Chapter 77.1 Savage Expansion (10)
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Without any warning, Lin Zhaohe was startled by the sudden appearance of a face. He let out a scream and almost jumped out of the water. “Run, there’s a ghost!”
Huo Nanjing didn’t see anything in the water, but he got scared by Lin Zhaohe’s voice. “What’s there? What’s there?”
Lin Zhaohe’s panic made Huo Nanjing hurriedly crawl forward. His feet got stuck in the mud, hindering his movements. After stumbling a few times, he helplessly fell into the dark pond.
“Help! Glub glub!” The pond, which used to be shallow, now seemed bottomless. Huo Nanjing felt something pressing on his body, forcing him towards the bottom. He struggled with all his strength but achieved nothing. Exhausted and trapped in the mud, water started to flood his mouth and nose, causing a painful sensation in his lungs.
Within a blink of an eye, Huo Nanjing, who had been following behind Lin Zhaohe, had already sunk into the water. He splashed wildly, as if fighting for his life.
Lin Zhaohe clenched his teeth and didn’t run forward. Instead, he turned back to save Huo Nanjing. Ignoring the scary creature in the water, he also jumped in, trying to pull Huo Nanjing out.
However, a drowning person is terrifying. Huo Nanjing, holding onto the lifeline, clung tightly to Lin Zhaohe, almost dragging him down. Thankfully, Lin Zhaohe was taller and managed to stay steady, avoiding being overwhelmed by Huo Nanjing.
Lin Zhaohe exerted all his strength and let out a loud roar, finally pulling Huo Nanjing to the water’s surface. The fresh air rushing into Huo Nanjing’s mouth and nose relieved the extreme panic and suffocation. Supported by Lin Zhaohe, Huo Nanjing stood in place, gasping heavily. He coughed out water from his mouth occasionally. Lin Zhaohe tried to drag Huo Nanjing ashore, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move him. Huo Nanjing’s body was incredibly heavy, like a massive stone…
Huo Nanjing finally calmed down and stood trembling in place. He looked around and said with a trembling voice, “Brother Lin, don’t scare me. Where is the ghost?”
Lin Zhaohe, amidst the chaos, had no idea where that thing was now. “It was in the water just now. Let’s hurry ashore.”
“Okay,” Huo Nanjing replied, terrified.
The two of them crawled towards the shore, with Lin Zhaohe easily making it up. But when it was Huo Nanjing’s turn, he couldn’t climb up. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t move his feet to cover the knee-high distance. Lin Zhaohe tried to pull him up, but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t move him.
“Are you out of strength?” Lin Zhaohe wondered.
“No strength…” Huo Nanjing weakly answered, “Can’t climb.”
What should they do now? Lin Zhaohe panicked. He jumped back into the water, planning to push Huo Nanjing up from behind. But as he circled around Huo Nanjing, his expression froze—finally, he understood why he couldn’t move Huo Nanjing despite exerting so much force. There, behind Huo Nanjing, was a distorted woman, soaked and limp, her limbs coiled like ropes, tightly entangled with Huo Nanjing’s body.
Despite her terrifying appearance, she was still alive. Her gaze from those dark pupils slowly shifted towards Lin Zhaohe. A contorted smile formed on her pale, swollen face.
In that moment, Lin Zhaohe finally grasped the feeling Huo Nanjing had when he saw the female ghost perched on his shoulder earlier.
Perplexed, Huo Nanjing looked at Lin Zhaohe standing motionless and asked, “Brother Lin, what’s wrong?”
Lin Zhaohe pondered for a while and said, “I need to tell you something.”
Huo Nanjing: “Ah?”
Lin Zhaohe: “I have some good news and some bad news.”
Huo Nanjing: “The bad… bad news?”
Lin Zhaohe: “The bad news is that there’s a monster clinging to your back.”
Hearing this, Huo Nanjing’s vision darkened, and he cried out, “Then what’s the good news?”
Lin Zhaohe: “The good news is that she’s a woman.” He paused for a moment and cruelly added, “Seems like she quite likes you.”
Huo Nanjing wailed loudly.
