tkworld #521 - Moonlit Night Horror
#521 - Moonlit Night Horror
Tang Yin leaned against the wooden wall of the outhouse, his brow furrowed, his mind racing. He closed his eyes, trying to sort through his thoughts in this darkness, taking stock of the village's current situation.
Yesterday morning, an unidentified little girl got lost in the Sacred Valley, and the villagers considered her an ominous presence. Tang Yin recalled the little girl's terrified eyes, and his heart tightened.
And he himself got lost in the Sacred Valley last night. Although the villagers admitted that he was indeed a lost traveler, he was still regarded as an ominous presence.
Tang Yin's thoughts drifted to Qian Jin, the representative of the Qian Group. He recalled Qian Jin's shrewd eyes and thoughtful expression. From his words, Tang Yin deduced that there was a shocking superstitious custom in this village—pushing ominous people off the cliff.
"When the evening mist rises, the mad feast will begin."
This mysterious line echoed in Tang Yin's mind like an ominous prophecy. He realized that this sentence probably also originated from the village's superstition.
Tang Yin's gaze passed through the wooden planks of the outhouse, looking out at the churning thick fog. He suddenly realized that the source of the fog should be the Sacred River. This river and the surrounding fog constituted the core elements of the villagers' superstition and horror.
But what exactly is the danger? What are they afraid of?
The term "Yellow Spring Person" flashed through Tang Yin's mind, and he couldn't help but shudder. Does it mean the dead? An unclean Sacred River, the dead returning to the world… Tang Yin's brain began to uncontrollably generate some bad associations.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to find a reasonable explanation for this strange superstition. Suddenly, a bold hypothesis formed in his mind:
Could there be some kind of pathogen in the Sacred River that spreads through the fog? Would infected people turn into zombies and then trigger a biochemical crisis? Tang Yin's imagination began to run wild.
He continued to reason: Assuming the infection rate of the fog is only 10%, but the probability of cross-infection between humans is 100%. This explains why the villagers want to isolate the infected people. Because zombies have no intelligence and cannot open locked doors, they can achieve active isolation by hiding in locked rooms.
Tang Yin shook his head with a wry smile, realizing that this was just his wild imagination. But he had to admit that the logic of this story seemed to make sense.
His thoughts returned to the strange statues in the village and the "wolf is coming" mentioned by Grandpa Wolf. This village obviously had many unsolved mysteries. Even excluding these factors, the legends about the fog and the Sacred River alone were fascinating enough.
Tang Yin stood up and paced back and forth in the small space. He couldn't help but ask himself: Even in a remote rural area, would people really still believe in this kind of superstition that can be explained by science?
He recalled the genuine fear and awe on the villagers' faces and couldn't help but feel a trace of unease. This superstition seemed to be deeply rooted in their hearts, becoming an unshakable belief.
Tang Yin leaned against the door, looking out through the cracks. The fog was still churning, as if it had a life of its own. He couldn't help but imagine, if there really was something hidden in the fog, what would it be like? Would it be the "Yellow Spring Person" imagined by the villagers, or a zombie infected with some unknown virus?
…
Suddenly, his brow furrowed even tighter, and a trace of alertness flashed in his eyes. "No, there's a loophole," he muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible tremor.
Tang Yin closed his eyes, trying hard to recall Wang Lina's words. The petite girl with fear in her eyes had said to him: "From now on, hide here and lock the door for the whole night, and absolutely don't make any noise…"
"Don't make any noise?" Tang Yin's eyes suddenly opened, his pupils flashing with doubt and vigilance. This sentence was like a key, opening a new direction for his thinking.
This rule doesn't seem to have anything to do with infectious diseases.
Tang Yin stood up and paced back and forth in the small space. The wooden floor made a slight creaking sound under his feet, and he immediately stopped, as if this tiny sound might attract some unknown danger.
He had to admit that the reason he liked to let his imagination run wild so much was because he was afraid of the unknown and things he didn't understand. This fear was like a tentacle in the dark, constantly eroding his reason.
Tang Yin's thoughts drifted to ancient times. He imagined how the ancients faced incomprehensible natural phenomena and diseases. Images of various gods, demons, and monsters flashed through his mind. These fictional creatures were both the objects of the ancients' fear and their explanations of the unknown world.
"They are afraid of these concrete monsters on the one hand," Tang Yin whispered to himself, "but on the other hand, they feel that this is better than complete 'invisibility' and 'ignorance'."
