Chapter 67 Shrine 2 Ghost
You looked in the direction Xiao Zhou had run off to, let out a long, sullen sigh, and turned back to run towards the main hall.
The eerie, hoarse whisper in the headset continued unabated, its sound crashing against your ears like waves, impossible to ignore.
"You can hear it too, right?" you asked the translator as you ran.
She nodded without saying anything.
"We can't take these off while filming, so let's keep them on for now." You're afraid she might impulsively run away like Xiao Zhou, and if that happens, you'll be left alone. Forget about winning, the chances of survival in the entire scene will plummet.
The translator was just introverted, but very reliable in his work, and he even tightened his headset a little more.
After taking a short detour, the two of you will soon arrive at the front hall.
The front hall of the shrine is the most frequently visited place by tourists, and it feels more spacious compared to the secluded rear hall.
However, when you arrive, panting, all you see is the dim light emanating from the stone lanterns, and the incense in front of the shrine's offering table has been extinguished, with a burnt smell of some unknown object permeating the air.
The three boys who were originally scattered around the altar searching for clues have now been reduced to two—the buzz-cut boy and the fat boy; the damp boy is nowhere to be seen.
The two men stood to one side of the offering table, their faces pale, their eyes fixed on something on the table.
"Where's the other person?" You stepped forward, trying to see what they were looking at, but the man with the buzz cut just shook his head, his lips trembling violently.
"He... is gone, just like that... vanished." The fat guy finally spoke, his voice hoarse from howling earlier.
Following their gaze, you see an ancient wooden box placed in the center of the altar. The box is intricately carved with patterns that resemble mysterious ritual runes, and Japanese incantations are also engraved around it.
"It's touching. It's life."
(Do not touch. Anyone who touches it will lose their life.)
"What's this for?" you asked in a low voice.
"This is what that guy found earlier." The man with the buzz cut wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trying to calm himself down. "He thought it was the card from the mission, so he opened the box, and then... he heard a bell ring, and then he disappeared."
Is it the ringing again?
Your gaze falls on the wooden box. Its lid is slightly ajar, revealing an interior that is pitch black, seemingly bottomless.
It's hard not to feel like something is staring at you from inside the box, or even feel a tingling sensation rising from the soles of your feet, crawling all over your body like ants.
You looked around the altar and noticed something faintly visible. You crouched down and discovered a pair of blurry footprints.
The footprints were from sneakers, a small size, and appeared to be the marks left by the thinnest, dampest man. The edges of the footprints gleamed with a strange light, as if erased by some force. Fine gold dust was sprinkled on the ground in front of the footprints, emitting a faint fragrance.
"What are these...?" You took a few steps forward, examining them closely, trying to find clues.
"After he opened the box, a sudden gust of wind blew the gold dust inside everywhere," the fat man said, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear. "Then, I barely opened my eyes and saw him, he..."
"What happened to him? Was he swept away by the gold dust?" you asked earnestly.
"No!" the fat guy suddenly roared, venting his anger at you. "I don't know either! I already told you he suddenly disappeared, like...like he was sucked into that box!"
You get up and look at the wooden box, feeling as if it's an open mouth, greedily watching you.
Just then, that hoarse whisper came through the earpiece again, this time clearer, as if it were resounding directly in your mind:
"戻ってこない...who is 戻ってこない..."
("They can't come back... No one can come back...")
The translator whispers the translation in your ear.
I already said we don't need to translate every single sentence!
You press the earpiece to turn it off, but the sound gets louder and louder, eventually turning into a series of rapid ringing sounds, exactly the same as what you heard in the back hall before.
"You too?" you asked tentatively.
The two boys nodded, their eyes filled with despair and fear: "This wasn't part of the show's plan, was it?"
Just as you were discussing, the lights in the front hall suddenly began to flicker, and the incense burner on the offering table spontaneously combusted without any wind, quickly filling the air with thick smoke. The three of you were choked and had to back away, and in the smoke, the shadow behind the offering table began to distort, vaguely revealing a pair of glowing eyes.
"Run!" you growled, turned and ran. The translator followed closely behind, while the crew-cut man and the fat man hesitated for a moment before running out of the front hall one after the other. But when you looked back, the wooden box had appeared outside the offering table, its lid slowly closing as if announcing some kind of end.
The wide-open wooden doors of the main hall resembled a monster with its jaws wide open. The four of you stood in the shrine courtyard, breathing heavily and looking flustered, none of you wanting to look in that direction again.
"What do we do now?" The fat man frowned as he looked at the man with the buzz cut, his tone hesitant. "There must be a note in the front hall. Do we have to go back and get it?"
They were talking, glancing at you every now and then. You didn't care about their attitude and were just lost in thought.
Logically, finding all the notes is key to completing the mission. If you want to end this event and leave this scene completely, you still need to complete the mission.
"Who would actually risk going back to find that note?" the fat guy muttered to himself, then sneered. "At worst, we'll just quit filming. This show is too outrageous. Besides, who knows if the production team is trying to scare us to death?"