Lin Zhaohe had intended to lighten the mood with a hint of humor, but instead, he made the child cry. Lin Zhaohe looked embarrassed and said, “Don’t cry so hastily, I didn’t mean to scare you. Wait, don’t turn your head just yet…”
His warning came a step too late, as Huo Nanjing had already turned to look at the humanoid creature clinging to his back. Lin Zhaohe had expected at least a scream from him based on his previous reactions, but to his surprise, Huo Nanjing didn’t. His expression shifted from fear to astonishment in a split second, and he said, “Xiao Xiu? Xiao Xiu, is that you, Xiao Xiu?”
Xiao Xiu was the name of Huo Nanjing’s mentioned ex-girlfriend. Hearing it now from his lips carried an unexpected touch of something else.
“Xiao Xiu! How did you end up like this?” Huo Nanjing looked at the distorted face of his girlfriend, still able to recognize her original features. He felt a deep sense of heartache. “Xiao Xiu, it’s me, Nanjing. Are you okay?”
This remark seemed somewhat redundant. When someone looked like this, it was hard to believe they were fine. Lin Zhaohe silently thought to himself, though he dared not say it aloud for fear of being hit by Huo Nanjing.
After Huo Nanjing recognized the figure clinging to him as his girlfriend, Lin Zhaohe watched as most of the fear in his eyes diminished. It must be said that, in certain situations, the power of love can be quite extraordinary. Huo Nanjing seemed genuinely unafraid now, even touching Xiao Xiu’s soft, snake-like hand wrapped around him and whispered, “Xiao Xiu, do you still recognize me?”
Unable to hold back, Lin Zhaohe said, “Um, maybe we should go up first and then take the time to catch up. In case there’s more than just Xiao Xiu in the water…”
Huo Nanjing was reminded of something and exclaimed, “Oh yeah, if I get clingy with other girls, Xiao Xiu would get jealous.”
Lin Zhaohe remained silent. He suspected that Huo Nanjing and A’Yao shared the same mindset when it came to love.
With a combined weight of over 300 pounds, it was a real struggle for Lin Zhaohe to push Huo Nanjing, who weighed over 300 pounds himself, back up onto the shore. Both of them were gasping for breath, exerting all their effort. Finally, they managed to roll and crawl, bringing Huo Nanjing to safety. Lin Zhaohe’s concerns proved to be valid because shortly after they reached the shore, ripples appeared in the pond. Lin Zhaohe peered into the water and saw something moving in the pitch-black pond. Dimly illuminated by the faint light, he could vaguely make out a human body that had been swollen and distorted by water. Its limbs were as soft and slender as seaweed. The sight sent chills down Lin Zhaohe’s spine. Unlike Huo Nanjing’s love-infused mind, there was no girlfriend to distract him. But on second thought, if it were Boss Zhuang, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem… Blushing at his own thoughts, Lin Zhaohe was relieved that the darkness hid his embarrassment from Huo Nanjing.
Meanwhile, Huo Nanjing continued to struggle with his girlfriend, Xiao Xiu, who clung tightly to his body. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t free himself from her grip. After a while, Huo Nanjing gave up and gasped. “Alright, Xiao Xiu, as long as you’re happy. I think I can hold on a bit longer.”
Lin Zhaohe watched their interaction, feeling both amused and helpless. “Let’s go quickly. We don’t know if these things will crawl out of the water.”
Huo Nanjing nodded, and the two drenched figures continued forward in a disheveled state. Now, their situations were quite similar. Lin Zhaohe had two on his shoulders, and Huo Nanjing had one on his back.
“The library is over there. Should we go in and rest for a while?” After struggling in the water for a considerable time, Huo Nanjing was starting to feel physically exhausted, barely able to walk straight. Moreover, he was eager to find a place where he could carefully examine the condition of his girlfriend, Xiao Xiu, to determine whether she was alive or dead and if there was any chance of saving her.
“Sure,” Lin Zhaohe sneezed and agreed.
Although the high school library was not as grand as a university library, it was still beautifully constructed. During Lin Zhaohe’s high school years, he often found himself sneaking in during summer vacations, not because he enjoyed reading books, but because the air conditioning inside was perfect for taking a nap.
