Chapter 28: Hunt and Kill

"Ah Zhi's diary began in 2013, five years ago, when I first bought her this computer. The entries from the early years were normal—just records of what books she read, which restaurant’s desserts were delicious, how she always went to eat alone... But starting mid-last year, her diary changed. Her writing became chaotic and dark, like the antisocial ramblings of a disillusioned criminal."

"Starting from the Mid-Autumn Festival of 2017, Ah Zhi began repeatedly having the same dream—a dream that was... twisted and oppressive, like the horror games on her computer. Each time she had it, her mental state deteriorated further, and her diary entries grew even more disordered, sending chills down my spine."

"I was truly worried about her psychological state, but I feared that if I spoke up directly, Ah Zhi would blame me for invading her privacy. So I copied those diary entries describing her dreams and sent them to a psychologist at Qinzhou City Hospital’s psychiatric department."

"The doctor said Ah Zhi might have developed delusions and hysteria due to prolonged lack of normal social and family interaction, her mind immersed in bizarre horror fiction. With proper mindset adjustment and more outdoor activity, her condition could improve. If necessary, he could even visit her at home for an in-person consultation."

"But I know that’s not true!"

Feng Yu’s emotions suddenly surged, her voice rising: "Because the dream Ah Zhi had—that terrifying dream that kept repeating in her diary!"

"The dream’s setting was a strange village where everyone’s face was covered with yellow paper bearing their own names. Everyone in the village worshipped a serpent-shaped demon god. The village’s name was... Hejia Village."

Xiang Ningzhe’s face darkened instantly: "Why didn’t you tell me this crucial clue sooner?"

Feng Yu, as if she hadn’t heard him, continued nervously: "I can’t die here, Ning Zhe. I truly can’t die here. I must survive and get out. I must see my daughter. She’s already been haunted by Hejia Village’s horrors... I have to go help her. Mother has to help her..."

"Do you know, Ning Zhe? I don’t care what happens to me—I don’t care at all! Do whatever you want with me. I only want to know how Ah Zhi is right now. She can’t be harmed. She’s still so young. She hasn’t even lived her life yet. If Ah Zhi dies... I really don’t know how I could go on living..."

Watching Feng Yu’s hysterical, incoherent state, Xiang Ningzhe felt a headache coming on.

"Auntie, your mental state isn’t great either..."

It’s no different from being insane.

It turned out Feng Yu had held on this long not because of maternal strength—she’d already broken inside, she just hadn’t shown it.

After Feng Yu’s condition stabilized slightly, Xiang Ningzhe stopped walking and asked: "Your daughter... is named Bai Zhi, right? What horror games are on Bai Zhi’s computer? What specific bizarre manga did she read? Tell me everything. She might have dreamed up a scene from one of those games or comics."

Feng Yu thought for a moment and listed several names: "For games: Extreme Panic, Demon Possession, Psych Ward, Silent Hill, Love Debt, Red Thread Entanglement, Paper Man, Hongguai Records... For manga, most are in foreign languages—I don’t recognize them. Only one Chinese-language manga, called 'Extreme Split,' but it’s not set in a village. It’s some kind of urban supernatural genre."

Xiang Ningzhe considered each name Feng Yu mentioned and realized none matched his current situation: "None of these fit. Hejia Village isn’t a scenario from any horror game or novel or manga."

It seemed his current experience wasn’t some clichéd game invading reality—he and the others had truly encountered something inexplicable.

"This makes Bai Zhi’s recurring dream of Hejia Village all the more puzzling," Xiang Ningzhe mused, then asked: "Auntie, did Bai Zhi’s diary describe the specific content of her dreams?"

Feng Yu shook her head: "No. Ah Zhi’s descriptions of her dreams were chaotic—just fragmented sentences, disjointed scenery and dialogue. Reading them felt... deeply strange."

Like the strangeness she felt when she first arrived at Hejia Village. "Alright," Xiang Ningzhe did not press further on this line.

Bai Zhi’s dreams might be a vital clue to understanding the connection between this eerie place and the real world, but Xiang Ningzhe, a man who might die soon, knew he should focus first on staying alive. Grounding himself in the present was the right move.

The most urgent matter now was to prevent Feng Yu from learning the truth about the morning phone call from Lin Zhiyuan.

He must not correct her mistaken belief—otherwise, all his efforts would be ruined.

"Auntie, do you want to live?" Xiang Ningzhe asked without warning.

"Of course I do," Feng Yu replied, confused. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing..." Xiang Ningzhe released Feng Yu’s hand. He stood on a stone step by the roadside, stretched his arms wide toward the sky, and took a long, deep yawn before continuing: "I want to survive and leave this place too. But I need your help. Do you understand?"

Feng Yu nodded: "What do you need me to do?"

Xiang Ningzhe lowered his head and said: "I’ve devised a plan to break the rules here. It’s already underway. But the ghost has seen through it—and is preparing to sabotage it..."

"The good news is the plan works. The ghost is desperate. It just kept changing identities to call me, going to any lengths—that proves my approach is correct. I... might actually have a way to kill it."

"The bad news is my plan is extremely fragile. It can be shattered with the slightest misstep—and if it fails, we lose everything."

"And you are the key to this plan. The ghost wants to kill me, so it must first target you. So, Auntie, I need your help," Xiang Ningzhe said calmly.

Feng Yu nodded slowly, half-understanding: "What... do you need me to do?"

"Do nothing," Xiang Ningzhe said firmly. "Go find a place to hide right now. Don’t listen to anyone. Don’t believe anything anyone says or does. Just be an ostrich with its head buried in the sand—until everything ends. Everything else, I’ll handle."

"Listen, Feng Yu—I will get you alive to your daughter. I swear it." Xiang Ningzhe’s voice remained calm, his eyes devoid of any emotion—only the cold, detached gaze of a hunter studying a dead prey: "But can you guarantee you’ll ignore all outside interference and blindly believe everything I say, without question?"

"If you answer yes, then..."

Xiang Ningzhe turned his head, the hunter’s emotionless eyes locking onto Feng Yu’s: "I can go kill that ghost right now."

(End of Chapter)