"We must get the note back," the man with the buzz cut interjected urgently. "Besides, the box is fine now, right? You can just go get it; it's very close by anyway."
The way you're saying that makes it sound like taking the note has nothing to do with him.
His attitude was too eager, but his body kept shrinking back, clearly indicating that he did not intend to return to the front hall himself.
"Why don't you go by yourself?" you asked coldly, staring directly at the man with the buzz cut.
"I..." the man with the buzz cut stammered, his eyes darting around, "I've already had enough of that, I really don't dare go back in. Besides, I'm not in charge of this..."
"Enough." The fat man suddenly interrupted him. "I remember before that person's accident, you were fiddling with something by the altar, right? Did you touch something first, and then let Xiao Li open the box?"
Upon hearing this, the man with the buzz cut suddenly became tense: "What nonsense are you talking about! I... I didn't touch that box!"
"Who said you touched the box?" you pressed.
The chubby guy immediately realized: "Right, I had my back to you two at the time. Didn't you keep saying you were looking for something on the side and didn't notice the box on the table?"
The man with the buzz cut was speechless.
"So that's how it is." The fat otaku sneered. "No wonder you lingered in the front hall for so long. Don't tell me you were just standing there in a daze!"
"I just... I just glanced at that box!" The buzz-cut man's voice grew louder, but his tone betrayed a clear unease.
Listening to their conversation, you can tell the man with the buzz cut is hiding something. You step forward, grab his collar, and ask, "Did you already know there was something in the box?"
The buzz-cut man tried to shake off your hand, but you, whose persona has now transformed into the strong and gluttonous Liu Zi, even though your height hasn't returned to normal, can still control a skinny buzz-cut man. Seeing that he couldn't break free, he opened his mouth, then opted for a soft resistance and simply stopped talking.
His expression was full of struggle, his eyes darting around as if he were looking for an excuse.
“Tell the truth,” you said, your tone becoming more stern. “If you don’t explain clearly, that person’s disappearance will be your fault.”
"Exactly!" the fat otaku chimed in.
Seeing that you were pressing him so hard, the man with the buzz cut finally couldn't hold on any longer. He lowered his head, his voice trembling noticeably: "Okay... I admit, I was the one who found the box first."
"As expected!" the fat man roared. "Then why didn't you just tell us?"
"I was afraid of getting the credit stolen!" The man with the buzz cut suddenly looked up, his face filled with a mixture of fear and anger. "We're in the same group, but whoever finds the note performs better on camera! I saw the note in the box and thought it was a prop from the show, so I let him try it. Who knew something like this would happen?"
"It's not just that, is it?" you expose his lie. "The shrine maiden said not to touch anything in the shrine, and you knew there was something wrong with the box, yet you still let him open it. You really didn't do it on purpose to put him at risk for you?"
"I didn't know there would actually be any danger!" the buzz-cut man retorted excitedly. "I thought it was just for scaremongering! Didn't you all always think this was arranged by the production team?"
“But you saw the warning on the card, didn’t you?” You know their neon language is very good. “'The one who opens it will be punished.' You could have stopped him.”
The man with the buzz cut lowered his head and remained silent. He knew that his excuses could no longer cover up the truth.
The fat guy stomped his feet in anger: "How can you be so selfish? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this situation at all!"
"I did it all for the team's results!" The man with the buzz cut suddenly raised his head, his tone tinged with resentment. "If the production team hadn't designed these ridiculous tasks, why would I have done this? Everyone knows—I just want to survive!"
“There are many ways to live. You don’t need to be so eager to use other people’s lives to experiment.” You sneered. “You let others take risks while you hide behind them. You don’t regret it at all now.”
The man with the buzz cut had nothing to say and could only lower his head in silence.
"By the way, have you already received the note?" The fat guy looked clumsy, but his mind worked quite quickly, and he noticed the key point in time.
The two of you stared at him with murderous intent. He tried to defend himself, but you held his collar tightly in your hand, and you tightened your grip. He finally confessed.
He took the note out of his pocket and handed it to you. The contents of the note were exactly the same as the writing on the wooden box.
You sighed, put the note in your pocket, and turned away, ignoring the man with the buzz cut. Now that things were clear, you didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him.
As for the man with the buzz cut, no one would want to work with him anymore.
The production team has now lost contact. The note, being a key prop, might have some life-saving effect. Xiao Zhou may have taken advantage of this to snatch the note and run away.
You don't know her situation yet, but you still choose to continue collecting notes.
Amidst their swirling thoughts, the chubby guy and the buzz-cut guy had already finished their scuffle. The buzz-cut guy left dejectedly, while the chubby guy sidled up to them, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Since you got the note, let me keep it. You see, we guys were a group from the start, and we only got this note after losing a teammate. You can't just keep it to yourself, can you?"
You felt a little disgusted by his smug and hypocritical expression, but you were too lazy to argue, so you simply handed him the note.
