deltrittennovels #564 - showdown
#564 - showdown
The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided, and a subtle atmosphere filled the room. Wang Lina raised her head, a complex emotion flickering in her amber eyes. "How subtle," she whispered, a faint smile in her voice.
Tang Yin lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers somewhat awkwardly. "Do you know, I'm actually quite unpopular," he said, his tone tinged with self-deprecation, yet also with a hint of sincerity.
"Ahaha." Wang Lina laughed, her laughter crisp and melodious, yet with a barely perceptible tremor. She paused slightly, her gaze softening. "Tang Yin," she called his name gently.
"Th-thank, you," her voice suddenly choked, as if some emotion was surging within her heart. Without hesitation, Tang Yin immediately stepped forward and held her tightly in his arms. He could feel her slender body trembling slightly, like a fallen leaf in the wind.
"If I, tonight, am killed by the wolf..." Wang Lina's voice was fragmented, each word seemingly squeezed from her throat.
"Don't say it," Tang Yin interrupted her, his voice with an undeniable firmness.
"No matter, what part, is fine, take me, away from here," her voice was full of despair and fear, like a drowning person clutching at the last straw.
"--No need to worry," Tang Yin's voice was steady and strong, like a beacon in the darkness.
"I'm so scared," Wang Lina's voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum, yet it tugged at the heartstrings.
"I'm here," Tang Yin tightened his arms around her. "I'm by your side."
Such an unfounded promise was not his style. But at this moment, he knew he had to give her courage and hope. Despite his heart being filled with fear of the unknown, he had to appear strong and reliable.
Time passed second by second, and the time for 'Motsuimi' quickly approached. But ten minutes felt like an eternity. Tang Yin released his hands, and Wang Lina forced a smile, but tears still clung to her cheeks, like pear blossoms after the rain, delicate and touching.
Tang Yin was silent as he escorted her back to her room. Along the way, neither of them spoke, but that tacit silence spoke volumes.
--Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll bet everything. That thought grew more and more resolute in his mind.
As the first ray of morning light shone through the window into the room, Tang Yin gradually woke up. A strong sense of hunger reminded him that he was still alive. Unlike the feeling of being confined in the past few days, he was now free to move around.
He walked to the window, and the outside was still shrouded in thick fog. Through the hazy mist, he could barely make out the outlines of the student dormitory. This village, isolated by the thick fog, seemed to be separated from the entire world, becoming an independent space.
Can we really get out? Tang Yin's rationality told him that, from a physics perspective, it was impossible not to be able to get out. The so-called "can't get out" was just speculation generated after being influenced by this supernatural atmosphere.
But how should he explain the mysterious figure from last night? Wang Lina's sudden fainting, were their mental states normal at the time? Was what they saw reality?
Tang Yin knew that human senses and memories were often unreliable, but it would be too hasty to explain everything with just "hallucinations." Perhaps the truth was more complicated than he imagined.
Tang Yin stood by the window, his gaze piercing through the thick fog, lost in thought. It wasn't a hallucination, he was increasingly certain of that. Although the figure's attire was indeed eerily unsettling, that was not enough to prove that the other party was a supernatural being. The other party must be human, just wearing some kind of special costume.
As for the reason why Wang Lina suddenly fell, he quickly deduced various possibilities in his mind. Maybe she was frightened, maybe she was physically unwell, and there was even a possibility: that this was all a pre-arranged act by her and that mysterious figure.
But in any case, the appearance of that figure clearly had a strong psychological impact on Wang Lina. This was no coincidence, and there must be some special meaning hidden within it.
"What did that figure say..." Tang Yin muttered to himself, trying to recall the scene at the time. Those fragmented words gradually became clearer in his mind: [Following the aura of the Yellow Springs, the wolf is coming, immediately Kessai, Motsuimi, Dream Pillow, the girl from Baifeng Village].
Analyzing this passage, Tang Yin frowned. The other party was clearly reminding Wang Lina to go back to her room to sleep immediately. This behavior was more like that of a manager who understood the rules. So, the other party should belong to the mountain god, that is, the camp of the Thousand Bright Gods.
