecheng who came to Lubo Mountain to attend a summer camp.
As it was summer vacation, the Changfeng Town school also cleared out some empty dormitories for the leading teachers and students to stay in.
It was the first time for everyone to travel far away from home, and they were often too excited to sleep at night. Gradually, some mysterious and exciting topics for the night talks became popular.
For example, some local children said that there is a cave on the mountain behind the school. The entrance is narrow and impassable, but when you shout your name into the cave at midnight, the cave will answer you with the voice of your thoughts. Then you can make a wish to it, and it will come true the next day.
Xiaohui didn't take it too seriously.
There was no shortage of bizarre rumors in school, from vampires to pen spirits. Every once in a while, a new rumor would become popular. He had been fooled once in the third grade, and now in the sixth grade, he could tell what was true and what was false.
After the activity ended that day, my childhood friend brought a few friends and planned to sneak out of the dormitory at night to explore the cave.
Xiaohui was bored and agreed to go with them.
The sky was pitch black, sparsely dotted with a few dim stars. The flashlight could only illuminate a very small corner of the world. Everything around became unpredictable and full of mysteries.
He had never been to the wilderness at this time.
Xiaohui was thinking of backing out, but he didn't dare show his fear, so he had to bite the bullet and follow the team. Finally, he found the location of the rumored cave.
The entrance to the cave was indeed only the size of a pineapple, covered with moist, green moss. It was pitch black inside, with a faint sound of dripping water and the air filled with the cool, dank smell of grass.
There was also a local kid in the group. He was naughty and playful, but also very self-assured. Before anyone else could speak, he shouted at the cave entrance, "Hey! --"
Several more "Hello" were heard from inside.
Li Tong, a childhood friend, chuckled a few times and waved his flashlight at the others: "How about it? Who wants to try it first?"
This means challenging the rules of ghost stories.
Shout your name at the entrance of the cave, and the cave will respond with the voice of "what you think in your heart".
Someone rubbed his hands, eager to try: "I'll go first!"
As he spoke, he leaned over and shouted towards the cave entrance: "I am Zhou Dazhuang——!"
——“I’m Zhou Dazhuang!”
——“It’s Zhou Dazhuang!”
——"Da Zhuang!"
The echo is nothing special.
Zhou Dazhuang did not give up and continued to make a wish: "I want a handheld game console!"
"Handheld game console—handheld game console—"
His voice was still the only one in the cave.
But Zhou Dazhuang felt satisfied, as if as long as he made a wish, something would help him realize it.
It’s the same principle as praying to God or asking Buddha.
The childhood friend then walked up and shouted, "I'm Li Tong!"
——“It’s Li Tong!”
--"Pass!"
——“…”
Xiaohui felt something was wrong.
The timbre of the echo seemed to have changed, but upon closer listening, it seemed to be just my illusion.
Li Tong was completely oblivious to this and continued shouting, "I want to watch the latest season of Armor Star Warrior!"
Armor Star Warrior is an animation that became popular last semester, but it has been discontinued in China due to copyright reasons. My childhood friend is a mecha fan and also an avid fan of this animation.
——"The latest season of Armor Star Warrior!"
——"Star Warrior..."
As expected, the echoes reverberated layer by layer. Everyone was still unsatisfied and wanted to say something more, but Li Tong suddenly shouted, "Wait, listen."
The echo had not yet disappeared, and after several rounds of repetitions, some rustling noises seemed to emerge.
"...Dalong, our warrior from Armor Star..."
"It's the Star-Picking Sword. We're finally saved... Ka La..."
Li Tong suddenly became excited: "It's the line from the Armor Star Warrior!"
"Let me hear it!"
"I want to hear it too!"
Others rushed to the cave entrance, fearing that they would be left behind.
Xiaohui was not to be outdone. He climbed up the slope and leaned over to listen to the echo in the cave.
The theme song of Armor Star Warriors even played inside: "Spread your wings, wings of steel! Faith will never sink until the last light burns out..."
Everyone sang along excitedly.
"I want to play, too! I want to play!" The naughty kid interrupted the chorus, pushing past the people in front of him and getting close to the cave entrance, practically sticking his head in. "Hey! My name is Liu Dongsheng!"
He paused and continued, "I want my parents to come back and celebrate my birthday!"
——"Happy birthday to me..."
--"Birthday……"
I heard that Liu Dongsheng's parents work in the city and rarely go back to Lubo Mountain. He has been living with his grandparents. He has been spoiled since he was a child and is not very good at studying. His grandparents never seem to discipline him. He just goes to the Taoist temple every month to burn incense and pray for blessings.
It seems that tomorrow is his birthday, but it is not a holiday, so his parents probably won’t come back specially.
"...Dongsheng, I'm your mother."
Suddenly, a gentle female voice floated out from the dark cave.
