Reading comprehension ┃ For some reason, You Huo felt that something was missing from Invigilator 001. (continued)

Yu Wen was taking pictures of the gravestones while You Huo held up a torch for light.

Suddenly, he felt someone step lightly on his right foot. He asked Qin Jiu in annoyance, "Why did you step on me?"

Qin Jiu: "?"

He looked down and saw a few fresh specks of dirt on the toe of You Huo's shoe. It did look as though someone had stepped on it.

Qin Jiu looked up. "Am I that bored?"

You Huo said, "Who knows?"

Everyone else was a few steps away from him. Only Qin Jiu was standing beside him, close enough to reach his foot with a turn of his own.

Besides, who in this group would dare play a trick like that?

Mr. 001 had just taken the blame when Yu Wen cried out, "Who kicked me? My photo's blurry now."

Old Yu hastily denied it. "It wasn't me."

Yu Yao waved her hands too. "It wasn't me."

Yu Wen muttered, "If it wasn't you or him, then who else could it have been?"

Everyone fell silent for two seconds, then turned to look at the ground in unison.

You Huo swept the torch around and discovered that the surroundings had changed for no apparent reason.

The earth had risen slightly in several places, and the dead branches and leaves covering it had been pushed aside. It was as if... something had crawled through the dirt in the space of just a dozen seconds.

Everyone froze, exchanging terrified looks.

The firelight illuminated their pale faces. Yu Wen's lips trembled, and he was about to speak when You Huo raised a finger to his lips.

In the silence, faint rustling sounds of crawling came one after another from the woods.

Sounds echoed easily in the mountain hollow. Near and distant noises overlapped, making it impossible to tell where they came from.

Some sounded as though they were right by their feet...

Mike and the others felt their legs go numb on the spot and didn't dare move.

You Huo turned and illuminated a patch of grass.

Before everyone's eyes, several deathly pale things flashed past and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Judging by the movement, they seemed to be heading toward the village.

Chen Bin and Liang Yuanhao were sharing a room.

They thought it unwise to venture into the woods at night, and just as unwise to wander around the village. The safest bet was to hide in their room and sleep.

Chen Bin stood by the window and said worriedly, "Are we really going to leave them alone? Isn't that a bit much...?"

"How many exams have you taken? Why are you still so indecisive?" Liang Yuanhao leaned over the bathroom sink, splashing water on his face. "This exam is scored as a team too. As long as the questions are answered correctly, everyone gets points, so why does every one of us need to charge in? If they find clues and answers, that'll be great. We won't owe them anything either; we can find a chance to repay them afterward."

Chen Bin said, "What if they don't find anything? What if something happens?"

Liang Yuanhao paused, pulled out a towel and rubbed his face. "Then... they were too reckless," he said indistinctly. "We tried to talk them out of it, didn't we? The driver who brought us here and the villagers all said not to go into the woods. They knew better and did it anyway. They don't value their lives enough."

Chen Bin still looked dispirited, so Liang Yuanhao continued, "To tell you the truth, I've taken three exams, and that's the word that's stuck with me most. We have to value our lives. We can't all rush in recklessly together. You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket; even kids know that. This counts as keeping a way out. If anything happens to them, we can still step in."

He stared into space for a moment, then added, "This gives us the best chance of winning."

Chen Bin looked at him and said, "Brother Liang, the way you rattle off those odds... you're like a human calculator."

Liang Yuanhao scratched his buzz cut and said irritably, "Enough about that. I'm going to sleep. You'd better get to sleep soon too."

They each wrapped themselves in a quilt and, not daring to waste time, forced themselves to sleep.

They had expected to toss and turn for a long time, but to their surprise, the incense in the room worked wonders for sleep. Soon, snores rang out.

A tapping sound suddenly came from the room next door. It was faint, but in the night it sounded unnervingly clear.

Chen Bin turned over. Liang Yuanhao continued snoring, oblivious.

The tapping sounded in several rooms in succession, drawing closer and closer...

A few minutes later, it finally sounded in their room too.

Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Bin turned over again, his eyelids fluttering twice.

Knock, knock, knock.

The tapping came again.

Chen Bin jolted and finally woke in fright.

He didn't dare open his eyes. He lay stiff and motionless on the bed, listening for where the tapping was coming from.

Then he broke out in a cold sweat...

The sound was coming from right under the bed, tapping against his back through the bedboard.

Knock, knock, knock.

Whatever it was seemed to know he was awake. After three more knocks, a soft, airy voice abruptly spoke. "I'm looking for disobedient guests. Did you sew dolls today?"

Chen Bin almost wet himself on the spot.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to pretend he was asleep.

But the voice wouldn't let up. "Tell me, did you sew dolls today?"

Beside him, Liang Yuanhao's calf twitched. He seemed to be awake too.

The voice was now right next to their ears. "I'll ask one last time. Did you sew dolls today?"

The room was deathly silent.

The voice sighed softly. "Ah..."

Liang Yuanhao suddenly cried, "I did, I did!! We both did!"

"Oh... such obedient guests," the voice said regretfully. "Then I suppose you'll have to live..."

Liang Yuanhao and Chen Bin were still gripped by terror. It took them two seconds to understand what it meant, and they felt a little relieved.

The voice asked again, "Who sewed more?"

Liang Yuanhao immediately said, "Me! Me! I sewed two legs! He only sewed half an arm!"

Chen Bin was stunned with fright.

"That's wonderful," the voice said.

Liang Yuanhao breathed a sigh of relief and quietly opened his eyes a crack.

A cold light flashed before him.

The last thing he saw was a deathly pale hand raising a bone cleaver high and chopping down at his leg.

At that moment, he actually thought of the village woman who had been chipping ice by the river.

Those movements look so alike... he thought.