But this inference was quickly rejected by himself. The image of that figure, rather than being a messenger of the mountain god, was more like an existence from another camp -- [The Yellow Springs People].
That shroud covered with scriptures, the triangular mask he wore, were all the attire of the dead. More importantly, that chilling aura, like [pollution], was full of ominous and disastrous omens.
But if that were the case, then new contradictions arose. The Thousand Bright Gods and the Yellow Springs camp were clearly opposing relationships, how could the Yellow Springs people help the Thousand Bright Gods to transmit information? This bizarre contradiction was like that mysterious figure itself, both terrifying and exuding a dark charm that was hard to resist.
Tang Yin shook his head, temporarily putting aside these complicated thoughts. The most important thing now was to take Wang Lina and others who wanted to escape away from this place. Everything else could wait until after they were safe to investigate in detail.
He quickly returned to his room and neatly put the bedding into the closet. The room was empty, with nothing but the bedding. He searched carefully, but couldn't even find an item that could be used as a weapon for self-defense.
With a uneasy mood, Tang Yin walked towards Wang Lina's room. If the worst really happened, he would also find a way to fulfill her last wish. However, when he arrived at the door, he found that the door was locked.
"As expected." he said softly, but his heart sank suddenly. This discovery seemed to confirm a terrible guess -- about the true identity of the wolf.
Just then, he gently knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, Wang Lina opened the door almost immediately. She was fully dressed, her backpack had been packed, and she was obviously prepared. A firm light shone in her amber eyes, as if she had made an important decision.
Looking at her fully prepared appearance, Tang Yin's heart was filled with mixed feelings. But now was not the time to hesitate, time was passing by minute by minute, and they had to seize every opportunity.
"I need a weapon." Tang Yin looked directly into Wang Lina's eyes, his voice with an unquestionable firmness.
Wang Lina nodded slightly, "I know." She took down a delicately crafted leather sheath from her waist, inside which was hidden a hunting knife. The sheath was covered with traces of time, obviously the equipment she usually used when hunting.
Tang Yin took the hunting knife, his fingers stroking the rough texture of the leather sheath, "What about you?"
"There's only this knife, I can't find the kitchen knife." Wang Lina's voice was slightly nervous, and a trace of unease flashed in her eyes. "Will you protect me?"
"Leave it to me." Tang Yin replied decisively, although he had no confidence in his heart. But at this moment, he couldn't show the slightest timidity. Fear was like a contagious disease, once it spread, it could no longer be controlled.
They carefully came to the door of Xiao Mei's room. The door was not locked, and this discovery made Tang Yin's heart skip a beat. Pushing open the door, the scene before him was suffocating -- the room was in a mess, the bedding was scattered on the ground, the drawers were wide open, and the items were scattered everywhere.
However, the most disturbing thing was that no body was found. Tang Yin's brain was running fast: Could it be that Xiao Mei went out directly without locking the door? Or like Qin Yi, had she already died silently in some corner outside?
At this time, Tang Yin's habit was to first consider the worst possible direction. "Where's Qin Ming?" he suddenly asked.
"The same." Wang Lina replied briefly, her voice with a tremor.
Tang Yin was silent for a moment, "Let's go find Xiao Mian."
The fog today was unusually thick, even more so than the previous few days. Tang Yin reached out his hand, and his fingertips were immediately swallowed by the humid fog. He held the hunting knife tightly in his right hand, and held Wang Lina's left hand, walking in front like a guard. The surroundings were eerily quiet, and even the chirping of insects and birds could not be heard, as if the entire world was swallowed by this strange fog.
The visibility was extremely poor, and the road was rugged. If it weren't for Wang Lina's reminder, they wouldn't be able to move forward smoothly at all. She knew the terrain here like the back of her hand, and every protruding stone and every hidden pit could not escape her eyes.
Finally, they arrived at the square. Sure enough, it was empty. The cafeteria should have been the meeting place agreed upon by everyone, but now this tacit understanding seemed to have lost its meaning.
When they passed the door of Hua Lu's house, they slowed down. The closed door was intact, and the hut was silent. Tang Yin couldn't help but guess: Was she sleeping peacefully, or had she already met with misfortune? But in the current situation, they could only choose to turn a blind eye to her.
