bullyxtreme Chapter 159 The Strange House
Chapter 159 The Strange House
"I have a little donkey, which I never ride. One day, on a whim, I rode it to the market..."
Lin Ziping munched on a steamed bun, humming a tune as he strolled leisurely along the newly paved road in Xinping Village.
Remembering what He Shun had said earlier about how the Wuling Hongguang had run into Xinping Village and happened to see a clump of green grass by the roadside, Lin Ziping rolled down, picked it up, and fed it to the animal.
The Wuling Hongguang wasn't picky about food and ate heartily.
Lin Ziping stroked its mane and couldn't help but smile. It truly lived up to its name, "Wuling Hongguang," as it could be used with both 92 and 95 liters, just like the legendary Wuling Hongguang.
The road gradually became rugged, and Lin Ziping and his Wuling Hongguang van made frequent stops and starts. After about an hour, they arrived at Maomao Village.
Last time I came down from Maomao Mountain, I passed by in a hurry and didn't take a good look. Just like the day I was arrested, the village was very dilapidated and became more and more desolate as time went by.
Lin Ziping found it increasingly strange. The last time he came, no one was there, which made sense because they had been captured and taken to Cat Mountain. Now that the bandits had been captured, the people who were taken up the mountain should have returned. Why was there still no one in this village?
The Wuling Hongguang seemed to sense something, hesitated, and nervously dug at the ground.
Lin Ziping carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Suddenly he felt something coming from his right and quickly bent down to avoid it.
"Snapped--"
The item fell to the ground. Lin Ziping looked at it and saw a grayish cloth that looked somewhat familiar.
Lin Ziping turned his gaze back to the direction from which he had been attacked, and a figure flashed past.
"drive--"
He spurred his horse and gave chase.
The figure was small and agile, using the geographical advantage to move between houses.
The Wuling Hongguang also cooperated perfectly, and started running at Lin Ziping's command.
"Whoa—"
Lin Ziping stopped the Wuling Hongguang in front of a thatched house.
This looks like the place where I threw down the bag last time.
Was the person who attacked him the little girl who warned him before he went up the mountain?
A gust of wind blew by, bringing with it an unpleasant smell that hit Lin Ziping's nose.
"vomit--"
It smelled so bad that Lin Ziping couldn't help but bend over and gag.
It's like the smell of a dead rat rotting; it was there last time I came, and it hasn't dissipated after all these days.
Lin Ziping covered his mouth and nose and walked back towards the house, but the smell became stronger as he got closer.
He cursed under his breath, walked into the room, and kicked the door open.
The door wobbled and collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"vomit--"
The door opened, and a putrid stench hit him. Lin Ziping quickly pushed it open and actually vomited.
How many rats must have died in here to make it stink like this?!
After the dust settled, Lin Ziping drew the knife from his waist and carefully entered the house.
To be honest, Lin Ziping sometimes admires himself.
He's bold, yet sometimes timid; he's also timid, having been fascinated by strange tales and anecdotes since childhood, and a loyal fan of all kinds of crime investigation videos.
They only ever looked around, and were quite averse to sayings like "one person shouldn't enter a temple, two people shouldn't look into a well, and three people shouldn't hug a tree." But now that they've come to this era and have martial arts skills, they dare to venture alone into places like the "green gauze tent" and the "deep forest," which were once taboo.
Just like now, even though I knew there was something strange about that house, I still went inside.
Who knew that once I went inside, I was almost scared out of my wits.
The house has a simple layout: one bedroom and two living rooms. Everything looks normal from the outside; it's just an ordinary room with a table in the middle, a few chairs, and a pile of miscellaneous items.
The inner room was somewhat dim because the sunlight couldn't shine directly in, but it was still discernible that it was a bedroom.
There was a bed in the room, and you could vaguely make out a person lying on it.
Lin Ziping thought it was the figure he had just seen, and slowly approached, knife in hand.
The shoes made a crisp "smack-smack" sound as they stepped on the ground.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the room.
"Buzz-"
Lin Ziping felt something crawling onto his face towel, but he didn't pay attention and turned his head to try to drive it away. He held his breath and went to bed.
The person on the bed was covered with a blanket and had their back to Lin Ziping.
He used the knife to pry open the blanket, and then used the back of the knife to shove the man.
Despite making only a small movement and using very little force, the person suddenly flipped over and lay flat on their back.
Suppressing his surprise, Lin Ziping moved a little closer.
But when she saw it clearly, she couldn't help but scream in fright.
The person on the bed had disheveled hair, and the parts not covered by hair were rotting, with maggots still wriggling on them.
There was another person next to him, eyes open, reflecting light in the dim room.
The scene was so shocking, it was like a crime drama come to life.
The last time I saw such a horrifying scene was the last time!
Inappropriately, a line from a video he used to watch at night came to Lin Ziping's mind: "The person lying in bed is either alive or dead."
"You're disturbing my mother." A voice interrupted Lin Ziping's scream.
Lin Ziping froze for three seconds, his mind going completely blank.
It took him a while to realize that someone was talking to him.
The idea that those lying in bed are either alive or dead is a false premise, because there are both dead and living people.
Lin Ziping was still a bit like Lord Ye who loved dragons but feared them in return. Faced with this situation, he was so frightened that his legs trembled, and after screaming, he turned and ran away.
Fortunately, the Wuling Hongguang was still waiting outside. Lin Ziping supported its back, pulled off his face towel, and began to vomit violently.
What do you mean by a bunch of dead rats? There's clearly a dead person inside.
"You've dirtied my house, and I had a lot of trouble cleaning it up." The voice behind me sounded a little angry.
Hearing this sound, Lin Ziping's hair stood on end, and thinking of the people inside the room, he took two steps back.
"Sorry, I'll clean it up right away," Lin Ziping said with an embarrassed smile.
He used his feet to dig through the mud on the roadside and bury what he had just vomited.
"Alright, it's getting late, I'm leaving." Lin Ziping, recalling the scene in the room just now, dared not look directly at the person in front of him and said with his eyes lowered.
“I know you. You left some steamed buns at my door last time,” the man continued.
Lin Ziping looked up at the person in front of him. He was small, not even as tall as a Wuling Hongguang minivan. He was disheveled and his appearance was hard to discern. He wore tattered clothes and worn-out shoes.
The buzzing sound came again, and Lin Ziping seemed to see the scene in the room again, and he turned his head and dry heaved.
“You’re an official, I know what you’re looking for,” the little man continued. “Come with me.”
Although completely bewildered and not understanding what it meant, Lin Ziping still obediently pulled the Wuling Hongguang and followed behind her at a distance.
Before long, the two of them circled up the mountain. The little girl, wearing ill-fitting shoes, walked quickly through the woods, stopping from time to time to wait for Lin Ziping.
As time passed, Lin Ziping's fear gradually dissipated, and he asked, "Where are the other people in this village?"
The little girl picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it, saying, "You're dead!"
They're all dead?!
Lin Ziping was shocked. He had thought he had been captured and taken to the mountains, but was he actually dead?
But after looking at the little figure in front of her and the situation inside the house, Lin Ziping guessed that she might not understand the concept of life and death.
"Why are you all alone in the village?" Lin Ziping continued to ask.
The little girl turned to look at Lin Ziping: "Didn't you see my mother? You even woke her up from her sleep. If my mother hadn't said you were a good person, I wouldn't have reminded you last time."