yready #523 - First victim
#523 - First victim
Tang Yin's eyes were bloodshot, and he stared wearily at the rickety wooden door of the outhouse. A night of terror and torment had etched deep marks on his pale face. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, but one idea was exceptionally clear: tomorrow, no matter what, he would make Wang Lina reveal the truth.
He clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms. "If things are beyond my ability, I'll leave immediately." Tang Yin made up his mind, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning: the motorcycle! Tang Yin relaxed slightly, a wry smile unconsciously rising to his lips. "The motorcycle will be repaired soon, it should be fine, right?" he muttered to himself, as if cheering himself on.
However, reason quickly prevailed. Tang Yin shook his head abruptly, his brows furrowed. "No, even if it's not repaired, I have to leave immediately." His gaze became firm, as if he had made some kind of resolution. "At worst, I'll walk all the way to Baifeng Village, there should be transportation there."
The night grew deeper, and the air inside the outhouse seemed to solidify. Tang Yin forced himself to stay awake, staring unblinkingly at the rickety wooden door. "I can't sleep tonight, I must stay alert until dawn." He repeated this sentence in his mind, as if it were his only lifeline.
Time passed by, and Tang Yin's consciousness began to blur. He recalled the past, a wry smile unconsciously appearing on his lips. He used to dislike watching the sky gradually brighten. It would only give him negative thoughts of staying up all night again or harming his body again. In his mind, sufficient sleep and a fresh morning sun were the healthy and natural way to live.
However, at this moment, Tang Yin yearned to see the sunlight more than anything. When the first ray of dawn finally pierced through the door crack and into his tired eyes, Tang Yin suddenly realized: the morning sun is so beautiful! This discovery filled his heart with an indescribable emotion.
Throughout the long night, Tang Yin was surrounded by the scent of wild beasts, and fear followed him like a shadow. At this moment, his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and he was so weak that he could barely stand. Even a simple action like taking off his soaked coat felt unusually difficult.
Although the sunlight gave Tang Yin a glimmer of hope, it did not completely alleviate his nervousness. Simply taking off a piece of clothing had almost exhausted all his strength. Tang Yin gasped for breath, feeling a wave of dizziness.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside: "Tang Yin!"
It was Wang Lina! Tang Yin instantly felt a strong sense of security surge like a tide, and his legs involuntarily weakened, almost causing him to fall to the ground.
However, alertness quickly took over. "Is this a trap?" Tang Yin's brain raced, "If I open the door now, will a wolf with a gaping bloody mouth appear?"
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Forget it, don't overthink it, open the door." He mustered his courage and slowly reached for the latch with his trembling hand.
Tang Yin's trembling hand slowly pushed open the rickety wooden door, his heart pounding violently in his chest. However, when the door was finally fully opened, he was stunned, the scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.
No warm morning light poured in, nor was there a peaceful and serene rural landscape. Instead, there was a world as if soaked in milk, thick white fog filled the surroundings, as if the entire world had been swallowed by some mysterious force.
Tang Yin widened his eyes, trying to pierce through this thick curtain, but his efforts seemed so futile. This feeling was like being completely enveloped by heavy clouds, completely isolated from the outside world. All he could see was a blurry gray-white.
He stood at the entrance of the simple outhouse, his feet as if rooted to the ground, staring blankly at this white world. Tang Yin's heart was filled with doubt and unease, and the courage that had just been pounding in his chest seemed to have been drained away in an instant.
Just then, a familiar voice pierced through the fog and floated into his ears: "Tang Yin!"
It was Wang Lina's voice! Tang Yin suddenly came back to his senses, the call seemed to come from far away, yet it also seemed to be right next to his ear. This strange feeling made his back tingle, but it also gave him a glimmer of hope.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He cautiously took his first step and walked into this unknown fog. The cold, damp mist immediately enveloped his entire body, as if countless tiny tentacles were crawling on his skin.
"Wang Lina, I'm here!" Tang Yin mustered his courage and shouted, his voice sounding particularly hollow in the fog.
After a moment, Wang Lina's voice sounded again, this time much clearer: "Mr. Tang Yin, you're still alive? That's great! -- Ah!"
The final exclamation made Tang Yin's heart tighten. He hurriedly turned towards the direction of the sound, squinting his eyes and trying to make out the figure. Finally, in the depths of the fog, he vaguely saw a blurry figure.
"Are you okay?" Tang Yin asked with concern as he walked towards that direction.
"I'm stuck in the field," Wang Lina's voice sounded a little dejected, with a hint of helplessness.
Tang Yin quickened his pace, carefully walking through the fog. As the distance shortened, Wang Lina's figure gradually became clearer. She was standing awkwardly in a muddy field, her legs deep in the mud, looking a little comical.
