After a moment, Chi Nan said seriously, "Then let's compare."
Ye Chang was stunned: "What?"
Chi Nan: "It's better than the candle man who made it, and whoever is nicer listens to the other."
He remembered that Ye Chang's craftsmanship was even worse than his yesterday. It was the tail of the crane for the entire volunteer group. He somehow made the candle man, but Ye Chang didn't even finish carving the mold.
Chi Nan squeezed the wax block in his hand, picked up the carving knife and added, "You said that you want to give me a candle puppet, and I also need to pay tribute to the exchange."
"Is this a promise to me?" Ye Chang smiled, showing his little tiger teeth: "I will try my best to prevent Brother Nan from thinking of separating."
Chi Nan: "…"
The sharp blade slid lightly on Ye Chang's fingertips, and he put away his smile: "Brother Nan, I will satisfy you."
Chi Nan rarely heard Ye Chang speak in such a serious tone, and the carving action followed, and the carving knife almost scratched his finger.
Ye Chang didn't lift his eyelids, but said, "Be careful not to hurt your hands."
Facts have proved that Chi Nan is indeed too 'underestimated'.
Ye Chang is just like a new person today. His carving skills are perfect. It only took less than two hours to complete the most difficult part of carving the candle man mold. Finally, the wax liquid was poured, the candle wick was placed, and the mold release was completed in one go. The female workers who have worked in the candle factory for many years are even more skilled.
Everyone was stunned when they saw the 'Chi Nan' Candleman produced by Ye Chang. The small Candleman was exquisite in workmanship, with vivid and detailed facial features. It was a hundred times more delicate than what Baichuan made yesterday, and it could be called a work of art.
And Chi Nan's 'Little Ye Chang' did not make much progress compared to yesterday's, because the level is limited, except for a pair of symbolic glasses, there is almost nothing related to Ye Chang...
Obviously, Chi Nan lost this game.
Because the scores are based on the dormitory group, even if Chi Nan's Xiaozhuren can't make it to the top, Ye Chang's extraordinary performance can make their group win steadily.
The female foreman was still the same as yesterday, and even the smile on her face did not change: "The smooth holding of the Candleman Festival is inseparable from the efforts and sacrifices of the volunteers, especially the most outstanding volunteer group, in order to express my gratitude , this is the gift you and your roommate deserve."
Saying that, she handed the unfortunate box that symbolized disappearance or even death to Ye Chang, "I wish you a bright and beautiful night."
"Thank you," Ye Chang took the box, opened it directly in front of the female foreman, and shook the empty box in front of her, "Why is it empty?"
The female foreman showed a weird smile that made her scalp numb again: "Please don't be impatient, you can see it with your own eyes tonight."
"Oh, wait and see," Ye Chang said, closing the box again and handing it to Chi Nan, "I won it back for 101. Brother Nan, remember to keep your word, don't kick me out of the dormitory tonight."
Chi Nan: "...Well."
"Excuse me," Chi Nan took the box and turned to the female foreman, and asked politely, "Can you leave the candle man Ye Chang made just now as a souvenir for me?"
Everyone: "...?"
Does anyone really take this ominous thing as a figure and want to collect it
The female foreman didn't seem to have encountered this kind of volunteers who reached out to the party. She paused for a while before answering: "I'm sorry, the candle figurines produced in the workshop cannot be taken away by volunteers without authorization."
Chi Nan's face clearly showed regret: "That's it."
Ye Chang laughed aside, lowered his voice and said in Chi Nan's ear, "It's okay, I promised to give it to you, and I'll find a way to get it for you later."
Chi Nan glanced at him and suddenly understood: "Are you going to steal it?"
Ye Chang pushed his glasses and replied with a good student-like smile: "Or seize the opportunity to grab it, whichever is easier."
Chi Nan: "..." It seems that someone is more eager to go to the Nightmare World Prison than him.
As an experienced sleepwalker, Lao Yu has always had reservations about Ye Chang's 'extraordinary performance' today.
He spoke beside Ye Chang as if chatting, "As far as I know, the technique of manual work cannot be advanced by leaps and bounds overnight."
Ye Chang responded indifferently: "Well, maybe?"
Lao Yu was silent for a moment, and scrutinized him from head to toe with a scrutiny: "However, it is normal to preserve your strength and use others to test the rules of the copy, it's not a big deal, but... Ye, you really only have one experience. Ben's newcomer?"
Ye Chang raised the corners of his lips, as if showing off something to be proud of: "Yes, I just arrived, I was lucky enough to meet Brother Nan, and he took me there with his hands."
The word "hand in hand" was used very delicately, and Lao Yu's face twitched indiscernibly.
"What's wrong?" Chi Nan, who had just released his lacrimal glands from the bathroom, came out, seeing the strange atmosphere between the two, and asked.
