“All dead?”
Yao Ye couldn’t believe it.
He couldn’t fathom how a person who had been alive and kicking just a few days ago had suddenly disappeared from the world.
This marked Yao Ye’s first encounter with such a profound and direct experience of someone’s death. He was a little dazed and confused.
Did that taciturn young man really die?
Seeing Yao Ye’s dazed look, Father Yao could only sigh and say, “Yeah, nobody would have expected this. Life is unpredictable. I originally planned to invest a sum of money in them to improve the situation of that family, but I’ve been busy taking care of you these past couple of days, so I didn’t have time to discuss things. When I finally got some free time, I learned the news.”
Father Yao rubbed Yao Ye’s fluffy hair lovingly and then said, “The person who helped you is called Yuan Ping, right? Alas, he is also a poor child…”
Listening to Father Yao’s narration, a helpless expression surfaced on Yao Ye’s pale face.
Eventually, Yao Ye learned the whole story from Father Yao. Ever since he came down with a high fever and was hospitalized three days ago, Father Yao had been angry with the butcher. In his fury, he ignored the butcher’s family and refrained from contacting them.
After all, Yao Ye was his precious only son, but he fell ill inexplicably in the slaughterhouse. His son had a high fever and couldn’t wake up. The doctor even warned that he might become a fool because of the fever. When he asked the butcher about what could have caused this, the butcher had provided no helpful information, simply replying with “I don’t know”s.
His love for his beloved son made him extremely worried, and Father Yao inevitably became sullen.
In these three days, because the butcher was angry at his failure in attracting investment, he often abused his wife and son. In severe cases, he even stripped his wife naked in front of customers and mocked her.
His wife couldn’t bear the humiliation and set fire to the slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse was reduced to a sea of flames, and the whole family of three perished within.
The tragic news spread explosively amongst the townsfolk for the past two days. People were fervently discussing the seemingly kind-hearted husband who, in reality, was an abusive figure at home, subjecting his wife and son to violence. The wife, bearing visible scars and rumored to be mentally ill, was also a topic of discussion. Their gloomy young son had also met an untimely demise at a tender age.
After listening to Father Yao’s narration, Yao Ye couldn’t help but show a disappointed expression.
Yao Ye originally had no particular feelings for Yuan Ping. At most, he was grateful and found him slightly interesting. It was purely a youth’s fickle curiosity.
But unexpectedly, Yuan Ping had left the world just like that. People would always try to sing praises of the dead, and Yao Ye was no exception.
Thinking of his nightmarish experience in the slaughterhouse that day, his memories of the terrifying and ferocious monster faded away and were replaced by a silent and pale boy’s face.
Yuan Ping seemed to have been very calm. He must have known what happened in the slaughterhouse that day, but he didn’t say anything and firmly led him out of the slaughterhouse.
Yao Ye kept replaying the scene of Yuan Ping’s arrival in his mind. The eccentric young man in his memory suddenly became mysterious and charming. Every move he made when leading him out of the slaughterhouse became tinged with mystery, like a magnificent, fantastical dream.
Yao Ye abruptly felt very sad about Yuan Ping’s death. If he hadn’t died yet, they probably could have become a pair of very good friends.
“Dad, let’s build a grave for their family. Otherwise, they will be too pitiful,” Yao Ye said with pity.
Father Yao nodded solemnly.
Subsequently, Yao Ye spent another day in the hospital recuperating. Because he was almost fully recovered, Yao Ye simply went home to recuperate.
The night they returned, piercing sirens sounded in the town, and countless police cars zipped across the town.
Yao Ye opened the window of his room and looked outside, only to see countless flashing police lights.
He watched curiously for a moment, then prepared to close the window and go to sleep.
Swoosh…
A gust of cool wind blew by, and Yao Ye’s fluffy short hair was blown into a mess.
