The moonlight was pure and bright, coldly looking down on the humans traversing the mist, who kept running back and forth as if trapped in a cycle.
The darkness around them grew even thicker, forming a stark contrast with the white mist. Black and white intertwined, layer upon layer, like a dense spiderweb wrapping around them, leaving the flies and insects within no way to break free.
The poor souls knew nothing of this and continued wasting their efforts.
Yang Cheng and Ma Tian had no idea how long they had been walking. Their mouths had gone dry, yet they still had not seen the path leading down to the foot of the mountain.
At first, there had still been people talking within the group.
But as time passed, everything grew quieter and quieter, as though they were being assimilated by their surroundings and sinking into a deathly silence. An inexplicable unease crept over them.
"Don't you think it's a little too quiet?"
The sudden voice shattered the silence.
Everyone instinctively stopped.
At first, they had still been able to hear insects chirping, birds calling, and the endless cries of cicadas. But after the white mist appeared, all those sounds vanished without a trace.
Aside from the sound of their footsteps, there was no movement anywhere around them.
The white mist had formed a world of its own, as if it had completely severed them from this land.
A strange expression crossed Yang Cheng's face. He hurriedly tried to calm everyone down. "Don't overthink it. Maybe there just aren't many insects around here. Let's keep going. Perhaps we'll be able to get down the mountain soon."
Although the excuse did not hold water, the others had no time to worry about that. They quickened their pace, wanting to escape this eerie environment.
Ma Tian suddenly stopped.
Yang Cheng's tone turned somewhat impatient. "What is it this time?"
Ma Tian looked around, as if he had noticed something. His face suddenly became odd.
"Why do I feel like we've walked this road before?"
A small commotion immediately swept through the group.
"That's impossible, right? We've come this far. How could we have been walking in circles?"
Yang Cheng swept his flashlight carefully around them. "Don't talk nonsense."
Ma Tian immediately grew anxious. "I'm serious. I remember that crooked-neck tree. It left a deep impression on me, so I took a few extra looks at it."
He paused, then spoke each word distinctly. "But I've just seen that crooked-neck tree again!"
Everyone followed the direction he pointed and looked over. There really was a solitary crooked-neck tree nearby.
There were hardly any leaves left on it. Only its bare trunk remained, twisted into a grotesque shape like an old man in the twilight of his life.
"Maybe you saw it wrong. It isn't unusual for identical trees to appear in the mountains and forests."
Although he said that, Yang Cheng kept his own reservations. The group continued forward.
But before long, that crooked-neck tree appeared before them once again. Yang Cheng felt his throat inexplicably grow dry, while panic churned violently in his heart.
He pretended to remain calm. "Maybe... perhaps we've run into another identical tree?"
The others' expressions clearly showed that they did not believe him. How could there be such a coincidence? It wasn't as though every tree around them had a crooked neck.
For a moment, everyone's expression turned ugly.
"Maybe we were too hasty just now and took the wrong path, which is why we ended up back where we started."
Yang Cheng tied a strip of cloth to the tree and led everyone in the opposite direction. "Don't worry. We'll definitely get out this time."
The crooked-neck tree watched as the group disappeared into the heavy fog. Silver moonlight spilled from the sky. There was clearly no wind around them, yet the strip of cloth on the tree began fluttering for no reason.
This time, they did not see the crooked-neck tree. Everyone let out a silent sigh of relief, as if a stone had finally been set down.
Yang Cheng said, relieved, "Looks like we accidentally lost our direction just now, which is why we wandered back to where we started. This time, it shouldn't take long before we leave the mountain."
The imagination was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
Yang Cheng had barely finished speaking when Ma Tian's slightly trembling voice rang out. He pointed ahead. "Th-that... what is that up ahead?"
A black outline appeared in the distance, resembling a twisted monster lurking deep within the mist and secretly spying on their every move.
A foreboding feeling rose in Yang Cheng's heart. He cautiously walked closer for a look.
His pupils abruptly contracted, as if he had seen something utterly inconceivable. Even his breathing became extremely rapid.
A solitary crooked-neck tree came into view, with the strip of cloth he had tied himself still hanging from one of its branches.
Yang Cheng cried out in shock, "How can this be!"
They had walked for at least half an hour, and they had been heading in the opposite direction. How could they possibly have returned to where they started?
Everything was simply too strange.
If the two identical trees could still explain what had happened before, Yang Cheng had tied that strip of cloth himself. Surely there could not be another similar one as well.
The panic on everyone's faces had already been replaced by fear and terror.
"This is way too sinister. Could we have run into a ghost wall?"
"We've been walking for so long and still haven't gotten out. Could we have been circling the same spot the whole time?"
"This mountain is far too sinister. Even mountain fog isn't usually this thick. Could some filthy thing be causing trouble?"
A mountain wind came from nowhere. The leaves on a nearby tree rustled in the breeze, sounding just like someone clapping.
To make matters worse, the fog was so thick that they could not see clearly. They could only hear the omnipresent mountain wind wailing, as though ghosts were crying and spirits were howling.
Combined with the crooked-neck tree before them, the scene was eerie to the extreme and sent chills through their hearts.
Cold sweat had soaked through the clothes on everyone's backs. When the wind blew, they could not help shivering.
Ma Tian swallowed hard and asked, "Then what should we do now?"
A ruthless glint flashed through Yang Cheng's eyes. "What ghost wall? I don't believe in that nonsense. Keep going! I refuse to believe we can't get out of this lousy mountain!"
This time, he chose a direction opposite the crooked-neck tree.
Yet before long, that crooked-neck tree appeared again.
The expressions on everyone's faces grew even uglier. At the same time, an indescribable terror surged from the depths of their hearts.
Yang Cheng shot it a glance, his expression so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it.
No one knew how long they had walked. It was as if they had fallen into a cycle, seeing that crooked-neck tree every time.
The boundless fog had formed a strange circle, wrapping them inside with no way out.
Yang Cheng was drenched in sweat, his eyes bloodshot. When he saw that crooked-neck tree again, he finally could not endure it any longer.
"Bang!"
He kicked the crooked-neck tree, making the entire tree shudder violently.
"Damn it, I'm telling you to stop blocking our path!"
"You're nothing but a lousy tree. Do you think we're afraid of you?"
Yang Cheng kicked it again and again. His face was twisted with ferocity, yet panic flickered in his brows and eyes.
The crooked-neck tree was frail to begin with. Its branches and trunk were thin, and years of weathering had left its insides almost hollow.
With a sharp crack, it toppled over.
Yang Cheng still seemed unsatisfied, so he viciously stomped on it a few more times.