The hearse had driven out of the darkness, and an incredible scene appeared. The sky suddenly became bright, and the sun appeared in the place where it should have been dark.
There is a gentle slope ahead, and a straight road is right in front of you. A bloody sign is inserted diagonally beside the road: Ghost Highway.
The bright sunlight shone through the glass onto his body, and he felt cold all over.
From the moment he entered the first copy, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand driving everything.
His dimples were gently poked, interrupting his wandering thoughts. Wen Shi finally noticed the little scarecrow who was trying to get his attention by making trouble. There was a concern in the other's big eyes that could not be ignored.
"I'm fine."
Wen Shi's eyes moved, his tightly pursed lips relaxed, and he gradually returned to his usual image.
Not to mention the distant ones, just the big eyeball in front of him, the connection between them was obtained by him at the cost of half his life, and it was definitely not a result that could be manipulated by any other force. From this perspective, Jian Qingrong's presence inexplicably made him feel a little relieved.
Wen Shiben wanted to continue asking, but the host suddenly covered his face with a handkerchief, laughed so hard that he couldn't close his mouth, and sneered again: "Those monsters are stupid enough to trust a human... Hahahaha, you see, as expected, they are corrupt... Hahahahahaha..."
"…" Wen Shi asked cautiously, "What corruption?"
The host finally straightened up, looked at him and said, "Didn't you say there were a lot of dirty secrets? That's corruption!"
Wen Shi's mouth twitched: "Did you know that the hospital has a new director?"
The host was stunned. After a few seconds, he screamed: "Big melon! Big melon!"
At the same time as the screaming chicken appeared, a ghost hand stretched out from the window.
The skinny arms, like wind-dried meat strips, emitted a strong corpse odor. Half of the mummy outside had already come in. It looked very strange, with only a few wisps of hair on the back of its head.
It had been years since the mummy had smelled the scent of living flesh and blood, so it squeezed in behind the head, ready to pounce on its prey.
The child sitting in the seat, who was clearly full of vigor, had no fear on his face and asked innocently, "Why do you think I didn't close the window?"
A brain that has not thought for too long is like a rusty spring. The mummy actually thought about it seriously, so why didn't he close the window
In the brief moment of distraction, a huge force pulled the black arm inside, and the mummy, which was trying to rush in, fell in very smoothly.
With a clang.
The dehydrated head fell right into A Sang's bowl.
Ah Sang: “…”
Is there such a good thing
He glanced at Wen Shi, and hesitated to speak, and finally said: "He hit his head, and I guess there's no way he can be saved."
It was no secret that he ate monsters himself, but eating them in front of his face might ruin his image in his father's eyes.
Wen Shi cooperated and said, "Then throw it out."
A Sang: "It stinks, I'll go throw it away in the back."
The mummy tried to get up, but was held down by the child.
Unable to smash the monster’s head in his father’s arms, the hygienic A Sang grabbed the mummy’s neck, jumped off Wen Shi’s thighs, and dragged the food to the last row.
At this point the mummy understood that he had met a tough opponent and was struggling desperately.
When he reached the last row, Ah Sang placed his other hand on the top of his head, drained all the resentment and hatred, and smashed the bowl. After a muffled sound, he successfully took out a crystal. He wiped his hands with the few remaining strands of hair on the back of the mummy's head, and threw the mummy with its skull opened out.
He had almost digested his food and could start eating again.
The last thing that was lacking on the Haunted Highway was food. When Ah Sang returned to Wen Shi, he was very concerned about his appearance: "Dad, I'm carsick, I want to go out for some fresh air."
There was a giant octopus monster on the roof, with its claws sliding down from it, looking like it was going to suck really well.
Wen Shi: "... Go ahead, be safe."
A Sang nodded and climbed up directly through the window.
With A Sang in charge of dealing with the monsters on the road, Wen Shi didn't have to do anything and just focused on finding the fragments.
He had a fragment of the world himself, and he knew that in the absence of any clues, finding something that was no bigger than half a child's hand was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He couldn't get out of the car now and dig three feet deep from the Ghost Highway to Lookout Mountain.
Thinking of this, Wen Shi rubbed his brows. The game was a reasonable thing, otherwise it would not tolerate him taking advantage of the rules again and again.