"We're here." Tang Yin stopped in front of Xiao Mian's hut.
"Mm." Wang Lina responded softly.
But the scene before them made the two of them gasp -- the door was wide open. Tang Yin's hand holding the knife tightened involuntarily, "--!"
The scene inside the house was exactly the same as Xiao Mei's room: the bedding was piled up in a mess, obviously having experienced a chaos. This was already the third room with the same situation, it couldn't be a coincidence. There must be something wrong.
Tang Yin's pupils shrank slightly, and his temples throbbed. Behind this uniform "chaos" must be hidden a terrible truth. And they were stepping towards the abyss of that truth step by step.
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As the morning light dawned, Tang Yin suddenly stopped, turned around and faced Wang Lina. "Wang Lina, I'm sorry, here, take this back." His voice was tinged with a hint of solemnity.
"Huh?" Wang Lina looked blank, watching Tang Yin hand back the hunting knife to herself.
Tang Yin's gaze fell on a wooden stick by the wall. It was a piece of oak that had been polished quite smoothly, about the thickness of an adult's forearm. He bent down to pick up the wooden stick and weighed it.
"What's wrong?" Wang Lina asked in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"I need a handy weapon," Tang Yin gripped the wooden stick tightly, his knuckles turning white, "Speaking of which, where are we going now?"
Wang Lina was silent for a moment, "Let's go to the Assembly Hall."
Passing through the mist-shrouded path, the gray-white building of the Assembly Hall gradually revealed its outline. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, sure enough, everyone else was already here. Tang Yin scanned around, his heart tightening -- except for one person.
"How slow, no, are we too early..." Gao Mei sat in the corner, her face still bearing her trademark melancholy expression, her slender fingers twisting together uneasily.
Granny Rong lowered her head, her hunched figure appearing particularly thin in the morning light. She chanted words, completely immersed in the world of scripture, as if everything outside had nothing to do with her.
Xiao Mian sat there blankly, like a lost lamb. Xiao Mei gently hugged her shoulders, trying to give comfort, but her own eyes also revealed unease.
"Good morning, Sister Lina." Qin Ming spoke first, then paused, "-- and Tang Yin." His expression was unusually serious, and his eyes flickered with a dangerous light.
Tang Yin's heart sank, "Is it finally Qian Jin's turn?"
That's right, Qian Jin had left the stage. A repressed atmosphere filled the air, like the calm before the storm. Okay, it's time for a showdown.
"Xiao Mian, come here." Tang Yin suddenly spoke, his tone with an unquestionable command.
"Mian..." Xiao Mian responded timidly, and was about to step towards Tang Yin.
"No!" Gao Mei suddenly burst out, hugging Xiao Mian tightly like a mother bird protecting her cubs. Her slender body now exploded with amazing power.
Tang Yin reacted extremely quickly, the wooden stick instantly raised, posing in a defensive posture.
"Ah--" Wang Lina exclaimed in surprise, obviously not expecting the situation to suddenly turn.
"Your true nature is finally exposed, Tang Yin." Qin Ming sneered, standing in front of Tang Yin, his right hand holding a sharp scythe. The cold light of the blade pointed directly at Tang Yin, instantly suppressing the other party's momentum.
"You are the root of all misfortune, I expected you to do it this morning." Qin Ming's voice was full of sarcasm.
"N-no way, huh, what's going on--" Wang Lina looked around in a panic, completely unable to understand the situation before her.
"Sister Lina, you've been fooled," Qin Ming continued, "He is the source of the pollution, it was a mistake to exclude him from the banquet. If we had hanged him on the first day, Mom, Qin Yi, everyone would not have died."
"Wait, this kind of thing." Wang Lina wanted to say something, but Qin Ming interrupted her.
"As long as we hang him today, we can end all this--" A crazy light flashed in Qin Ming's eyes.
"Qin Ming, this is not your style, don't lie through your teeth." Tang Yin's voice was surprisingly calm.
"You're the one talking nonsense, right!? Why did you suddenly attack me!?" Gao Mei asked angrily.
Tang Yin raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile, "Ah, this matter? Because I'm going to take back the hostage."