The Hunt

"Azhi's diary started in 2013, which was five years ago, right when I first bought her this computer. The entries from the first few years were quite normal; she just recorded what books she read, which restaurant had the best desserts, and how she always went to eat alone... But starting from the middle of last year, the content of her diary changed. Her writing became messy and dark, filled with the kind of antisocial rhetoric you'd expect from a misanthropic criminal."

"From the Mid-Autumn Festival of 2017, Azhi began having the same recurring dream. The content of that dream was very... twisted and oppressive, just like those horror games on her computer. Every time she had this dream, her mental state would deteriorate, and the diary entries would become even more chaotic, which broke me out in a cold sweat."

"I was truly worried about her mental state, but I was afraid that if I brought it up directly, Azhi would blame me for snooping into her privacy. So, I copied those diary entries about the dream and sent them to a psychiatrist at the Qinzhou City Hospital."

"The doctor said that because Azhi lacked normal social and family relationships for a long time, her brain had become immersed in bizarre and horrific virtual works, leading to delusions and hysteria. He said that as long as she adjusted her mindset and engaged in more outdoor activities, it would improve, and he offered to come over for a personal consultation if necessary."

"But I know that's not it!"

Feng Yushu's emotions suddenly became agitated, and her voice grew louder:

"Because of that dream Azhi had... that terrifying nightmare that kept appearing in her diary over and over again!"

"The scene of that dream took place in a weird village where everyone had Yellow Paper with their own names written on it pasted to their faces. Everyone in the village worshipped an evil god that looked like a snake, and the name of that village was... He Family Village."

Ning Zhe's expression turned incredibly grim: "Why didn't you mention such an important clue earlier?"

Feng Yushu seemed not to hear him at all. She didn't respond to his question, but instead continued to mutter neurotically: "I can't die here, Ning Zhe, I really can't die here. I must get out alive, I must see my daughter. She has already been ensnared by the weirdness of He Family Village... I have to go help her, Mother has to go help her..."

"Do you know? Ning Zhe, I actually don't care about myself, it doesn't matter what happens to me! You can ask me to do anything, I just want to know how Azhi is doing. She can't be in trouble, she's still so young, she has such a bright future ahead of her. If something happens to Azhi, I... I really don't know how I would go on living..."

Watching Feng Yushu's hysterical and incoherent state, Ning Zhe felt a headache coming on.

"Aunt, your mental state isn't exactly great either..."

She was no different from a lunatic.

It seemed that Feng Yushu had only held on this long not because of some maternal strength, but because she had actually broken down a long time ago; she just hadn't shown it until now.

After Feng Yushu's state stabilized slightly, Ning Zhe stopped walking and asked: "Your daughter... her name is Baizhi, right? What horror games were on Baizhi's computer? What exactly were those bizarre manga works? Tell me everything. It's possible she dreamed of a scene from one of those games or manga."

Feng Yushu thought for a moment and listed several names: "As for games, there were: F.E.A.R., The Evil Within, Asylum, Silent Hill, Mandarin Bonds, Red Thread, Paper Dolls, Paranormal HK... As for manga, most were in foreign languages that I didn't recognize. There was only one shonen manga called Extreme Split that was in Chinese, but it wasn't set in a village; it seemed to be some kind of urban Special Ability genre."

Ning Zhe pondered the names Feng Yushu provided one by one and realized that none of these games or manga matched his current situation: "None of them fit. He Family Village isn't a dungeon scene from any horror game, novel, or manga."

It seemed that what he was experiencing now wasn't some cliché trope of a game invading the real world; they had truly stumbled upon an inexplicable weirdness.

"In that case, it's very intriguing that Baizhi would dream of the scene in He Family Village, especially since she had the same dream multiple times." Ning Zhe thought for a moment, then asked: "Aunt, did Baizhi write down the specific content of her dreams in her diary?"

Feng Yushu shook her head: "No, Azhi's descriptions of her dreams were very chaotic. There were only fragmented sentences, incoherent descriptions of scenery and dialogue. Reading them gave me a very... strange feeling."

Just as strange as when she first arrived at He Family Village.

"Alright." Ning Zhe didn't delve further into this direction.

Baizhi's dream might be an important clue to exploring the relationship between this Weird Place and the real world, but Ning Zhe felt that as a man who was about to die, he should focus on saving his own life first. Focusing on the present was the sensible thing to do.

And the most important thing right now was to prevent Feng Yushu from learning the truth about the phone call from "Lin Zhiyuan" this morning.

He absolutely could not let her mistaken perception be corrected, or all his efforts would be in vain.

"Aunt, do you want to live?" Ning Zhe asked without warning.

"Of course I do." Feng Yushu said, confused: "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing..." Ning Zhe let go of Feng Yushu's hand. He stood on a bluestone step by the street, stretched his arms out wide, and took a deep stretch toward the sky before continuing: "I also want to leave here alive, but I need your help, understand?"

Feng Yushu nodded: "What do you need me to do?"

Ning Zhe lowered his head and said: "I've thought of a way to break the rules here. This plan is already in motion, but the Ghost has seen through my plan and is preparing to sabotage it..."

"The good news is that this plan has been proven effective. The Ghost is already anxious. The fact that it kept changing identities to call me just now, using every means possible, proves that my Train of Thought is correct. I... might actually have a way to kill it."

"The bad news is that the structure of my plan is very fragile, so fragile that the Ghost could easily destroy it. One moment of carelessness and everything will be lost."

"And the key to my plan lies with you. If the Ghost wants to kill me, it must start with you first. So, Aunt, I need you to help me." Ning Zhe said calmly.

Feng Yushu nodded, seemingly understanding: "What... do you need me to do?"

"Do nothing." Ning Zhe said decisively: "I want you to find a place to hide immediately. Don't listen to, believe, or accept anything anyone says or does. You just need to be an ostrich with its head in the sand until everything is over. Leave everything else to me; I will handle it."

"Listen, Feng Yushu, I will send you to your daughter alive, I promise." Ning Zhe's words remained calm. There was not a ripple of emotion in his eyes, only the coldness and indifference of a hunter surveying dead prey: "But can you guarantee that you will ignore all external interference and blindly believe everything I say without question?"

"If you answer yes, then..."

Ning Zhe turned his head, his emotionless hunter's eyes staring straight into Feng Yushu's: "I can go kill that Ghost right now."