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 Wen Shi felt cold all over.
From the moment he entered the first copy, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand driving everything.
The 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 self.
Putting aside the distant past, just the large eyeball in front of him—the connection between them was earned at the cost of half his life, and it was definitely not something that could be manipulated by any other force. From this perspective, Jian Qingrong's presence inexplicably made him feel a sense of reassurance.
Wen Shi was about to continue asking, but the host suddenly covered his face with a handkerchief, laughing so hard that he couldn't stop, and sarcastically said 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 tricks? 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 reached in from the window.
The skinny arms, like dried meat strips, emitted a strong corpse stench. Half of the body 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.
Having not smelled the scent of living flesh and blood for many years, the mummy squeezed in its head, ready to pounce on its prey.
The child sitting in the seat, clearly full of life, had no fear on his face. He 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.
A Sang: "…"
Is there such a good thing?
He glanced at Wen Shi, seemed to be about to speak, but stopped himself before finally saying, "He hit his head, and I guess there's no way he can be saved."
It was no secret that he ate monsters, but eating them in front of his father 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 struggled desperately.
Reaching the last row, Ah Sang placed his free hand on the top of his head, draining away all his resentment and hatred, then smashed the bowl with it. After a muffled thud, he successfully pulled out a crystal. Wiping his hands with the few remaining strands of hair from the corpse's head, Ah Sang tossed the skull-opened corpse away.
He had almost digested his food and was ready to eat 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 and 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 very good at sucking.
Wen Shi: "...Go ahead, be careful."
A Sang nodded and climbed up directly through the window.
With A Sang responsible for dealing with the monsters on the road, Wen Shi doesn't have to do anything and just concentrate on finding the fragments.
He himself had a fragment of the world, and he knew that in the absence of any clues, finding something no bigger than half a child's hand would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He couldn't just get out of the car and dig deep into the ground, bit by bit, from 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 sensation on his scalp, and the scarecrow pulled Wen Shi's hair, as if to convey some message.
The pulled hair floated in front of her, emitting a faint silver glow in 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. The latter had not 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 hooked his fingers with his big eyes and used his pupils to look in the mirror. Not only his hair, but also many fine wrinkles in the corners of his eyes were visible.
The angle of the sun shifted little by little, and the speed of aging was still accelerating. Although the skin was smooth, it was a little loose, and the cat ears had lost their 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 catching his breath, Wen Shi was a little puzzled, as he clearly didn't trigger any side quests.
Without knowing the rules, there was no way to play the game. He seized the moment to observe anything unusual around him. Age had affected his eyesight, and his fleeting gaze swept around the car, finding nothing. Wen Shi squinted out the window again, and in the blink of an eye, the sun had already set.
As 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.
This darkness, compared with the previous false light, 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 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, "Can you help me get a lamp?"
The closer to the ghost world, the heavier the yin energy became. Nourished by the yin energy, the scarecrow's wings grew half again.
It flapped its broken wings and flew towards one of the spots of light. 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 peeling back the paper lampshade, Wen Shi removed the candle. His hand was unsteady, causing the candle to sway violently. The warmth of the candlelight warmed his blood, and Wen Shi could feel the aging energy within him greedily devouring the candlelight. In the process, the ends of his white hair turned black, and the flesh on his hand recovered somewhat, no longer a shrunken 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 the monster 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's 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 the nooks and crannies, and finally found 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 moment.
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 was happening, he could only feel the life of the person in front of him slipping away rapidly. 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: "While there is still time."
"…"
Sooner or later you will make your father die of filial piety.
The corner of Wen Shi's mouth twitched: "I think I can still save him a little bit."
At least he doesn't want to order the zombie father and son set meal yet.
One by one, sky lanterns were pushed in from 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 help coughing. His thin body trembled violently, and a mouthful of blood sprayed onto the white lampshade that he had not had time to remove.
The white paper was instantly splattered with blood, which was very horrifying.
Seeing this, A'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 entire body drained of energy. A cool breeze blew in from the car window, and his messy white hair lashed his face. Time had passed since his transformation, and without the benefit of his night vision, Wen Shi saw Ah Sang's face blurry. The candlelight reflected in his pupils. Wen Shi stared at him silently for a long moment, then suddenly, with all his strength, he propped himself up, 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.
