Chapter 343
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Chapter 343: Ghostly Affairs in the Forest
This matter was not explained in detail in the intelligence report, Lin Qiye recalled and slowly spoke up.
An Qingyu pondered for a moment and said, “When I was procuring equipment in Tianhe City, I did hear some rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“There are many treasure hunters around the vicinity of the Xing’an Mountains.”
“Treasures? Are there treasures nearby?” Bai Li Pangpang’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Not exactly. The ‘treasures’ here mostly refer to aged ginseng or other precious herbs that grow in the deep mountains. Although there are legends about treasure ruins, they are not common, and most of them are related to some terrifying tales.”
“Oh, so it’s about herbs.” Bai Li Pangpang sighed with some regret.
“Terrifying tales?” Cao Yuan became interested and urged, “Tell us more.”
Bai Li Pangpang was taken aback, glanced around, and felt the eerie silence of the dark forest, which sent chills down his spine. “Are you sure we should be listening to ghost stories here?”
“We can listen; many ‘mysteries’ come from such local legends. You never know when you might encounter something later,” Lin Qiye said.
Bai Li Pangpang grinned, “Why do I get the feeling you’re quite looking forward to this?”
An Qingyu cleared his throat and slowly began, “There are many terrifying legends about the Xing’an Mountains, like the Fox Immortal, the Horse Monkey legend, and the Paper Man carrying a sedan chair… But the one I heard seems even more bizarre.”
“In the depths of the primeval forest, there is a logging site…”
“Wait!”
Bai Li Pangpang interrupted An Qingyu, unable to help but ask, “The logging site? The one we are heading to? Are you sure this isn’t just to create a spooky atmosphere, a story you made up?”
“Of course not. The logging site is not the key to this story,” An Qingyu shook his head and continued, “The legend says that beside this logging site, there is a sinister ghost forest. One day, a lumberjack working there entered the ghost forest to cut wood. After he felled the first tree, he saw a shadow vaguely appearing deep within the ghost forest…”
“At first, he thought it was just a wild animal, but as he approached, he realized the shadow was human-shaped, small in stature, and wearing a bizarre bright red outfit, which was very eye-catching. But the most important thing was that he saw the face…”
“It was a pale face, with indistinct features, looking somewhat human… but more like a corpse.”
Bai Li Pangpang shuddered violently.
“Later, this incident spread, and a group of young people came to explore the ghost forest, hoping to find traces of that mysterious figure. They didn’t feel anything was wrong when they entered the ghost forest; they just thought the environment was a bit eerie. Eventually, they just took a quick tour and came out.”
“It was only after they exited that they realized… one person was missing from their group.”
“The missing person was a guide they had found locally. They searched around the ghost forest for a long time but couldn’t find any trace of him. Later, they encountered the lumberjack who had seen the figure and showed him a photo of the missing person, hoping he could rally the other lumberjacks to help search.”
“But when the lumberjack saw that photo, his expression changed instantly.”
“The missing person’s appearance was exactly the same as the corpse-like face he had seen in the forest…”
As An Qingyu finished speaking, the surroundings fell into a dead silence.
Bai Li Pangpang’s face turned pale. He took out a string of prayer beads from his pocket and began to mumble, his eyes darting nervously to the darkness on either side, almost shrinking his entire face into his collar, fearing something might jump out from the side.
After hearing this story, Lin Qiye pondered and asked, “So, what is this story really trying to convey?”
“This story actually tells that in the uninhabited areas deep within the Xing’an Mountains, there exists an eternal kingdom where the dead can be reborn and exist forever. The missing young man is actually a dead person who mistakenly wandered out of that kingdom. The reason he followed the group to explore the ghost forest was to find a way back home,” An Qingyu explained.
“The kingdom of the dead in the primeval forest… that is somewhat interesting,” Cao Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, Lin Qiye, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped.
The four of them had been advancing in a single-file line through the forest, with Lin Qiye sensing the surrounding environment, leading the way. Behind him were An Qingyu and Bai Li Pangpang, while Cao Yuan brought up the rear.
As soon as Lin Qiye stopped, the three behind him also halted.
“What’s wrong? We should still have at least two hours to the abandoned logging site…” Bai Li Pangpang asked in confusion.
Lin Qiye stood at the front, his brow slightly furrowed, the beam of his flashlight slowly moving through the pitch-black forest, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
He reached back toward his backpack…
“There’s something nearby…”
His voice was low, but the three behind him heard it clearly, and everyone tensed up, warily looking around.
In this dark forest, there was an eerie silence, with no sound other than their breathing.
With each breath, a puff of white mist formed in the dim light, and as the mist dissipated, everyone’s hearts raced.
Suddenly, Lin Qiye’s pupils constricted!
Ding—!!
A soft whimper shattered the silence of the night. The straight knife in his hand was instantly drawn, the pale blue blade slicing through the branches in the darkness, shooting straight into the forest beside them!
Immediately after, a piercing shriek echoed from within the woods!
The sound was sharp, nothing like a human could produce. The next moment, a shadow, as massive as a bull, sprang from the darkness, charging toward the four!
There was no time for any extra movements; all four reacted swiftly, instantly retreating in all directions. The shadow swept past Bai Li Pangpang and crashed directly into a large tree!
Boom—!
A dull thud resounded as the tree was abruptly snapped in half by the impact!
At the same time, four beams of flashlight converged, and everyone finally saw the true form of that shadow.
It was a giant blood-red ant!
About one and a half meters tall, at least two meters long, with a menacing mandible resembling a pair of sharp curved blades, six sturdy legs supporting its massive body, it quickly turned to face Lin Qiye and the others.
An eerie and shrill sound erupted from its mandibles again, and it rapidly scuttled through the forest, charging straight at the nearest Bai Li Pangpang!
“Damn it, why is it coming straight for me?!” Bai Li Pangpang cursed, and a golden light suddenly flashed around his neck!