It is totally unreasonable to suddenly issue an impossible task.
There was a slight stinging pain on the scalp, and the scarecrow pulled Wen Shi's hair, as if he wanted to convey some message.
The pulled hair floated in front of her, emitting a faint silver glow under the sunlight.
The scarecrow flapped its wings several times to indicate that there were still a lot.
Wen Shi had never had any white hair before, so he quickly pulled out a handful and took a look, only to find that there were several white hairs mixed in.
In the sky, the rising sun is setting in the west without knowing when.
Wen Shi leaned over to look at the host, who hadn't changed much, but the host was shocked when he saw him: "Why have you aged so much?"
The window couldn't give a rough idea, so Wen Shichong widened his eyes and hooked his finger, using his pupil to look in the mirror. Not only his hair, but also the corners of his eyes had many fine wrinkles.
The angle of the sun shifted a little bit, and the speed of aging was still accelerating. Although the skin was smooth, it was a little loose, and the cat ears no longer had that cleverness. When Wen Shi wanted to return to his seat, he felt his bones were soft and he had no energy.
Big Eyeball was a little anxious.
Leaning back in the chair and gasping for breath, Wen Shi felt a little puzzled as he had not triggered any side quests.
If you don't know the rules of the game, you can't play it. He took the time to observe everything unusual around him. Aging has affected his eyesight. He scanned the car with his wandering eyes, but found nothing. Wen Shi squinted and looked out the window. In the blink of an eye, the sun was setting.
When the sun was about to set, sky lanterns began to float in the sky.
The road was filled with orange-red dots of light, and ghostly lights were lit up at intervals. When the false sunlight faded, the spooky and eerie atmosphere officially appeared.
Compared with the previous false light, this darkness actually makes people feel more at ease.
"The sun..." Wen Shi rubbed the corner of his clothes with his fingers. In just a short while, the sun set, just like his own burning life.
After the sun sets, only the Kongming lanterns can provide a brief moment of light on this ghost road.
Wen Shi calmed down a little and asked the scarecrow, "Is there any way to get me a lamp?"
The closer to the ghost world, the heavier the yin energy became. With the nourishment of the yin energy, the scarecrow's wings grew half again.
It flapped its broken wings and flew towards one of the lights. Soon, a light in the night sky ran towards Wen Shi, and the little scarecrow gently pushed it from behind.
The flames flickered, and the Kongming lantern was blown a little crooked by the wind, and finally arrived in front of Wen Shi.
Carefully pulling off the outer paper lampshade, Wen Shi took out the candle inside. His hands were not steady now, and the candle was shaking violently. The temperature of the candle warmed his blood, and Wen Shi felt that the aging breath in his body was greedily devouring the candlelight. In the process, the ends of his white hair turned black, and the flesh on his hands recovered a little, no longer a shriveled piece of skin.
Seeing that he had regained some life, the little scarecrow immediately went to push the second lamp.
A Sang, who was cleaning up monsters in front of the car, witnessed the Scarecrow's strange behavior, realized something was wrong, and jumped in from the rear window in time.
"There is no monster." He thought there was some dirty creature that was afraid of the dark and was lurking in the carriage.
A Sang first checked every nook and cranny, and finally discovered that the one who was wrong was Wen Shi!
The cat-eared youth is no longer young, weak and aging
Leaning on the chair, I feel as light as a feather and will float away at any time.
Ah Sang quickly ran over: "Dad!"
Wen Shi was afraid of scaring him, so he reached out and gently covered the child's eyes: "It's okay."
Ah Sang held the skinny hand. He didn't know what happened. He could only feel the life of the person in front of him slipping away. He stuttered for the first time in a long time: "I, I'll bite you." He was sad and anxious, and threw his precious bowl aside: "It's not too late now."
"… "
Sooner or later you will make your father die of filial piety.
The corners of Wen Shi's mouth twitched: "I think I can still be saved." At least he didn't want to order the zombie father and son set meal yet.
One by one, sky lanterns were pushed in outside the window, and the number of sky lanterns in the sky increased. Some were even floating in the low air outside the window, and could be reached by stretching one's arms.
A Sang and the Scarecrow worked together to help him collect candles.
