deltrittennovels #570 - Inescapable fog
#570 - Inescapable fog
The night was as dark as ink, enveloping this desolate mountain area. Tang Yin sat in the driver's seat, his hands unconsciously stroking the leather of the steering wheel, his eyes gazing through the windshield into the distance, where there was only an unfathomable darkness.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the churning unease within him. Reason told him that the wisest choice now was to leave this strange place. But every time he resolved to leave, a sense of unspeakable resistance would surge in his heart, as if something was silently warning him.
"Whatever," Tang Yin muttered to himself, reaching out to turn the car key. The roar of the engine was particularly clear in the silent night sky, as if breaking some kind of balance. He habitually checked the data on the instrument panel, everything was normal.
The left turn signal flashed orange light, which was particularly glaring in the dark night. Tang Yin's left hand gently rested on the gear lever, and his right foot slowly depressed the clutch. These ordinary driving actions seemed unusually unfamiliar at this moment, and every detail made him feel inexplicably awkward.
The car slowly drove out, and the tires crunched softly on the ground. Tang Yin's eyes stared intently at the road ahead, trying to convince himself that this was just an ordinary night drive. Back in the city, take a hot bath, get a good night's sleep, and this absurd experience would become a topic of conversation after dinner.
But from some point on, the air became more and more humid and sticky. Tang Yin turned on the headlights, but found that the view ahead was being shrouded in a strange white fog. The fog came suddenly and strangely, like a curtain that appeared out of nowhere, isolating the whole world from him.
The light from the car lights was refracted by the fog, forming a hazy white halo. Tang Yin reflexively slowed down, but found that the fog was becoming thicker at a speed visible to the naked eye. Soon, he couldn't even see the hood of the car.
An unprecedented sense of panic seized his heart. This was no ordinary fog, it seemed to have some kind of consciousness, actively devouring this space. Tang Yin wanted to turn the car around, but found that the steering wheel had completely lost its function. The car drove straight ahead, into that strange white abyss.
Before his last consciousness dissipated, Tang Yin vaguely thought: Maybe some things really cannot be avoided.
[GAME OVER]
When the picture became clear again, Tang Yin found himself back at the starting point. This experience made him understand one fact - leaving directly was not an option at all. That invisible force would not allow him to escape like this, it was waiting for him to uncover the truth.
Leaning on the steering wheel, Tang Yin shook his head with a wry smile. He suddenly understood the subtle attitude of the convenience store clerk, perhaps she had experienced something similar. Bypass Baifeng Village? It sounded like a good choice, but his intuition told him that it wouldn't work either.
"Won't shed a tear until you see the coffin, huh?" Tang Yin said self-deprecatingly, "Then let me see, what does this land want to tell me."
The night wind passed through the half-open car window, bringing a hint of coolness. Tang Yin knew that he had to face this mystery, otherwise he would never be able to truly leave here. Even in the life of an ordinary person, there will always be unavoidable problems, let alone this kind of supernatural experience.
The mountain road was winding like a snake, and the headlights drew two pale beams of light in the darkness. Tang Yin gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. After driving continuously for nearly two hours, fatigue surged in like a tide, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
The mountain wind howled and poured into the cracks in the car window. Even wearing a thick wool coat, the cold still penetrated to the bone. Tang Yin adjusted his sitting position, trying to relieve the soreness in his back. This high-intensity driving had pushed his body to its limit, but the thought of stopping to rest was forcibly suppressed by him as soon as it came up.
"Two more hours..." Tang Yin muttered to himself, his voice with a hint of exhaustion, "I wonder if I can hold on."
In the night, a blue sign suddenly came into view. The street lamp illuminated it brightly, and the three characters "Baifeng Village" were particularly conspicuous in the darkness. Tang Yin's fingers tightened unconsciously on the steering wheel, but soon relaxed again.
According to the original plan, he was going to bypass this place. Neither Baifeng Village nor Misty Hidden Village were on his itinerary. After passing through the two mountains ahead, he would reach another town, where there were bright street lights, bustling crowds, and all the normal atmosphere of life.
Strangely, seeing this unsettling place name, Tang Yin's heart was unusually calm. Perhaps it was because he was too tired to even muster the emotion of fear. He mechanically manipulated the steering wheel, turning the car onto another fork in the road.