He brushed aside the unruly strands of hair that covered his eyes, and just so happened to glance at the road outside the villa through the gaps between his fingers. Black shadows were slowly crossing the road, and their stiff movements were inhuman.
Yao Ye was frightened. He immediately retracted his hand and retreated into the house.
What was that just now?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Yao Ye’s eyes widened, and the speed of his breathing picked up. He felt that he might have seen something he shouldn’t have seen, but his youthful curiosity beseeched him to look out the window again.
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Was it really possible?
Yao Ye, who has his arms raised, took in the view in front of him.
His breathing froze.
Grotesque humanoid monsters were dragging their mangled bodies, parading in the darkness. They were silent and moved slowly, but they excluded a chilling aura.
Yao Ye swallowed his saliva and continued to look with trembling hands. To his surprise, he spotted some soft-bodied monsters that were identical to the one he’d seen the other day. They were all squirming limply, leaving bloody trails on the road.
Yao Ye didn’t dare to look anymore. He carefully retracted his hand, closed the window, and huddled in bed, shivering.
What was the destination of the things outside? Yao Ye had no idea. He only vaguely remembered that the only road to the sea was in that direction.
Yao Ye kept his eyes open until three o’clock. Still unable to fall asleep, he simply gave up and walked out of his room to go to the kitchen to find some midnight snacks to fill his stomach. Perhaps sleep would come to him after he had his fill.
However, before Yao Ye could head downstairs for supper, he saw his grandma sitting in a wheelchair, looking quietly out of the corridor window.
“Grandma? Why did you come out?” Yao Ye trotted to his grandma in surprise, fearing illness or injury due to her old age.
After saying that, Yao Ye grasped his grandma’s wheelchair and prepared to bring her back to her room for rest. Their current location was rather far from her room; Yao Ye wondered how grandma had managed to wheel herself over.
“The people outside are so pitiful.” Grandma’s sudden statement startled Yao Ye.
He was stunned for a moment before revealing a joyful expression.
“Grandma! Have you recovered? Grandma, do you still recognize me?” Yao Ye excitedly squatted before his grandma.
Yao Ye’s grandma, who had always doted on Yao Ye, could no longer recognize people after she fell ill. Yao Ye had had a few heartwrenching cries because of this. Now that his grandma seemed to have recovered, he was naturally very happy.
“Little Ye, I have to leave,” Grandma said kindly, her voice bearing the vicissitudes of time.
Yao Ye looked at Grandma with confusion, not understanding her meaning.
Was Grandma leaving? Where was she going?
The elderly lady with a head of silver hair took one last glance out the window, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“Back then, during the era of famine, Grandma nearly died of starvation. I witnessed many acts of cannibalism back then, and I believed that I wouldn’t see such horrors ever again… But humans tend to repeat their mistakes. Child, I hope you never experience such a thing.”
Yao Ye was bewildered after hearing these words. He had no idea what his grandma was talking about.
The old lady lovingly patted Yao Ye’s head and sighed, “Child, promise Grandma that you won’t go out on a boat to sea until you’re twenty-five, okay?”
Yao Ye, gazing into his grandma’s kind eyes, suddenly felt panic surge within his heart. Helpless, his tears welled up, and he nodded while sniffling.
He didn’t understand why he was crying; he just lay on his grandma’s lap, unable to stop the tears from falling, eventually crying himself to sleep.
The next day, Yao Ye awoke to the sound of his father’s voice. It was then that he learned about his grandmother’s passing. She had peacefully passed away in her sleep around three o’clock the previous night.
To avoid disturbing Yao Ye, who had just been discharged from the hospital, his parents hadn’t woken him when it happened.
Hearing the news, Yao Ye turned pale and recounted the strange encounter with his grandmother from the night before. He had dreamt of her appearing in the corridor at around 3:30, saying enigmatic words.
The grief on Father Yao’s face had not even dissipated before he learned of this supernatural event, and he inadvertently started to worry.