"Cough, cough." The night was as dark as water, the sun had completely set, and a strong itchy sensation surged in his throat. Wen Shi couldn't control his coughing. His thin body trembled violently, and a mouthful of blood sprayed onto the white lampshade that he hadn't had time to remove.
Seeing this, Ah Sang worked even harder to collect candles. Wen Shi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and felt a little relieved in the candlelight.
He had never felt so weak before. His whole body seemed to be exhausted. The cool wind blew in from the car window, and his messy white hair hit his face randomly. The time for the body transformation passed. Without the blessing of night vision, Wen Shi saw Ah Sang's face blurry. The candlelight reflected in his pupils. Wen Shi looked at him quietly for a long time, and suddenly used all his strength to support his body, leaned over and blew hard at the rows of candles.
"call-"
The moment the candle went out, his body became extremely weak, his cheeks were sunken, and he was barely breathing.
Ah Sang was startled and quickly opened his arms to protect the last one that was not blown out.
Almost at the same time, the scarecrow also opened its wings to protect the tip of the flame.
"Don't worry," Wen Shi tried to curl his lips and looked at them: "I am only aging in appearance, my brain is not confused..."
The voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, but it carried an irresistible persistence.
He moved his fingertips, signaling them not to block it.
After some hesitation, the Scarecrow and A'sang finally gave way out of trust in him.
"Wait." The host rushed over, "Before you do anything stupid later, tell me the information about Frank Hospital and then close your eyes."
He hurriedly tried to find paper and pen, but when he found none, he bit his finger and prepared to write it down on his arm: "You tell me, I'll write it down."
Wen Shi rolled his eyes, and was so angry that he suddenly regained consciousness. He took a deep breath and suddenly blew out the only remaining candle.
The fire went out in an instant, Wen Shi's eyelids drooped, and his frail body fell heavily. The last thing he saw was the host's blurry face, almost collapsed.
"No!"
Dark and lonely, like drowning in the sea.
Every time I tried to breathe, my throat got stuck, as if my body and soul had turned into magnets repelling each other and were tearing apart.
Is this what death feels like
It's not emptiness, nor is it uncomfortable, it's more of a feeling of powerlessness.
Wen Shi calmed down completely. It is said that the last thing he lost before his death was his hearing. He vaguely heard A Sang calling him dad and also heard the host's voice.
—Oh, his poor big eyes.
Without a mouth, I can’t shout.
After this thought flashed through his mind, Wen Shi completely lost consciousness.
I don’t know how long the entire death experience lasted.
It seemed like centuries had passed, but it also seemed like only a moment. Along with consciousness, the perception of time was lost. Wen Shi was like hibernating, until the ice and snow melted, the cold blood finally began to flow again, and the almost non-existent heartbeat became alive again with its circulation.
The itchiness in his head disappeared, but it was still very dry. Wen Shi felt uncomfortable everywhere and tried hard to move the muscles of his whole body before he coughed dryly.
I struggled to open my eyelids, and a magnified pretty face created a visual impact.
Seeing that he was alive again, the host shouted in surprise: "Cat demon."
Only cat demons have nine lives.
Wen Shi was too lazy to pay attention to him. He turned his head and saw Ah Sang with tears in his eyes. The latter was so frightened by the sudden death that his hands were still shaking and he couldn't even hold the bowl. Wen Shi's eyes finally swept to the scarecrow... The big eyeball still couldn't speak. It could cry, but the tears left behind were a source of pollution and would cause harm to Wen Shi's body.
"I'm fine." He stretched his body. In the bewildered eyes of Ah Sang, although he didn't know if the other party could understand him, Wen Shi still explained in a hoarse voice: "Everything behind the Death Gate involves life and death, just like the starting point and the end point of the mirage, representing life and death, and this road is the same."
The dying candlelight cannot replace new life, and the natural law of birth, aging, sickness and death cannot be violated, so all he has to do is accept the process as it goes.
Ah Sang asked in a daze: "Why does Dad die only once?"
He didn't dare to blink, for fear that Wen Shi would die again if he blinked.
"Maybe because... I'm a human being."
He is the only human being in this car who needs to follow this natural law.
As he was speaking, the hearse suddenly stopped.