However, at this moment, a wisp of white fog quietly rose from the end of the road. At first it was just a thin layer, but it soon became thicker. Tang Yin felt his consciousness begin to blur, his thinking gradually sluggish, as if being devoured by something.
In his last moment of clarity, he saw the fog rushing towards him like a living thing, engulfing the whole world in a white expanse.
[GAME OVER]
Having experienced two failures, Tang Yin finally understood the inevitability of certain things. He let out a long breath, his eyes becoming firm. It was time to face the truth and return to the place where the bloody incident happened.
Death regression - this supernatural phenomenon was a double-edged sword, both a curse and an opportunity. The familiar faces floated into Tang Yin's mind:
The tall and capable female reporter Xia Hui, Zhou Zhengxiong who always carried a camera, Gao Zhijie with a naive smile on his face, the taciturn Qin Yi, Zhao Gang who spoke in a rough voice, the old but energetic Wolf Grandpa, the lively and cheerful Tong Xiaoliang, the beautiful and charming Hua Lu, the gentle and virtuous Chen Xiang, the shrewd and capable Qian Jin, and the always smiling Xiao Mie.
And the people who opposed him in the last banquet: the cold-blooded Qin Ming, the mysterious Granny Rong, and the elusive Gao Mei.
"All are victims of superstition." Tang Yin said softly, his voice with a trace of pity. This time, he would not run away again. Since fate had given him a chance to start over, he would try to change this tragic ending.
The moonlight was like water, sprinkled on the winding mountain road. Tang Yin sat in the driver's seat, his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes a little dazed. The corners of his mouth twitched into a self-deprecating smile, and the voice in his heart kept echoing:
"Don't think too highly of yourself, Tang Yin."
He knew exactly what kind of person he was. Not an incarnation of justice, nor did he have the lofty ideal of saving the world. He didn't have a strong will, let alone extraordinary abilities, just an incorrigible busybody.
But even so, he still wanted to change something. Wanted to make better choices, wanted to make up for past mistakes. This idea may be naive, but that's his nature. If he even lost the courage to face the unknown, then what kind of Tang Yin would he be?
"Let's do it again." He took a deep breath, the fingers gripping the steering wheel turned white, "Even if it means gambling with my life, it doesn't matter."
He wasn't doing this for others. But whenever he thought of Wang Lina's slightly stubborn face, and remembered her saying "I hate it the most" but still couldn't hide her attachment to her hometown, he couldn't help but want to stop the bloody tragedy that was about to happen.
"What a contradictory bastard." Tang Yin looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror and said softly, "Willful, stubborn, selfish, dirty, and ulterior motives. This is the real me, right?"
Every face, every name in Misty Hidden Village was clearly floating in his mind. Those once blurred fragments of memory had become incredibly clear at this moment. His mission was as clear as if it were engraved in his bones.
The roar of the engine was particularly conspicuous in the night. Tang Yin turned the steering wheel, and the front of the car turned to the right. The clerk's words rang in his ears: "There is an overpass here, and after the overpass, the first intersection has a large rock, turn right there."
Sure enough, an overpass across the road appeared in sight. Under the moonlight, the uniquely shaped giant rock stood by the roadside like a silent guardian. But this time, Tang Yin chose to ignore its existence.
With the accelerator pedal to the floor, the car roared past the overpass, heading straight ahead. The winding mountain road stretched out in the darkness, like an endless black ribbon. Strangely, the suffocating sense of fatigue that he had felt before seemed to have lessened a lot, and his thinking was clearer than before.
He didn't even need to look at the map, as if his body had memorized the road. Every turn, every dangerous place, was frighteningly familiar. This feeling made him shudder - perhaps in some forgotten time and space, he had walked this road countless times.
"But none of this matters anymore." Tang Yin's eyes became firm, "Even if the memory is incomplete, even if I can't prove anything, at least it's better than knowing nothing."
These fragmented memories were like a double-edged sword, both a curse and his only weapon. The headlights drew a bright arc in the darkness, illuminating the unknown road ahead. And this time, Tang Yin chose to face the truth shrouded in the mist.
The sky gradually darkened, and the pale moon, like a shy girl, hid behind layers of clouds. Tang Yin looked at the sky through the windshield, his eyes flickering, he knew that a storm was coming.