He felt that the ”fengshui”in this town seemed to conflict with their family’s — why else would such bizarre events occur? Resolute, Father Yao decided that they would move away from this town after Yao Ye’s grandma’s funeral.
Yao Ye was starting to get frightened. For the next few days, he was absent-minded as if he had lost his soul.
It wasn’t until the Yao family left the town that Yao Ye regained his spirits.
In the past few days, Yao Ye finally learned the truth about the bustling of the police cars that day.
As it turned out, a gruesome incident had occurred at the slaughterhouse. A group of townspeople had gone berserk, biting at each other amidst the ruins of the slaughterhouse, resulting in body parts flying in all directions. The scene was truly horrifying.
What was even more chilling was that the police had unearthed a large pit within the slaughterhouse, filled with human bones and clothing. It became apparent that the butcher had been killing outsiders who ventured into the town and using their remains to make soup.
As Yao Ye contemplated this, he gazed at the town receding through the rear car window, his eyes reflecting a sense of confusion.
Did Yuan Ping know about his father’s atrocities?
If he did, was he terrified?
Having such a cruel and malevolent father was the most frightening thing in the world.
The car swiftly departed from the town, revealing the nearby expanse of the azure sea.
Yao Ye rolled down the car window to behold the picturesque bay. In the distance, he thought he saw numerous distorted black figures slowly disappearing into the boundless depths of the sea.
The memory of the eerie soft-bodied creature from that day resurfaced in his mind, causing Yao Ye to clench his lips.
Was the creature he had encountered seeking help?
Yao Ye couldn’t help but come up with this thought.
After all, the outsiders seemed unable to find peace even after their deaths. Their very bones were consumed; perhaps their souls were still wailing in torment.
However, pondering these matters now seemed futile. With the demise of the butcher’s family, all sins had drawn to a close, and perhaps the restless souls could finally find solace.
As the car continued its journey, Yao Ye left behind the land where numerous strange events had unfolded.
Over the next nine years, Yao Ye never returned to that town, gradually burying the memories of the pale, mysterious boy and the town itself deep within his mind.
Nine years later, Yunhai Port.
A luxurious cruise ship docked, welcoming countless boarding guests.
It was Yao Ye’s twenty-fifth birthday that day. He would be celebrating his birthday on board.
As the only son of the wealthiest man in Yunhai City, the celebration of Yao Ye’s birthday drew a large number of guests who streamed in.
Countless celebrities and affluent individuals filled the large, chartered cruise ship.
Among them, there were several unexpected visitors — four young men in unconventional attire, who boarded with valid invitations. Though their appearance raised security concerns, the genuine invitations left no room for refusal.
“Wow, this game is amazing! So realistic! Even this cruise ship is so luxurious!” exclaimed a pretty girl with pink afro hair as she munched on bubblegum. Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
“That’s right, this is built on cutting-edge Dragon Kingdom technology. Don’t worry, miss, I’m a seasoned explorer. We’ll definitely clear this instance easily! Just enjoy the ride!” chimed another silver-haired young man dressed in alternate fashion. He cast a lecherous gaze at the substantial swell of pink-haired girl’s chest and boldly made his promise.
“Yeah! Brother Li, you’re the best! Horror games are terrifying, but with you, we’re in safe hands!” the pink-haired girl said as she hugged Brother Li’s arm with a sweet smile on her face and nudged the other with her chest.
“Uh-haha! No problem!” Brother Li’s face was bright red with excitement.
The other two young men accompanying Brother Li were obviously stunned speechless.
The four of them stood in the corner of the deck, watching well-dressed celebrities mingling with each other and discussing business opportunities and gossip that they could not understand.
Brother Li curled his lips and said, “Haha, look at them acting all sanctimonious. After the plot starts, they’ll all drown hahaha!”
The pink-haired girl hadn’t bothered to read the plot before entering the game. Her curiosity piqued, she asked Brother Li how the plot was supposed to unfold.
