Nightmare Assault

“How… Why?” The strange things that happened to Shi Liaozhi were happening to Qin Jian. The travellers who left before him didn’t return. The only thing that returned was that suspicious boat. The boat moved silently through the mist. Everyone who took it was gone. That included Hao Shuai.

His pupils trembled. The paper doll’s arms started to bend. The bloated fingers reached out from the sleeves. The fingers were pasted with rotten red fingernails. The nails were cracked. Murky liquid leaked out of the cracks. They formed sticky threads around Qin Jian.

The stench was so heavy that Qin Jian could barely breathe. The weight on his back increased. A ticklish feeling came from his neck. Something wet and sticky slid across his neck. It was rough and carried an indescribable stickiness.

He instantly realised what it was. It was a tongue!

The ghost on his back… was licking him with its tongue. Qin Jian was so frightened that he felt like dying. At that moment, he experienced true despair. “Why?” Qin Jian moved his neck with difficulty. His eyes were taken over by thick despair. “Where is the chance to survive?”

He had considered more than once to shake off the ghost on his back and jump into the lake. However, he stopped himself every time because he knew that was not the best choice. There was only one way to survive. It was that poem!

The paper doll became heavier. Not too long ago, its weight had already surpassed that of a normal woman… Plus, this feeling was still increasing. Those who died from hanging were lighter, and those who died from drowning were heavier. Qin Jian heard that from the older generation.

His joints creaked like they would snap at any moment. Qin Jian gritted his teeth, and he slowly calmed down. “San Geng drum beats. Boat sails on the lake. Mourning clothes walk at night. Golden fortune in silver frost.”

His eyes were red. ‘San Geng drum beats’ should mean the start of this game. ‘Boat sails on the lake’ corresponded to the game rules. The last two sentences were the stanzas that required his attention.

‘Mourning clothes walk at night. Golden fortune in silver frost.’

Mourning clothes… should refer to him. After all, he was the only one among the travellers who wore black mourning clothes. The walking at night was probably moving through the lake on the boat at night.

But ‘Golden fortune in silver frost’ …

As Qin Jian felt the increasing pressure on his back, he suddenly noticed the fog around him had lightened. Then, on the lake’s surface, several metres away from him, there was a reflection of a silver moon.

Qin Jian’s eyes lit up. “The fortune is in the silver frost…” He was so excited that tears formed in his eyes. “The moon’s reflection has to be the silver frost that will lead me to the golden fortune!”

He gathered the last of his strength and stared at the moon in the water. Moments later, the boat started to abide by his wish and slowly moved towards the moon’s reflection. Just as the boat sailed past the moon, Qin Jian instantly felt the pressure on his back disappearing. The ghost had… disappeared.

“I’ve done it!” Qin Jian knelt down on the boat. Snot and tears gushed out. “I… I don’t have to die! I’ve survived…”

At that moment, the fog rolled away. The people on the shore could see what was happening on the lake. Different from the obvious joy on Qin Jian’s face, Fatty and Chen Qiang looked particularly severe.

Fatty’s throat moved. He moved his eyes away from Qin Jian and silently looked up at the sky. The night sky was dark, like a swamp of death. There was no moon or star.

…

Qin Jian was dead. He died before You Qi’s eyes. Thinking back to how Qin Jian died, You Qi, the large and muscular adult male, was shaking like a leaf. His drenched body was wrapped up in a blanket. His hands held a warm tea cup. He was trying to use the external warmth to counter the chill that coursed through his veins.

“Don’t worry. Take your time. What happened to Qin Jian?” It was Shi Liaozhi who spoke. His blond hair was wet. The legs of his pants were dripping water. An Xuan and Xia Meng sat on both sides of You Qi. They studied him openly as if trying to dig out the clues in his mind.

Jiang Cheng sat across from You Qi. He was calm, a complete contrast to the anxious Shi Liaozhi.

Chen Qiang sat on the bed alone, maintaining a safe distance from everyone. Fatty wanted to stay close to the Doctor but after giving it some thoughts, he decided to stick with Zuo Qing.

You Qi slowly calmed down now that he had returned to the crowd. He licked his lips and asked probingly, “You… also encountered the same thing, right?” This was evident because everyone was wet… except Fatty and Chen Qiang, who were supposed to take the boat ride after Qin Jian.

Shi Liaozhi shivered, “Don’t remind me. It was so creepy! All those brides are ghosts!” He looked around nervously, “I wonder what happened in this mansion that so many brides have died here!”

“That is probably not the case.” An Xuan thought about it. His voice was even as he revealed the truth, “I believe no matter which paper doll we chose, on the way back, they would turn into a ghost.” He glanced at Shi Liaozhi. “There should only be one ghost.”

An Xuan’s hypothesis was valid. This could be seen from everyone’s reaction. If one mission had so many ghosts, it would be terrifying.

“Do… you still want to hear me speak?” You Qi, who was wrapped like a dumpling, asked.

“Go on.”

Through You Qi’s recollection, they had a brief idea of how Qin Jian died. It was so absurd and scary. It was beyond human comprehension.

“When I returned, I ran into Qin Jian. He was acting very abnormal.” You Qi curled up. “He walked alone by the shore. He was so close to the water. No. His shoes were already dipping in the water.

“I instantly wanted to tell him to move away from the water. However, before I could get my words out…”