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The headlights cast two bright beams of light on the dim mountain road, illuminating the winding road ahead. Suddenly, a touch of indigo flashed above the field of vision, Tang Yin's eyes narrowed, and he instinctively stepped on the brakes. The tires rubbed against the ground with a sharp sound, he quickly turned the steering wheel with both hands, skillfully completing a drifting motion.
"Fortunately, there are no other cars at this time." He breathed a sigh of relief and parked the car on the side of the road. Turning his head to look, the brand-new blue sign was particularly conspicuous in the night, the white arrow pointed to the right, and the three characters "Baifeng Village" were clearly visible.
"Finally here." Tang Yin murmured in a low voice, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. The hour hand had passed twelve o'clock, but it was much faster than he had expected. In another half an hour, he would reach Baifeng Village, which was kept secret by the people of Misty Hidden Village.
As the car continued to move forward, sporadic houses began to appear on both sides of the road. Although it was pitch black all around, the outline of the mountain road became clearer as it went deeper. Raindrops began to fall in the sky, splashing small water droplets on the windshield.
"I have to find a way before the rain gets heavier." Tang Yin frowned, his eyes scanning the surrounding environment. There were almost no street lights in the village, and no light came out of the windows of any house, as if the entire village had fallen into a deep sleep.
However, compared with the dilapidated wooden houses in Misty Hidden Village, the houses here are quite modern. Concrete buildings are neatly arranged on both sides of the road, and the road surface has also been hardened. Occasionally, you can see the outlines of bus stop signs and vending machines, showing what a modern rural area should look like.
"Find a hotel to stay for the night? Forget it, who would take me in at this time." Tang Yin laughed self-deprecatingly. City people always naively think that they can find a roof to shelter from the rain at random, or meet enthusiastic and hospitable farmers who will take them in for the night.
This fairytale-like fantasy seems particularly ridiculous in the face of reality. As someone who has experienced too much, he knows the true face of the countryside too well. In these remote corners, family concepts and regional traditions have long been deeply rooted. Many rural people firmly believe that it is these ancient customs and rules that allow their lives to continue steadily.
The sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the car became louder and louder, and Tang Yin's expression was particularly solemn in the shadows. He knew that what awaited him next would be a storm even more intense than the rainstorm.
Raindrops were pattering on the ground, refracting the faint light of the street lights. Tang Yin leaned against an old locust tree by the roadside, looking at the distant sporadic villages, a complex look in his eyes. He knew very well that the cold attitude of rural people towards outsiders was not entirely unreasonable, but this xenophobic mentality was indeed daunting.
Especially in this Baifeng Village, which pushes closure and conservatism to the extreme, a place that relies on isolating Misty Hidden Village and formulating heavy unjust rules to maintain its rule. Tang Yin touched the newly grown stubble on his chin, and the corner of his mouth twitched into a wry smile. The closedness here is probably far beyond his imagination, and the villagers' attitude towards outsiders must be even harsher.
The rain was getting heavier, and the bean-sized raindrops hit his dark brown leather jacket, making a dull sound. Tang Yin wiped the rain off his face, and a resolute look flashed in his slightly tired eyes. He straddled the motorcycle, and the roar of the engine was particularly harsh in the rainy night.
"Even if I know the result, I can only bite the bullet and go." He muttered to himself, turning the handle with his right hand, and the motorcycle rushed towards the entrance of the village like an arrow.
The tea-colored short hair was wet with rain and stuck tightly to his forehead. Tang Yin was wearing a casual outfit that was standard for city people, which was particularly eye-catching in this traditional village. The tires of the motorcycle rolled over the muddy road, splashing pieces of water.
Suddenly, a dazzling flashlight beam shot out from the darkness, accompanied by a stern shout: "Stop! Who are you? Stop immediately! Get off the car! Come with me!"
Tang Yin slammed on the brakes, and the motorcycle spun around on the slippery ground, almost falling. He looked up and saw a policeman in uniform walking quickly with a flashlight in his hand, his face full of vigilance and suspicion.
"What an idiot." Tang Yin cursed himself fiercely in his heart. How could he naively think that as long as he reached his destination, he could come up with a solution? As a result, like a rash city person, he swaggered in on a motorcycle and was caught on the spot by the police.
Rainwater dripped from his hair, forming small puddles on the ground. In the darkness of the night, the police officer's figure grew closer, the beam of the flashlight constantly locked on him. Tang Yin lowered his head, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. The plan had barely begun when an accident occurred, which was a great irony for someone as cautious as he always was.