The host took a look and said: "We have arrived at Lookout Mountain."
There is no winding mountain road on Lookout Mountain. After passing through a long tunnel, you will reach the ghost world.
The host's expression turned uncharacteristically serious: "I can only accompany you so far, and I suggest you only go so far."
Wen Shi was a man who listened to advice, and the mission only said that the fragments were on the way to the ghost world, so there was no need for him to go into the ghost world for no reason.
"Dad, there seems to be something on the ground." Ah Sang was very sensitive to food. There was a cake box at the entrance of the tunnel. Under the flickering tunnel light, it looked very strange and lonely.
He picked up the bowl and jumped out of the car, walked around the box, and finally came back with it. During this time, Ah Sang kept one arm raised high at all times to ensure that if something jumped out, he could smash it down immediately.
"Do you want to open it?" asked A Sang.
Wen Shi nodded: "Let me do it."
He opened several gift boxes today, so this one won't make a difference.
The bow was untied, and the unique sweet smell of cream wafted out. I have to say that the things in the game data are very real, and the ingredients are also better.
His big eyes flew over to take a look, then he nodded at Wen Shi, confirming that it was just an ordinary cake.
A cake was given out for no reason. Did the game contain arsenic
Although his birthday is indeed coming soon.
Wen Shi took out the cake with an indifferent attitude. Without the cake covering it, half of the envelope at the bottom was exposed.
-
Written by me when I was a child.
Wen Shi's eyes flickered. There was only one person in this world who would call him that.
After a brief moment of distraction, he even forgot to check if there was any problem with the envelope and opened it directly.
[Yes, your father, I am also a player. ]
The familiar tone made Wen Shi feel both bitter and amused, and the shock brought by the content was reduced a lot. The peace locket was obviously not a common item. He had worn it for so long that he was somewhat mentally prepared.
[Long story short, you know I hate writing the most.
I made a bet with the game. It doesn't matter what the bet is. The fact that you can see this letter proves that I won again. Hahahaha! In front of me, it's just a little brother!
I made a hole in the ghost world, and I have agreed with the game to return the fragments and you will fill the hole, on the condition that I design a level. How does it feel to die? Is Haunted Highway fun? Remember to give it a good review!
The fragment of the world is on me, you just need to go find my body.]
Wen Shi tried very hard to pull up the corners of his mouth, imitating the cheerful tone of the content in the envelope, but failed after several attempts. When the doctor asked them to prepare for his funeral, his father disappeared from the inpatient department and never came back.
For so many years, he had been hoping that the other person might still be alive. From childhood to adulthood, that person seemed to be omnipotent, so as long as he didn't see the body with his own eyes, he would always have illusions.
Now, the other party wants him to break this fantasy with his own hands.
“No wonder there are no missions or clues on Haunted Highway.” Wen Shi smiled bitterly and continued reading.
[Here's a hint for you. My body may be on the top of the lookout mountain, or under a big tree along the road. You can always find it by climbing the mountain and digging some holes.
By the way, it should be the middle of July when you came in, and your birthday is just a few days away. Happy birthday!]
Wen Shi was left at the door of the welfare home on July 20th, and the director regarded that day as his birthday, and the date has never changed since then.
After putting away the envelope, Wen Shi looked up at the car lights. His eyes and nose felt sore in the glaring light that he couldn't breathe normally for a while. He could only open his mouth slightly.
A Sang and Big Eyes looked worried, and there was such abnormal silence that even the host didn't dare to disturb them for a moment.
An unknown amount of time had passed before Wen Shi smiled helplessly. Instead of going up the mountain to dig the ground as mentioned in the envelope, he slowly walked towards the front of the car.
"We have candles and birthday cakes, so how can we celebrate without the company of our family..."
Stopping beside the driver of the van, Wen Shi stared at him for a few seconds. After a while, he took out the Qingmu sword and slashed it down.
The dough figurine was not as soft as expected, and the outer shell was surprisingly brittle. After it split into two pieces in the middle, a pale corpse was exposed in front of him, with slender hand bones tightly grasping something shiny.
At this moment, Wen Shi finally couldn't help himself and half-knelt on the ground crying: "Dad..."
(End of this chapter)