The chubby guy was overjoyed after receiving it, and said with a beaming smile, "Haha, that's even better! I'll definitely keep it safe. Don't worry, just follow my instructions!"
As if afraid you would "punish" him, the fat guy was momentarily stunned, then belatedly added a sycophantic remark: "Sis, you're so strong, you definitely wouldn't mind helping me out, right?"
Of course you mind.
Turn around and head towards the next possible hiding place for the note. The fat guy shamelessly follows behind you, but when he sees you stop by the well, he can't move. He just stays away, neither daring to get close nor too far away from you.
Night had fallen, and in the deserted courtyard stood a solitary well. Against the backdrop of white stones and the pitch-black night, for a moment you even felt that the ancient well was emitting a faint glow.
When the shrine maiden led you on the tour, you noticed a small stone tablet nearby, weathered and no longer clearly visible.
You take out your phone, shine a flashlight on it, and ask the translator to translate for you.
Legend has it that this ancient well is not an ordinary well, but a "well of sinners" enshrined in the shrine.
Centuries ago, the temple would throw sinners who broke taboos into wells as sacrifices to the gods. Those thrown into the wells would be trapped in darkness forever, their resentment transforming into "well ghosts," lingering at the bottom of the well, waiting for their next prey.
To seal the well ghost, later generations sealed the well opening with talismans. However, as time passed, the talismans faded, offerings ceased, and the well ghost's power gradually revived. Anyone who approached the well would hear whispers from the bottom and feel an irresistible attraction.
As the translator finished reading the last sentence, a gentle breeze dispersed the thin mist, and moonlight shone directly onto the moss by the well, giving it a soft, green glow.
rustle…
It's the leaves rustling.
It was also a murmured, whispered conversation.
"Assistant...(save me)...private meeting...(look at me)..."
The voice was filled with despair and pain, as if it were a trapped soul pleading for release.
So pitiful and sorrowful, you almost peeked out to look.
You frowned and quickly took a few steps back.
Now you can be sure the note is here. It's not just that the bell is ringing again, but also because the production team's setup seems to have merged with paranormal events; the note and the paranormal event are definitely linked.
Just as you were thinking about random things, a loud splashing sound suddenly came from the bottom of the well.
Black liquid gushed from the wellhead, instantly soaking the ground. From within the black liquid, a distorted human figure slowly emerged.
Its body was like a limp puppet, covered in black slime, its face indistinct, with only a pair of eerie eyes staring straight at you. It had no feet, only a long tail dragging on the ground, leaving dark, wet trails.
"Give me the card..." The monster opened its mouth, which was full of sharp teeth, and let out a low growl.
Even though the fat guy was quite a distance away, he was so frightened that he took several steps back, almost falling over. Clutching the note tightly, he cried out in a trembling voice, "It's after the note! Quick, give it the note!"
"Don't move!" you whispered, trying to stop him. "Are you crazy? This thing doesn't want the note; it wants your life!"
You quickly look around, trying to find a way to resolve the crisis.
At this moment, you notice a worn-out wooden shrine box on the altar beside the well, with the same talismans engraved on it as those on the stone tablet beside the well.
"The magic box...that's for sealing!" You instantly understood its importance.
"Hey, use the note to lure it away, I need time!" you quickly command.
"What?! You want me to lure it?" the fat guy screamed.
"Stop yelling! If you don't do it, we'll all die!" you roared, showing no mercy. "Didn't you want to take the note?"
The fat guy was intimidated by your imposing presence and staggered backward, drawing the attention of the ghost. He ran away in terror, while the ghost slowly and persistently pursued him, like a patient hunter.
Taking advantage of the ghost's distraction, you run to the altar, open the wooden shrine box, and find several incense sticks and a string of bells inside. You immediately light the incense, ring the bells, and, seeking guidance from the translator, whisper the incantation:
"霊よ, 安らかに梦れ...(soul, please rest in peace)"
The ringing of bells mingled with the smoke of cigarettes, the ghost's movements slowed, it let out painful screams, and its body gradually became transparent.
The ghost disappeared, the black liquid evaporated, and the well returned to calm.
The fat guy collapsed on the ground, the note in his hand soaked with sweat, looking like he had just walked out of the gates of hell.
You had no time to pay attention to him, so you took the opportunity to grab a bucket from the side and, without thinking twice, threw it down to start drawing water.
I thought I'd have to try several times, but on my first try I caught something round and bulging.
This thing is covered in mud and is very smooth. You hold it away from the well opening, then pick up a stone from the ground and scrape off the mud bit by bit.
"Hiss—" After seeing what it was, your hand trembled, and you broke out in a cold sweat.
This is a complete skull.
The note, wet and stuck in my eye socket.
"See and know, know and see. Those who know and see, the abyss and fall."
("Do not look, do not know. Those who pry will fall into the abyss.")
The three cards I've received so far are: Don't say, Don't touch, and Don't look.
Hmm, that's interesting.
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A note from the author: Good morning.
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