Liu Dongsheng was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "It's really my mother's voice!"
"Have you been listening to your grandparents recently? Have you done your homework well?"
A slightly serious male voice then sounded, it should be Liu Dongsheng's father.
Liu Dongsheng was so proud that he shouted into the cave: "I am obedient!"
The "father" said apologetically, "Mom and Dad are busy with work and won't be able to come back to town tomorrow."
Before Liu Dongsheng could show his disappointment, he changed the subject: "So we are celebrating your birthday in advance, and mom even bought you a birthday cake."
Liu Dongsheng was delighted: "But where are you?"
The "mother" laughed and said, "Silly child, we are in a cave!"
Liu Dongsheng looked anxious: "But I can't see you."
"Father" chuckled helplessly: "You can see it if you come closer."
Liu Dongsheng then stuck his entire head into the cave. After a while, his muffled voice could be heard from outside: "I saw it! Hahaha! What a huge cake!"
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday to you……"
The parents clapped their hands gently and sang Happy Birthday. In the silent forest, this warmth seemed particularly abrupt.
"Hahahaha! How fun! This gift is so interesting!"
Liu Dongsheng's voice sounded very happy, but his body movements were a little strange. He was dancing as if he was struggling, as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying, but he couldn't break free and couldn't pull his head out.
"Dongsheng, do you like it?"
Mother asked gently.
"I like it! I love it so much. Can we still do this next year?"
Liu Dongsheng pressed against the rock at the cave entrance, and his movements became more and more intense as he tried to break free.
The "father" replied: "Of course, Dongsheng, we love you."
"Mother" said: "You are our pride, Dongsheng."
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday to you……"
The Happy Birthday song rang out again.
This time, Liu Dongsheng stopped struggling. He lay stiffly at the edge of the cave, repeating the lyrics in a dull voice.
When the music ended, he slowly pulled out and pulled his head out.
Under the dim moonlight, his expression was very calm, completely different from his cheerful look just now.
Li Tong asked: "Dongsheng, what gifts did your parents give you?"
Liu Dongsheng chuckled: "It's an extremely cool car model!"
Someone commented: "That's great! I also want a car model, but my mom said she'll only buy it if I get a perfect score on the final exam."
It was very late, and a group of people began to walk down the mountain in small groups.
Xiaohui followed at the back of the team, listening to everyone's gossip, and inadvertently caught a hint of weirdness in the subconscious.
It seems...something is wrong.
Where was it? ...Wait, now that I think about it, it seems strange from the beginning.
Why can cartoons be played in caves?
Why are Liu Dongsheng’s parents in the cave?
Why don't other people find it weird?
Am I the only one who noticed something was wrong?
Why?
Why?
Why! !
The mountain path glowed bluish-white in the moonlight, like a snake that could bite passersby at any time.
With every step, the gravel made a tiny crunching sound, as if something was whispering in the dark.
Xiaohui was terrified. The pitch-black cave haunted his mind like a ghost. He couldn't help but imagine a scene: countless pairs of dark hands stretched out from the cave entrance, following the footprints to grab his ankles...
Finally, he mustered up the courage and turned back boldly.
The cave is still the same cave, with no other abnormalities.
Everyone tiptoed around the teacher on duty's office and returned to the dormitory of the school in town.
Xiaohui pulled up the thin air-conditioning quilt, closed his eyes, and forced himself to fall asleep.
Was that just an illusion?
Probably.
There was no Armor Star Warrior, nor was there a Happy Birthday song sung by Liu Dongsheng's parents.
It's all fantasy...it must be like this.
The next day, the sun rose outside the window, bright and dazzling. The sunlight dispelled the haze of last night, and he seemed to have really just had a strange nightmare.
Perhaps even that impromptu adventure was just part of a dream.
Xiaohui got dressed in a daze, washed up, and followed his roommate out to queue up.
The teacher in charge was excitedly announcing that today's activity was to visit the handicraft market in the town and experience the local folk customs.
Xiaohui was in a daze, thinking about what happened yesterday all the way.
The team passed the entrance of the town clinic, where a police car was parked with its traffic lights flashing alarmingly. A large group of people were gathered on the side of the road, talking among themselves.
Xiao Hui slowed down his pace for unknown reasons. He saw that the old man was holding a very familiar black and white portrait in his arms: "Dongsheng... why are you letting an old man send off a young man..."
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Xiaohui stood there in a daze, and the scene that he had deliberately forgotten became clear again.
My heartbeat quickened uncontrollably, and even my teeth made chattering sounds due to trembling.
Liu Dongsheng is dead!
It must be...it must be that cave!
Last night, when Liu Dongsheng's head was stuck in the hole, he was struggling like...
It was as if he had put his head into the mouth of a giant beast.
That's not a cave...
That's a monster.
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