Seeds of Doubt
Once the terrifying thought took root in their minds, it became nearly impossible to eradicate.
Food.
The moment those two characters surfaced in their thoughts, they lingered, refusing to dissipate.
"No way…"
"Even if it was for food, they wouldn't kill for it, would they?" Liu gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.
It wasn't the act of killing itself that frightened him.
It was the reason behind those villagers murdering Guang Xiu's entire family... just for food.
"This isn't the first time something like this has happened.
In ancient times, during severe droughts and famines, people would even resort to cannibalism.
Many people think it's just an exaggeration, but it's actually not an exaggeration at all!" Ning said, his voice heavy with the weight of the truth.
"Of course, that's not the scariest part."
"After all, in those circumstances, people could only follow the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, to stay alive."
"What's truly terrifying is that those who committed evil deeds, after weathering the crisis, used lies to cover up their crimes and even pinned the blame on the victims!"
"Back then, what was stolen from Guang Xiu's family wasn't just food, but also their lives, their reputation..."
Bai sighed sympathetically, "That's the scariest part..."
"Everyone knows you're innocent, but no one speaks up for you. They even band together to fabricate absurd accusations against you, point their fingers at you, and put you on trial..."
"I think I can understand why such a terrifying vengeful spirit was born in this village..."
"This is no longer just a simple matter of life and death, of revenge."
Their hearts heavy with the weight of their discoveries, they fell silent, unable to continue the conversation.
They returned to their guesthouse in somber silence.
By now, they could basically piece together what had happened in the village all those years ago, but they still hadn't found the way out.
Time flew by quickly, and soon it was dinner time again.
Due to their heightened caution, apart from Tang, no one else had vanished.
Seven remained.
During dinner, everyone sat at the table, their silence deafening.
Only Luo stared at her plate, a constant smile plastered on her face.
Her smile was eerie, her expression dazed.
No one knew what she had experienced alone in the guesthouse that afternoon.
Ning observed Luo, a sense of familiarity tugging at the back of his mind.
He felt like he had seen that smile somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
The others noticed it too, subtly distancing themselves from Luo.
As a result, a strange scene unfolded around the circular dining table.
Luo sat alone, while the remaining six squeezed together on the opposite side.
"Luo, Luo!"
"What are you smiling about?"
Finally, someone broke the silence.
It was Fang, the timid girl.
Luo's strange demeanor terrified her.
But Luo didn't respond.
She held her chopsticks in her hand, not bothering to pick up any food.
Her eyes remained fixed on the plate in front of her, and she would let out a soft chuckle every now and then, as if someone beside her was telling her jokes, amusing her.
The scene was incredibly eerie.
Fang felt that if they weren't surrounded by so many people, she would have run out of the room without a second thought.
"What, what's wrong with her?" The bespectacled man panicked.
No one answered his question because none of them knew.
Ning continued to eat, but he would glance up at Luo from time to time, seemingly observing something.
Suddenly, he stopped picking up food.
It dawned on him.
He finally remembered why Luo's smile felt so familiar...
He had seen that very same smile on Milana's face not too long ago!
Back then, when the shaman approached Milana, who was lying ill in bed, and chanted some incantations and sprinkled something on her, Milana had worn that same smile!
Could it be...
Was it the shaman's doing?
What was she trying to do?
As Ning pondered, Luo suddenly stood up in a daze and walked towards the door.
She moved like a walking corpse, devoid of any life.
But no one in the room dared to stop her.
It wasn't until Luo had walked some distance away that Fang spoke up, her voice weak and trembling, "Are we… are we going to die?"
Her voice was laced with panic and on the verge of tears.
"There are only four days left. We've basically been to all the attractions we could go to, and found all the clues we could find... But we still haven't found where the way out is!"
"Is it possible… that there's no way out of this door at all?"
Under immense pressure, emotions crumble first.
And once emotions collapse, intelligence follows suit.
People in this state would constantly doubt themselves, doubt everything around them!
Everyone's faces darkened.
"Hey, Bai, did you guys find any useful clues?"
"Tell us about it. Let's brainstorm together. It's better than fighting alone!"
"After all, we're all in the same boat now!"
Although the bespectacled man was a newcomer and hadn't performed well in many aspects, his initiative in searching for a way out gave his companions a glimmer of hope.
"Alright—"
"We did find some useful clues. There are seven of us left… Oh no, strictly speaking, there are only six of us now. So I'll share with you what we've found."
Bai began to explain.
She first told everyone present about the famine that had ravaged the village a hundred years ago.
Then, she mentioned the clue given by the Blood Gate.
"The clues given by the Blood Gate are usually not complete. In fact, apart from the 'Kind One,' the 'Compassionate One,' and the 'Innocent One,' there's also an 'Evil One' in this village."
"And that 'Evil One' is the shaman of this village!"
"As for the way out… We need to help the Kind One get revenge, eliminate the Evil One, and help the Compassionate One find its lost head, restoring peace to the village."
"And we have less than four days to do all of this."
"If we don't accomplish these things before the temple ritual, then what awaits us… is likely the final reckoning of the 'Kind One' and the 'Compassionate One'!"