After the world had achieved great harmony, the library had also been mostly demolished. Now, as it reappeared before Lin Zhaohe’s eyes, it stirred up a complex mix of emotions inside him.
Many of his novels had been completed within the walls of this library. Countless books inside had provided Lin Zhaohe with endless inspiration, serving as the cradle of his creative journey.
“Uh-oh.” As they approached the library, Huo Nanjing had a bad feeling. Surprisingly, lights were on inside the library, causing him to hesitate. “Could there be monsters in there?”
Lin Zhaohe carefully observed and noticed that the lighting inside was different from the surrounding area. It wasn’t a tightly packed cluster of light, but rather a large, dispersed source of light. Through the glass, he could even see the situation inside the library clearly. Furrowing his brow, he said, “Why are there people in the library?” He spotted several individuals on the first floor, wearing the school uniform, most likely students from this school.
Huo Nanjing also leaned forward and glanced a few times. Afterward, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “Brother Lin, let’s go quickly! The people in the library are my friends!” He immediately recognized the individuals inside the library as his two friends who had gotten separated from him at school.
Lin Zhaohe looked hesitantly at Huo Nanjing, thinking that judging by the state of his girlfriend, Xiao Xiu, his friends’ situation seemed equally worrisome. However, he refrained from voicing his thoughts because Xiao Xiu’s black eyes were fixed on him, making his back feel chilly.
Huo Nanjing didn’t have as many concerns as Lin Zhaohe. Upon seeing his friends, he wanted to rush over without even feeling the weight of the person on his back.
Side by side, they arrived at the entrance of the library and saw the wide-open doors. Indeed, it was brightly lit inside, with genuine lights rather than the glowing eyes of monsters.
Moments ago, the darkness outside made it difficult to see, but now that the lights were on, Lin Zhaohe noticed how disheveled both he and Huo Nanjing looked. After crawling out of the pond, their bodies were covered in dirty mud. Their clothes were still dripping water, presenting a sorry sight.
Huo Nanjing entered the library, calling out his companions’ names, but received no response.
“How about we go to the restroom and clean up?” Lin Zhaohe couldn’t bear it any longer. Looking at Huo Nanjing’s grimy face, he realized he wasn’t much better off himself.
“Sure,” Huo Nanjing hesitated. “But Xiao Xiu is a girl. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to take her to the men’s restroom.”
Lin Zhaohe: “…It’s fine. Although girls are not allowed in the men’s restroom, female ghosts are.”
Huo Nanjing: “?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Besides, there’s nobody in the library. Restrooms for men and women are the same. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
It seemed to make some sense, and miraculously, Huo Nanjing was convinced by Lin Zhaohe’s words.
The people who had been wandering around on the first floor were now nowhere to be seen. Huo Nanjing and Lin Zhaohe briefly cleaned the dirt from their faces and bodies in the men’s restroom. With ample lighting, Xiao Xiu’s appearance became even more horrifying. She no longer resembled a human. She seemed more like a floating corpse. Her swollen body clung to Huo Nanjing’s back, her limbs entwined with him, presenting an utterly terrifying sight.
Lin Zhaohe’s scalp tingled just from a quick glance, but Huo Nanjing, surprisingly, felt no fear. He lowered his head and tidied Xiao Xiu’s hair.
“Let’s go, let’s get out of here,” Lin Zhaohe said.
Huo Nanjing nodded.
Just as Lin Zhaohe stepped out of the restroom, several dark figures lunged at him from the side, catching him completely off guard and knocking him to the ground. Huo Nanjing, who was behind him, couldn’t escape the same fate. In the blink of an eye, both he and Lin Zhaohe were tightly bound with ropes, like zongzi, a traditional Chinese food wrapped in leaves.
“What are you doing?!” Huo Nanjing recognized their attackers as his classmates and cried out in agony from the ground. “I’m Huo Nanjing—don’t you recognize me?”
“Even if you turned into ashes, I would still recognize you!!” The lead girl, disheveled and resembling a madwoman, her eyes bloodshot, stared at Huo Nanjing with a gaze filled with fear and hatred. “You monster! It’s all because of you that Xiao Xiu is dead!”
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