His gaze passed through the window and landed on the heavy fog outside. The fog seemed to be alive, slowly wriggling, making people shudder.
Tang Yin suddenly realized that if he died at the hands of an unseen or unknown phenomenon, then life would be too unreasonable and too unclear.
"So, even with fictional names and images, the ancients would recognize and remember them…" Tang Yin murmured, "This is actually a very rational behavior."
He shook his head with a wry smile, realizing that his fear of the unknown was no different from that of the ancients. But the difference was that Tang Yin could not be satisfied with simply labeling and hypothesizing. Only by finding the truth could he truly feel at ease.
However, at this moment, Tang Yin suddenly realized that what he was facing now was not simply a fear of the unknown, but an extremely real threat, a fear for life itself. This realization was like a bucket of ice water poured on his head, instantly sobering him up.
Tang Yin closed his eyes and repeated Wang Lina's words in his mind again. His brow furrowed even tighter, as if he wanted to engrave that sentence in his mind.
"That is to say," he said softly, his voice carrying a trace of tremor, "there is something outside that becomes very dangerous when it hears a sound."
Tang Long's gaze fell on the fog outside the window again. The fog seemed to have become even more gloomy and terrifying, as if it hid countless unknown threats. He couldn't help but guess, could that dangerous thing be the dead from the Sacred River? Or could it be assassins dispatched to eliminate Sacred Disease patients who violated the rules?
"The wolf is coming?" This word suddenly flashed in his mind, making him tremble all over.
Tang Yin's eyes suddenly lit up, "Maybe the wolf is the code name for the killer—" he said in a low voice, his voice carrying a mixture of excitement and fear.
Just then, a faint noise suddenly came from outside. Tang Yin's body instantly stiffened, and his breathing almost stopped. He held his breath, pricked up his ears, and carefully listened to the movement outside.
The sound was very light, like the sound of some creature moving in the fog. Tang Yin's heart beat faster, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. He didn't know what was outside, but he knew that whatever it was, it could mean life-threatening danger.
…
"Ahhhhh!"
A shrill scream pierced the night sky, like a sharp blade piercing the silent darkness. Tang Yin woke up suddenly from his contemplation, his heart pounding violently. It was a woman's scream, full of fear and despair, as if it came from the depths of hell.
Just then, two options suddenly popped up on the game interface, the fluorescent green font particularly glaring in the darkness:
[Option 1: Go outside and take a look]
[Option 2: ???????? (Unlocked)]
G sauce frowned, her finger hovering in the air, hesitant. The second option was obscured by a string of mysterious question marks, as if mocking her powerlessness. Helpless, she had to choose the first option.
As the choice was confirmed, Tang Yin in the game fell into deeper thought.
This timing was too coincidental. He had just proposed a hypothesis, and the evidence to verify it appeared so suddenly. This made him feel a trace of unease, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.
Unconsciously, the surroundings had fallen into darkness. The darkness was like a huge monster, opening its bloody mouth to devour Tang Yin. The fear of the unknown came like a tide, and he felt his breathing become rapid and his palms begin to sweat.
"Calm down, calm down," Tang Yin muttered in his heart, trying to calm his emotions. However, reason told him that the outside was also fraught with danger. Whether indoors or outdoors, whatever the reason, fear is fear, it is omnipresent.
But—even so, Tang Yin could not suppress the burning flame of curiosity in his heart. This curiosity was precisely the source of his power to overcome fear. It was like a beacon in the darkness, guiding him in the direction forward.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Yin made up his mind and slowly pushed open the door. The door axis made a harsh creaking sound, as if warning him of the danger he was about to face.
The world outside had not completely fallen into the abyss of darkness. Although the sky was dim and the clouds were thick, a faint ray of moonlight still stubbornly penetrated the clouds, casting a hazy silver glow on the ground.
However, even with this faint light source, the visibility was still desperately poor. Looking around, Tang Yin could only see the endless thick fog, as if the whole world was wrapped in it. Under the moonlight, Mist Hidden Village was shrouded in a milky gray mist, like a forgotten ghost town.
In this environment with extremely low visibility, even walking was full of risks. Tang Yin carefully took a step, fearing that he would step on empty space or bump into some invisible obstacle.
But even so, he could not ignore the screams just now. The fear and pain contained in that voice deeply stung his heart. Something terrible must have happened, and he had to find out.
According to his memory, the call should have come from the right. Tang Yin adjusted his direction and cautiously moved forward in the direction the sound came from. Just then, Wang Lina's face suddenly appeared in his mind. Those big eyes full of fear, pale cheeks, trembling lips.