Ye Chang smiled and shook his head: "Uncle Yu is curious, how we met."
Lao Yu: "..." I'm not talking nonsense without you.
Chi Nan didn't think too much: "Oh."
Ye Chang continued to smile: "I told him that we first lived together before we got to know each other."
Chi Nan still thought about it too much: "Well, indeed."
Lao Yu: "...?" It really doesn't sound right.
He glanced at Ye Chang, who smiled softly and gently, and stopped talking. He had a hunch that he couldn't get anything out of this senior year student.
Once again get the hapless box that symbolizes death, and their working hours are over.
After four o'clock, the volunteers who had been fishing for a day went to the town square again.
"The shadows really increased by two." Dysonson took less than ten minutes to count the shadows on the ghost wall twice before confirming.
Lao Yu bit his cigarette irritably: "It seems that these shadows... are probably sleepwalkers who disappeared before."
"So, is the little candle man in the exhibition hall also..." Xia Wei asked cautiously, and shuddered after saying that.
Lao Yu has no scruples this time, and walks directly to the tomb-like exhibition hall: "Go check it out and you'll know."
The result was as they expected, the small candles in the exhibition hall were the same as the shadows of the ghost wall. After one night, there were two more, and two of their volunteer team also happened to be missing.
Although it is roughly speculated that the number of missing persons is the same as the growth of shadows and candle people, and that the selection of missing persons has an inevitable relationship with "excellent volunteers", it is impossible to find a way to prevent this from happening.
Even if someone managed to escape that unlucky cardboard box today, the third and fourth days could not be avoided... Under the rules, "excellent volunteer" dormitories would be allocated every night, and new missing persons would always appear.
And disappearance in the nightmare world is sometimes more terrifying than death, and no one knows what the missing person will face now... In short, it will not be good.
"The way to avoid disappearance should be hidden at the moment when the disappearance is triggered," Chi Nan calmly analyzed, "that is, in the cardboard box."
"The female foreman also said, let's wait and see tonight." Ye Chang said calmly.
Lao Yu glanced at the two young boys with a complicated look, and suddenly smiled helplessly: "I hope that tomorrow morning, I won't see the two of you on this wall and in that weird exhibition hall."
As he said that, he glanced at the high wall with mottled figures, perhaps because he had been looking at it for a long time, he had a visual illusion—
These shadows seemed to move in the flickering candlelight.
But after calming down, Lao Yu felt as if he was dazzled just now.
It's just that as a more experienced sleepwalker, he will be more careful about things like 'like'.
The night came on schedule.
Everyone is anxious under the domination of fear, except Chi Nan and Ye Chang, who were chosen as missing candidates.
The two of them ate in the cafeteria as usual, and Ye Chang specially scooped up a large bowl of sweet white fungus soup and sat opposite Chi Nan and drank it with relish.
Chi Nan: "..." His Adam's apple slipped, and he glumly took a bite of the big steamed bun in the bowl.
"Brother," Ruirui came over from the next table, stood beside Chi Nan, and handed a candy to him and Ye Chang each, "Eat it will bring good luck."
Chi Nan was stunned for a moment, and Ye Changxiao took Ruirui's sugar slightly: "Thank you, we will eat it."
"I hope to have dinner with my brothers tomorrow." Ruirui said sincerely.
"Definitely." Ye Chang opened the package and put the milky white candy directly into his mouth.
Chi Nan held the sugar in his hand, even if it was unreasonable for him, at this moment he could feel the kindness and expectation from the little girl, and the sugar was a little embarrassing for him now.
If you eat it, you will cry, and if you don't eat it, the little girl may be disappointed, so...
Just when he didn't know what to do, Ye Chang reached out to him: "Give it to me, I'll help you eat."
"When you go back to your room, I'll give you another piece of candy." He also deliberately added in a voice that only Chi Nan could hear.
Chi Nan: "...Thank you."
With permission, Ye Chang took the sugar from his hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and explained to the little girl, "This brother is allergic to sugar, so I'll do it for you."
Lao Yu came over and said, "Chi Nan and Ye, if something goes wrong at night, if you have a chance, you will come out and ask for help, you know? Don't be reckless, we just happen to be next door."
Although they have seen Chi Nan's amazing manipulations countless times, but this time they have too little information, and Lao Yu is still very worried.
As soon as Lao Yu finished speaking, the young mother couldn't help sighing heavily beside her.
Chi Nan nodded, he could feel the atmosphere that the people around him were worried for him, so he also used calmness to cover up his inner expectations for the unknown.
This way you may look more like a normal person.
The group was about to leave the cafeteria when Chi Nan lowered his head and found a wallet that someone had lost on the ground, so he crouched down to pick it up.