"Really? Come out quickly," Tang Yin walked to the edge of the field and reached out his hand to help.
Wang Lina rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "Why don't you pull me out?"
Tang Yin then realized his mistake and smiled awkwardly, "Can I pull you out? Give me your hand -- heave-ho!"
He grabbed Wang Lina's outstretched hand and pulled back hard. Wang Lina's body slowly came out of the mud, but the sudden reaction force caught Tang Yin off guard. The two lost their balance and staggered a few steps in the fog like a pair of clumsy dancers.
"Whoa, I'm safe," Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief and was about to let go, but he found that Wang Lina's arms had somehow wrapped around his neck.
Wang Lina smiled smugly, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes: "Strong man locks male, how about this move! Locked, locked!"
Tang Yin was at a loss for a moment, a blush rising on his face. Although the posture was a bit ambiguous, he did successfully rescue Wang Lina from the mud. The two were stuck in the fog like this, their breaths intertwined.
Wang Lina's hair was a little messy from the struggle just now, and a few strands of hair playfully stuck to her slightly flushed cheeks. Her eyes looked particularly bright in the fog, and Tang Yin could even see his slightly flustered reflection in them.
"That..." Tang Yin cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward silence, "Should we..."
...
Wang Lina's eyes sparkled with concern as she softly asked, "That's great, are you okay?"
Hearing these words, Tang Yin couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in his heart. He recalled the terrifying scene from last night, the monster lurking in the darkness, the eyes that gleamed with a ghostly green light. A chill crawled up his spine, and he muttered to himself: Am I really okay?
But he still put on a brave face, squeezed out a smile, and replied, "Yeah, I finally made it through."
Tang Yin's mind raced, he couldn't confirm the identity of that monster yet. Even if he told them, probably no one would believe him. After all, such supernatural beings are so absurd in the real world. He decided to test Wang Lina's reaction first.
"By the way," Tang Long said casually, "It seemed like there were wild animals last night."
As soon as he finished speaking, he keenly noticed the change in Wang Lina's expression. The girl lowered her head, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her face, as if she was trying to hide something. Tang Long's heart skipped a beat, she really knew about it.
"I have many questions to ask you," Tang Long decided to get straight to the point, "First of all, what was the scream last night?"
Wang Lina's body stiffened noticeably, and she hesitated to open her mouth: "This..."
"Hey, do you know?" Tang Long pressed, his unease growing stronger.
Wang Lina began to be vague again, her eyes flickering, as if she was trying to avoid the topic. Tang Long had a bad feeling, as if he was about to uncover a terrible truth.
Finally, Wang Lina took a deep breath, raised her head and looked directly into Tang Long's eyes: "Let's go, you'll see it sooner or later anyway."
Tang Long subconsciously reached out his hand, and Wang Lina naturally put her hand on it. Their fingers were intertwined, but the atmosphere at this moment had nothing to do with romance. A heavy atmosphere shrouded them, as if they were about to face some unimaginable horror.
They carefully walked through the field path swallowed by the fog. The fog was like an invisible beast, devouring everything around them. Tang Long could feel Wang Lina's palms trembling slightly, he didn’t know if it was from cold or fear.
Finally, the outline of the student dormitory building loomed in the fog. Before they could get close, a familiar figure emerged from the fog and quickly greeted them.
"Ah, Mr. Tang Yin, are you okay?" Qin Ming's voice was filled with obvious concern.
Immediately afterwards, Tong Xiaoliang's teasing voice also came over: "Congratulations on surviving, outhouse man."
Tang Long couldn't help but smile wryly and responded, "Thank you, warm bed man. It seems you guys are okay too--" Suddenly, he realized that one person was missing, and his heart tightened, "What about that Gao Mei sister?"
Could the worst have happened? Tang Long didn't dare to think about it.
Qin Ming quickly explained: "Don't worry, she's fine, she's just scared. She's resting in the room now."
Tang Long breathed a sigh of relief, but the doubts still lingered in his mind: "Really? You guys got up so early?"
Tong Xiaoliang raised his eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "I didn't expect you to survive, did you sleep last night?"
"How could I," Tang Long shook his head and smiled wryly, "I didn't sleep all night, I was only relieved when Wang Lina came to find me."
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Qin Ming's expression suddenly became a little strange, and he asked in surprise: "Hey, you didn't sleep?"
Tang Long was a little confused by his reaction: "No, how could I fall asleep? You can't even sit there, right?"
Qin Ming's expression became even more confused, and he stammered: "Ah...I didn't mean that...is that so?"
A strange atmosphere filled the air, and Tang Long felt that he had missed some important information. He looked around and found that Wang Lina, Qin Ming, and Tong Xiaoliang's expressions were a little unnatural, as if they were hiding some terrible secret.