A Sang was startled and quickly opened his arms to hold on to the last cigarette 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 the corners of his mouth and looked at them: "I'm 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, Scarecrow and A'sang finally gave way out of trust in him.
"Wait." The host rushed over, "Before you do anything stupid, tell me the information about Frank Hospital first and then close your eyes."
He hurriedly tried to find paper and pen, but since there was 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 flames went out in an instant, Wen Shi's eyelids drooped, and his frail body collapsed heavily. The last thing he saw was the host's blurry face, nearly collapsed.
"No!"
Dark and lonely, like drowning in the sea.
Every attempt to breathe was caught in my throat, as if my body and soul had become repelling magnets, pulling 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 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 whole death experience lasted.
It seemed as if centuries had passed, yet it seemed as if it had only been a moment. Along with consciousness, the perception of time was lost. Wen Shi was like hibernating, until the ice and snow melted, and the cold blood finally began to flow again. The almost non-existent heartbeat followed its circulation, and it became alive again.
The itchiness in his head disappeared, but it was very dry. Wen Shi felt uncomfortable all over and had to move all the muscles in his body before he could cough dryly.
After struggling to open my eyelids, I saw an enlarged pretty face, which created a visual impact.
Seeing him come back to life, the host exclaimed in surprise: "Cat demon."
Only cat demons have nine lives.
Wen Shi didn't bother to pay attention. He turned his head and saw Ah Sang, his eyes filled with tears. 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 gaze finally flicked to the scarecrow... The big eyeballs were still speechless. It could cry, but the tears it shed were a source of pollution and would cause harm to Wen Shi's body.
"I'm fine." He stretched his body. Facing Ah Sang's bewildered gaze, although he wasn't sure if he could understand, Wen Shi explained in a hoarse voice, "Everything behind the Death Gate involves life and death, just like the starting point and end point of a mirage, representing life and death. This road is the same."
The dying candlelight cannot replace new life, and the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness and death cannot be violated, so all he has to do is accept the process as it comes.
Ah Sang asked confusedly, "Why does Daddy 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."
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. You can reach the ghost world by passing through a long tunnel.
The host's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "I can only accompany you so far. I suggest you stop here as well."
Wen Shi is a man who listens to advice. Besides, the mission only says that the fragments are on the way to the ghost world. There is no need for him to enter the ghost world for no reason.
"Dad, there seems to be something on the ground." A Sang is very sensitive to food-related things. There is a cake box at the entrance of the tunnel. Under the flickering tunnel light, it looks 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, A Sang kept one arm raised high, making sure that if anything jumped out, he could smash it down immediately.
"Do you want to open it?" A Sang asked.
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 of higher quality.
His big eyes flew over to take a look, and he nodded at Wen Shi, confirming that it was just an ordinary cake.
I just gave out a cake for no reason. Did the game tamper with it?
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 anything wrong with the envelope and opened it directly.
[Yes, your father is also a player.]
The familiar tone made Wen Shi feel both bitter and amused, and the shock of the content was actually lessened. The peace locket was clearly not a common item. He had worn it for so long that he was somewhat mentally prepared.
[To make a long story short, you know I hate writing the most.
I made a bet with the game. It doesn't matter what the bet was. 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've created a rift in the ghost world, and it's my father's fault. I've agreed with the game to return the fragments, and you'll fill the hole. The only trade-off is letting me design a level. How does it feel to die? Is Haunted Highway fun? Remember to give it a thumbs-up!
The fragment of the world is on me, just go find my body.]
Wen Shi tried very hard to pull up the corners of his mouth, trying to imitate the cheerful tone of the content in the envelope, but failed every time. When the doctor asked him to prepare for his funeral, his father disappeared from the inpatient department and never came back.
For so many years, he had always held on to the hope 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 for a day, 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 Ghost Highway." Wen Shi smiled bitterly and continued reading.
[Here's a hint for you. My body might be on 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 have been the middle of July when you came in, so your birthday was just a few days away. Happy birthday!
Wen Shi was placed at the door of the welfare home on July 20th, so the director regarded this day as his birthday and it has never changed since then.
After putting away the envelope, Wen Shi looked up at the car lights. The glaring light made his eyes and nose feel sore and 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.
"I have candles and a birthday cake, so how can I celebrate my birthday without my family?"
Wen Shi stopped beside the driver of the van and 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 shell was surprisingly brittle. After it split into two halves 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..."