"No!" Tang Yin shook his head violently, trying to shake off these terrible associations. He secretly warned himself in his heart: "Don't let your imagination run wild, or rather, you can't let your imagination run wild anymore."
The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ said ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥⊥ book ⊥⊥ bar ⊥⊥ first ⊥ hair!
Tang Yin knew that his way of survival was to overcome the fear of the unknown. However, the fear brought about by directly facing a life threat had already brought him to the brink of collapse. He couldn't bear any more, especially the fear of "losing someone." That kind of pain would probably completely crush his fragile psychological defenses.
Forcing himself to think from a different perspective, Tang Yin told himself: As long as he solved the mystery, he could help someone, which was a win-win situation. This idea gave him some courage and motivation.
…
"Ahhhhh!"
Another heart-wrenching scream, like a sharp dagger piercing the silence of the night. Tang Yin trembled all over, his hair standing on end. This time the sound was closer, as if it were close at hand.
Tang Yin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that impulsiveness was the devil, especially in this unknown and dangerous environment. He needed weapons, something to protect himself.
Squatting down, Tang Yin began to grope around his feet. The cool night breeze brushed his cheeks, bringing a hint of dampness. His fingers touched the soft weeds, and moist dewdrops wet his fingertips. Unfortunately, he couldn't even find a decent branch, let alone anything else that could be used as a weapon.
Unwilling to give up, Tang Yin began to part the weeds and dig down. Suddenly, a hard sensation came from his fingertips—it was a rock. Hope was rekindled, and he quickened his movements, not even noticing that his fingers were scratched by the rough stones.
Finally, after some effort, Tang Yin dug out a stone about the size of his palm. He held it in his hand, feeling its weight and rough surface. "Well, something is better than nothing," he thought self-deprecatingly, at least it was better than being empty-handed.
Although the moonlight barely illuminated the grass under his feet, Tang Yin was still extremely cautious. He carefully used his toes to explore the path, fearing that he would step on something dangerous. Every step was like walking on the tip of a knife, both tense and exciting.
Unknown dangers lurked around him, and Tang Yin dared not relax in the slightest. He tried to concentrate, pricked up his ears to listen to the surrounding movements, and tried to penetrate the mist with his eyes, looking for any suspicious shadows. Confirm the source of danger, and then do what he could—this was the action principle he set for himself.
As he went deeper, the screams gradually disappeared. However, more eerie sounds began to enter Tang Yin's ears.
Drip, drip, drip.
It was the sound of water dripping, but it was more terrifying than any horror movie soundtrack.
Tear, tear, tear.
It sounded like something was being torn apart, and Tang Yin couldn't imagine what it was.
The worst imaginations raged in his mind like a tide. Bloody scenes, twisted limbs, terrifying monsters—every thought made his heart beat faster and cold sweat break out.
"No, I can't think about it anymore!" Tang Yin shouted in his heart, forcing himself to continue moving forward.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tang Yin saw it.
In the center of the mist, a tall figure loomed. The moonlight shone on the thick fog, plating the outline with an eerie silver edge. As the fog flowed, the figure was sometimes clear and sometimes blurred, like a demon walking out of a nightmare.
Tang Yin opened his eyes wide, trying to identify the true face of the figure. Suddenly, a gust of night wind dispersed some of the fog, and he finally saw clearly—
A monster with a human body and a wolf's head stood there, like a statue from hell.
Its silhouette appeared especially terrifying in the mist, its long, sharp claws glinting coldly in the moonlight. The red eyes on the wolf's head were like two balls of burning flame, staring straight at Tang Yin through the fog, as if to devour his soul.
Tang Yin immediately felt a dizzy spell. His brain raced, trying to use reason to explain everything before him, but all logic collapsed at that moment.
"No... impossible..." Tang Yin muttered to himself, his voice trembling almost inaudibly. His face instantly turned as pale as paper, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and the stone in his hand almost slipped.
"How could such a thing exist!" Tang Yin shook his head violently, as if doing so could deny the reality before him. His eyes widened, his pupils contracted with fear, and his lips trembled incessantly. Cold sweat slid down his cheeks, and every cell in his body screamed to run away.
"This... this kind of thing, a monster with a human body and a wolf's face!"
His mind went blank, all courage and reason swallowed by fear at that moment. He wanted to run, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Just then, the werewolf slowly turned its head, its scarlet eyes staring directly at Tang Yin. The two locked eyes, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.