Just then, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew, dispersing some of the fog. Tang Long's vision passed through the thin layer of fog, and he saw a pool of dark red marks on the ground not far away. The shape was irregular, like some kind of liquid that had dried up.
Tang Long's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and a terrible thought flashed in his mind.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. No matter what he was about to face, he had to remain rational. Tang Long tightly held Wang Lina's hand, preparing to welcome the upcoming mystery.
Tang Yin stood on the misty path, the surrounding air seemed to have solidified. His brain was racing, trying to sort out the causes and consequences of this bizarre event. Qin Ming's hesitant expression, Tong Xiaoliang's meaningful smile, and Wang Lina's flickering eyes, all the details were intertwined in his mind to form a disturbing picture.
Tang Yin thought to himself: Don't get lost in thought, isn't this just piquing my curiosity?
He took a deep breath and decided to break the suffocating silence. "By the way, what are you guys doing here?" Tang Yin asked casually, his eyes shifting between the three.
Tong Xiaoliang shrugged, with an indifferent expression: "Waiting for Gao Mei, and then standing guard."
Standing guard? This word instantly caught Tang Yin's attention. In this remote countryside, there are not many situations that require standing guard. His eyes involuntarily fell on the area shrouded in fog not far away, and the unease in his heart grew stronger.
Wang Lina seemed to have noticed Tang Yin's doubts and added softly, "Before the situation is clarified, no one can approach the scene, right?"
The scene? Sure enough... Tang Yin's heart suddenly accelerated. He had long felt that something bad was going to happen, but the truth seemed to be even more terrible than he imagined.
Tong Xiaoliang suddenly showed a meaningful smile, his eyes flashing with provocative light: "Want to see it? Outhouse man, do you want to test the strength of your stomach?"
Qin Ming frowned and gave Tong Xiaoliang a reproachful look: "Xiaoliang, don't make such jokes."
Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "...Ah, let me see it," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
For Tang Yin, things that he can't see and doesn't know are more terrifying. Moreover, he had already smelled a faint, disgusting, fishy smell.
Tang Yin knew that no matter what awaited him, he had to face it. He gently pushed aside the companions blocking him and slowly walked towards the "scene" shrouded in fog.
As the distance shortened, the stench became stronger. Tang Yin's heart beat faster, and cold sweat broke out in his palms. When he finally passed through the fog, the scene before him made him gasp.
What appeared before Tang Yin was a human corpse. But the word "corpse" no longer seemed to accurately describe the scene before him. The scene was extremely bloody, and it was almost impossible to identify the original shape of the corpse. It was as if all the meat on a butcher's chopping board had been scattered on the ground, the victim had been completely dismembered.
Moreover, this "butcher shop" also sold internal organs. Upon closer inspection, various parts of the human body floated in this mountain of meat and sea of blood: wrists, fragments of clothing, hair... Tang Yin's gaze was drawn to a shoulder bag, lying alone in the pool of blood, as if silently telling a tragic story.
Until the very last moment, she hadn't let go of her interviewing tools. Tang Yin felt a pang of sorrow; unfortunately, professional dedication couldn't save her. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind—the deceased was food writer Xia Hui.
This discovery sent a jolt through Tang Yin. Was she killed by that monster? He recalled the eerie figure standing on the steps last night, and a chill ran down his spine.
"...Too cruel," Tang Yin couldn't help but sigh, his voice filled with sadness and anger.
Wang Lina cautiously walked up to Tang Yin, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Feeling sick?"
Tang Yin suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and replied faintly, "It's nothing, I'm used to it."
Wang Lina looked at him in surprise, "Tang Yin, did you study something like that?"
"Well, sort of, medical school," Tang Yin answered vaguely.
A trace of admiration flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: "Wow, that's amazing... Do you know how to perform autopsies?"
Tang Yin smiled wryly inwardly, wanting to explain that "medical school" was just a self-aggrandizing term used by medical students who weren't part of the core medical departments. However, he had indeed participated in a few pathological dissections.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Yin squatted down, clasped his hands together, and silently prayed for the deceased. The thick blood and internal organs—along with digestive matter—emitted a unique odor, stimulating every nerve in his body. Tang Yin forced himself to remain calm, and began to carefully examine the body, hoping to find some clues.
The scene before him was appalling. The limbs and torso were still connected, but they had been forcibly stacked into a bizarre meat bridge. Every bending point was smashed or broken, completely disregarding the normal structure of human bones and muscles. Even more shocking was that the skin and muscles all over the body had been torn, as if they had been bitten by some enormous beast.
The damage to the internal organs was equally horrifying. Intestines, liver, lungs—all the organs had suffered severe damage, some even torn to pieces. Tang Yin forced himself to remain calm, but the fear in his heart surged like a tide. This was definitely not an ordinary homicide, but more like the work of some terrifying existence beyond human comprehension.