No wonder Xiao Sanzi said it was strange.
Because Akai originally came up the mountain with us, he belonged to a group of people.
Although he had disappeared before.
If there's an extra stranger present, you'll find out quickly.
Subconsciously, people tend to automatically include familiar faces in their group count.
Even in cases like Akai, who disappears midway and then reappears inexplicably, our brains will instinctively classify him as a member of the original team, thus ignoring the anomaly.
But Da Niu's disappearance was like a sudden pebble, shattering this seemingly normal situation.
I took a deep breath and tried to make my voice sound steady.
"Don't panic, everyone. Xiao Sanzi has injured his foot. Let's take a short break here."
As I spoke, I squatted down, pretending to check on Xiao Sanzi's injuries, but actually secretly observing everyone's reactions.
Ah Wei's eyes darted around, glancing at the thick fog around him from time to time, his hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes.
The young man who was almost pushed into the dry well remained vigilant, but fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, clearly indicating that he was also very nervous.
The old man paced back and forth, muttering something under his breath.
Ah Kai, the one who suddenly returned to the team, looked at Xiao Sanzi with a seemingly concerned expression, but I always felt that there was a hint of something strange in the depths of his eyes.
I approached Kai discreetly and asked in a normal tone, "Kai, where did you go? Everyone was so worried."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Sanzi, who was curled up on the ground due to his "foot injury," shuddered violently as if struck by an electric current.
I immediately understood and subtly pressed down on his shoulder.
Xiao Sanzi's face grew increasingly pale, as white as paper, devoid of any color.
Fortunately, he was playing the role of an injured person at the time, so his unpleasant expression wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.
I shook my head slightly and conveyed to him with my eyes: "Don't be nervous, just follow my instructions."
The third son, as if by telepathy, instantly understood what I meant.
Then, he screamed in agony again, his voice now even more shrill.
At the same time, when the others heard my question, they all turned their surprised gazes toward Akai.
Strangely, they did not show the fear that one would expect when facing an unusual situation.
I thought to myself that the series of strange events along the way must have kept them on edge, to the point that their brains automatically blocked out the fact that the number of people in the group had changed inexplicably.
At this moment, they showed more concern for Akai's sudden return.
What's even stranger is that no one noticed Da Niu was missing.
The veteran spoke first, asking anxiously, "Kai, where did you go? You scared us half to death! Did you fall into that dry well?"
The young man who was almost pushed into the dry well by Da Niu chimed in, "Yeah, Kai, you disappeared so suddenly, everyone was so worried about you. Tell us what happened."
Ah Wei stood aside, saying nothing, quietly waiting for Ah Kai's reply.
When faced with the questions from the crowd, Akai was only slightly taken aback.
He explained, "I... I don't know what happened. I suddenly found myself in a daze and ended up in a place. When I came to my senses, I saw you all."
"You're not hallucinating again, are you?" Awei asked, frowning.
Ah Kai shuddered, as if recalling something terrifying, and nodded vigorously.
"I... I don't know what happened either. I felt something sticky on my feet, like there was something stuck there, so I bent down to pick it off."
"When I finished cleaning up and looked up, I found that you were all gone. I shouted at the top of my lungs, but no one responded." He gestured as he spoke, his voice still filled with lingering fear.
"There was nothing I could do but grit my teeth and keep walking. As I walked, I saw a middle-aged man standing there motionless, so I went up to him and asked if he had seen us."
"The man's face was frighteningly pale, and his lips moved, but no sound came out."
"I was wondering about it at the time, and then I subconsciously looked down and found that his feet were not touching the ground, but floating in mid-air."
As Ah Kai spoke, his voice changed and his body began to tremble. "I was so scared that I lost my mind. I didn't care about anything and just ran for my life. I don't know how long I ran before I saw you guys."
Ah Wei asked in confusion, "Ah Kai, what did that man look like?"
Ah Kai closed his eyes, tried hard to recall for a while, and said.
"He was wearing an old-fashioned black Zhongshan suit, his hair was messy, his face was extremely pale, and his eyes were red and swollen, as if he had been crying for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Ah Wei's face turned deathly pale.
"Kai, that's the man who was crying for his wife by the well. My grandpa said he died unjustly and has been loitering around here, probably trying to drag you down with him. Luckily you ran fast, or you would have been in big trouble if he had caught you!"
The moment those words were spoken, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Everyone gasped, and a nameless fear spread through their hearts.
Everyone instinctively huddled together, their eyes warily scanning their surroundings.
It was as if that terrifying "man" could emerge from the thick fog at any moment.
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