“A maritime disaster will soon follow. Most of the passengers will be rescued, but some of them will drown. The drowned passengers won’t know that they’re already dead, and the sea will wash them to a ghost island, where they’ll be hunted down by a crazed murderer. In the end, they’ll all die.”
The pink-haired girl trembled at these words and her face turned pale with fright.
“Ah? What do I do, then? I’m terrified of water. Will we truly end up drowning? Doesn’t this game only reduce the pain by half?”
Brother Li enjoyed the beauty’s embrace and said proudly, “Don’t be afraid; we are not like those NPCs. Of course, we don’t have to experience death. After the shipwreck occurs, we will automatically be sent to the ghost island, and then we will just clear the mission and complete the plot.”
“By the way, I asked around for a walkthrough. In this instance, the final boss of Ghost Island is a large man covered in bandages. He seems to have a grudge against the NPC who is celebrating his birthday today!”
The pink-haired girl showed a curious expression and expressed her confusion, “A grudge? So what?”
Brother Li continued, “Hehe, silly girl, think about it. With this in mind, we can tie up that kid as soon as we get to the island! When the boss comes, we’ll throw him out to attract the boss’ aggro! The task will be a breeze to clear after that!”
The pink-haired girl was enlightened and looked at Brother Li with admiration. The two of them began to act intimately again.
The two young men next to him were Brother Li’s real-life friends. Of course, they had the good sense not to disturb him while he picked up girls. Instead, they went to a nearby restaurant to savor the delicious food in the game.
On the top floor of the cruise ship, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, a handsome young man with black hair stood, overlooking the sea with a glass of red wine in his hands.
He hadn’t set foot on any boats after his promise to his grandma.
It had been a stifling nine years. Seeing the stream of photos that his privileged scion friends posted of their holidays on cruise ships made Yao Ye very angry.
Now, it was finally his turn.
Yao Ye happily drank the red wine in his glass and took a selfie with his cell phone.
After sending the photo to his WeChat Moments, Yao Ye put away his phone and prepared to go down.
After all, he was the star of the birthday party tonight, and if he didn’t show up, he would be considered arrogant.
Yao Ye left the room, not noticing that a dark cloud flashing with thunder loomed ominously above the sea outside the French window.
[30 minutes and 51 seconds left before the plot starts. Players, please prepare yourselves.]
[Players, please maintain your composure; if your level of fear surpasses the threshold, you will be disconnected.]
The four self-proclaimed players looked at the darkening sky, then at the ignorant celebrities around them, and revealed expectant smiles.
The plot would soon begin.
At the same time, amidst the endless sea, an isolated island floated, hidden from human eyes.
On the beach, a large, bandaged man with a muscular, two-meter-tall frame effortlessly cleaved a humanoid ghost in half with a knife.
The man’s streamlined muscles covered his body, complementing his towering figure which stood at over two meters tall. His body had perfect proportions, forming an inverted triangle. Even the bandages wrapped around him were unable to conceal the lines of his musculature, which hid explosive strength.
His gigantic physique, when compared to that of a normal human’s, was undeniably imposing.
As the blood-stained blade descended, the ghost’s wails abruptly ceased. Countless ghosts concealed on the island trembled, refusing to make a single sound for fear of alerting this exceedingly fearsome judge.
The one-meter-long broad-backed blade in the judge’s grasp was casually dragged across the ground, while its bandaged countenance remained devoid of expression.
Seemingly sensing something, it turned its gaze toward the island’s perimeter.
A colossal whirlpool had materialized, as it typically did when intruders approached.
In the eyes of the judge, all such intruders had to be eradicated.
TN: Next chapter will be posted on 8 Nov 2023 (Wednesday) instead of 5 Nov.
Did the grandma snap out of it or something? If she was there when the whole thing started and thought them pitiful, then why was she shouting “meat” that one time?
So hold on why am I just realising these are instances in an unlimited flow, I thought they were yk like isolated places in a world 😔