But when he inadvertently looked at the photo on the wallet, he paused—
In the transparent interlayer of the wallet, there is a black and white photo of the little girl Ruirui, to be precise, the posthumous photo at the funeral.
"Brother, don't look at other people's personal belongings casually. Mom said it was impolite."
Ruirui's voice sounded above Chi Nan, and she extended her hand to him, "Thank you brother, give it back to me."
Chi Nan paused for two seconds before picking up the wallet, closing it and handing it to Ruirui: "sorry, I didn't mean to see it."
The little girl smiled at him as innocent as an angel: "It doesn't matter, the two brothers, and that uncle..."
Ruirui glanced at Lao Yu, who had secretly cast her gaze just now, blinked and said, "You have to keep Ruirui a secret, please."
Saying that, she stuffed her purse into her mother's backpack, took her mother's hand, turned around and made a 'shush' gesture towards the three, and left without looking back.
Lao Yu looked at the back of the little girl and her mother, and said thoughtfully: "I guessed wrong before, I thought that the young mother was the deceased, and the little girl came to resurrect her. But I didn't expect...their clothes , to attend the little girl's own funeral."
Chi Nan was curious: "So Ruirui is now a living person?"
Lao Yu shrugged: "How to say... Ruirui in the real world is indeed dead, the posthumous photos can show this, but Ruirui in this world is a living person, to be precise... She came back from the dead, and someone exchanged goodwill for her. The desire to bring her back to life is the same as your vision."
"It seems that the little girl stayed in the nightmare world directly after being resurrected, and continued to realize her father's wish to resurrect her, and judging from her proficiency, she should have made some progress." Lao Yu continued to analyze.
As for what role the newlywed mother plays in the resurrection wish, he doesn't know for the time being, but it's just based on experience and intuition that this mother is not quite right.
Of course, this doesn't seem to be necessarily related to their "Candleman Festival copy", it's just someone else's business.
Chi Nan: "But if you have already been resurrected, why do you still have to leave a photo?"
Lao Yu: "I heard that people who come back from the dead will have something similar to a "death certificate" in the nightmare world. This thing is like an ID card, and they will carry it with them. In short, it is the most special existence for people who are resurrected from the dead, and it always reminds the resurrected people that they have died once. "
Chi Nan thought about it: "Why do they take it with them?"
Lao Yu shook his head: "I just heard about it, I haven't seen the real one, so I don't know."
Ye Chang, who had been silent all the time, replied in a low voice, "Maybe there's no way to throw it away."
Chi Nan glanced at him and found that his eyes were hidden behind the lenses, and his expression became blurred: "Why?"
Ye Chang shrugged: "I guessed it too. After all, it doesn't sound like something pleasant. Who would be willing to take it with me if I could throw it away."
He smiled, and said in a voice that almost only he could hear, "It's not an ID card, it's a birthmark."
At this moment, he put his hand in his pocket, groping the cold hard shell of the pocket watch with his fingertips.
His body temperature was too low to keep his pocket watch warm.
After returning to the dormitory, Chi Nan went to wash up as usual, and Ye Chang also naturally brushed up the exercise book, everything happened without incident like last night.
After another hour, Chi Nan couldn't help being bored and sleepy. He simply threw the empty box beside the pillow and said to Ye Chang, who was focusing on studying, "What happens later, remember to wake me up."
After speaking, he turned to fall asleep, but before he had time to fall asleep, he vaguely heard the sound of rustling speech.
The voice seemed to come from behind him, from far to near, as if calling his name.
Chi Nan turned around, but Ye Changzheng was burying his head and wearing earplugs to study the exercises, and he should not have spoken just now.
The candlelight from the yard soaked into the house through the glass, stretching Ye Chang's shadow until it was dragged under Chi Nan's bed.
Chi Nan stared at Ye Chang's shadow for a few seconds, then closed his eyes again.
But after a few minutes of silence, the voice of speech appeared behind him again.
Chi Nan knew that there was nothing behind him except a gray cement wall.
He rolled over again, facing his shadow on the wall.
Shadow... Chi Nan's drowsiness was rarely relieved. He opened his five fingers to the void, and the shadow on the wall also presented his movements honestly.
He brought his hand close to the wall, and the shadow became small and clear. He moved away slightly, and the shadow gradually faded and became larger and lighter like a painting soaked in water.
It doesn't seem to be anything special, but there must be something wrong... Chi Nan tried a few more times before letting go, staring at the shadow on the wall in a daze.
"Brother Nan, that thing seems to have appeared."
Chi Nan was stunned. It took half a second to confirm that Ye Chang was really talking this time. He quickly sat up and followed Ye Chang's gaze to the window directly above his bed, "There's more candles there."