Three Hundred Knocks

Night falls.

A few miles from Yuyang Village, lies Qingshan Village.

As usual.

Lu Chang, after a day's labor and a full meal, prepares to rest.

His meal is simple fare, and his home is a mud hut.

He is poor and alone, but he harbors no discontent.

When he was young, his village was destroyed, and he fled with the adults. Countless people died along the way.

Only when they reached the Dahe Gang mining area did their precarious existence finally end.

Mining in the area was exhausting, but it didn't involve the constant threat of being killed and eaten by wild beasts or encountering Monster.

With his youthful strength, he mined for two years, saved some money, pulled some strings, and settled in Qingshan Village.

He acquired a plot of land and a house.

Things would only get better.

He had strength and drive. He even secretly learned a few martial arts stances from the patrol team members. Though incomplete, his strength increased significantly.

However, he dared not practice too much, as it was too taxing.

Either it consumed food, or it consumed his body.

Poor families simply couldn't afford to cultivate.

The patrol members ate meat, had ample food, and could practice martial arts. They were far stronger than ordinary people, which he envied, but he dared not join the patrol team.

He was afraid of death.

Ordinary people, when encountering Monster, could neither escape nor hide. But even patrol members, when facing Monster, suffered casualties.

He had a little plan. For instance, over the past year, he hadn't cultivated, nor had he joined the patrol team, but he was alive.

Meanwhile, the patrol team had already seen half its members replaced.

The night deepens.

He is overcome with sleepiness, sleeping soundly.

Rustle, Rustle, In the quiet night.

There seem to be footsteps.

Thump.

Thump, Thump.

A faint knock suddenly sounds from outside the door.

The sound is soft, and Lu Chang, deep in his slumber, doesn't hear it at all.

Silence falls outside the door for a moment.

Suddenly, The knocking resumes, this time louder.

Lu Chang groggily wakes up, still somewhat disoriented.

He's a bit grumpy. Who would be playing pranks on him so late at night? It's really annoying. A faint sense of pent-up frustration swirls within him.

"Who's there?"

He shouts loudly, abruptly stands up, opens the door, and walks into the courtyard.

The knocking continues, one after another, without stopping.

He is very angry.

He walks a few steps to the main gate, his hand resting on the bolt. With a slight lift, he could open the door.

At this very moment, Lu Chang suddenly becomes alert. Who would be so bored at this late hour to play a prank on him? Isn't that boring?

At this time, the knocking still doesn't stop.

At first, he didn't think much of it. But now, with his mind fully awake, listening to the knocking, one, then another, then another.

The crisp knocking sound is exceptionally clear in the desolate night, as if striking directly at one's heart, again and again.

His entire heart clenches.

"No, it can't be?"

A disturbing thought flashed through his mind, and cold sweat broke out. What if it's a monster?

"No, no, it can't be."

Qingshan Village has Talisman Soldiers and a patrol team. Monsters can't get in.

Thinking this, he didn't dare open the door. Instead, he backed away step by step until he reached the doorway, staring intently at the main door.

The knocking continued, but there was no other abnormality.

"I'm close to the plaza. If there were any real trouble, someone would have noticed by now."

Still feeling uneasy, he decided to call for help. He quickly went back inside, took out a signal flare – a device each villager was issued by the patrol team for emergencies at night.

If he shouted, he might not be heard if they were too far away.

Fwoosh!

The signal was sent.

Watching the bright fireworks in the dark night sky, he felt a sense of relief.

After a while, the knocking stopped.

Lu Chang pressed himself against the door, still watching it.

Thump, thump, thump.

Footsteps sounded.

Knock!

Knock!

The knocking started again. Lu Chang's heart leaped. "No way, it's still going."

Just then, an impatient voice shouted, "Open up, patrol inspection!"

The squad leader outside instructed, "If there's no response, break down the door. If there really is a monster, kill it first."

The patrol members' voices were like heavenly music to Lu Chang's ears. He completely ignored their impatient tone.

He lifted the bolt, and four patrol members entered. They immediately subdued Lu Chang and drew a little blood. Seeing that it was bright red, they released him.

"Sorry."

The patrol squad leader was a bald man whom Sun Chang had seen before.

"Damn it, I can't believe they drew my blood before even checking properly."

He had heard about this tradition in Qingshan Village – if they suspected someone was possessed by a monster, they'd first check their blood for abnormalities.

Even though he'd heard of it, experiencing it himself was still infuriating.

He suppressed his anger. There was nothing he could do; it was a tradition. He didn't know if it was reliable, but he understood.

Lu Chang explained the situation.

The knocking, and no one answering from outside.

"Could it be a prank? Someone trying to scare you!"

The bald captain analyzed.

"There's a possibility, but it's unlikely. I was standing in the yard for quite a while, and I didn't hear any footsteps leaving until you arrived."

As he said this, Lu Chang's expression turned fearful. "Captain, do you think... I might have actually encountered a monster?"

"Hmm... It's possible. How about this, we'll search around a bit."

The group then searched his house inside and out, and even checked on his neighbors. There was nothing unusual.

They handed him another signal flare. "If you find anything abnormal, send another signal."

The bald captain instructed.

"Okay," Lu Chang took the flare and nodded heavily.

The patrol team left.

Lu Chang closed the main door, his face gloomy. "This is really something else."

He tried to sleep again, but he only lay down. He wasn't asleep yet; he didn't have the nerve to completely dismiss the incident.

He remained vigilant.

After the dead of night, sure enough, there was knocking again.

"Damn it, are they going to keep this up?"

Sun Chang felt both anger and fear. He jumped off the bed abruptly.

Knock, knock!

Knock, knock!

The sound seemed closer now. He realized it wasn't the main door being knocked on, but...

The door!

Someone was knocking, right outside the door.

The anger that had just flared up instantly dissipated, replaced by a chilling dread.

He trembled as he walked to the door.

An oil lamp glowed inside the house, but it cast no shadow of anyone outside.

Cold sweat dripped, forming a stream.

Fear surged, and Lu Chang completely panicked. He gripped the signal arrow tightly, hesitating whether to rush out and fire it.

Who knew if that thing would just come into the house?

The night was cold, especially tonight. The oppressive feeling at this moment made his chest tight, agitated, and uneasy.

Suddenly, creak, creak, creak, there was movement at the door, as if something was scratching at it, trying to get in.

Swish, Lu Chang no longer hesitated. He flung the door open and charged out.

Outside, the sky was starless, just an impenetrable darkness.

Just as Lu Chang was about to fire the signal arrow, his heart suddenly seized with pain, his hand went limp, and the arrow dropped.

He clutched his left chest, collapsing to the ground. The pain in his heart was so intense it was almost making him lose consciousness, yet he could still clearly hear the distinct knocking.

Suddenly, a realization dawned in his mind.

This was the two hundred and ninety-fifth knock.

Two hundred and ninety-six, Two hundred and ninety-seven, Two hundred and ninety-eight, Two hundred and ninety-nine, Three hundred.

His heart suddenly exploded, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.

PS: Requesting recommendation tickets!