Volume Two: The Secret Burial in the Gorge Chapter 104: An Unexpected Presence

Since we were entering the deep mountains with so many unknowns, I had loaded the tranquilizer gun with the maximum dose. But this gun was designed for wild animals, not people. In my moment of panic earlier, I had already broken the rules.

And while it’s one thing if the dart hits the body, I had no idea what would happen if it struck the head.

When I saw Zhou Zheng unharmed, I breathed a sigh of relief over my impulsiveness. I even began to doubt whether what I saw was just an illusion.

Wen Youyou was also visibly shaken. Seeing Zhou Zheng was fine, she turned to me and asked, “Teacher, what’s wrong? Why did you shoot Zhou Zheng?”

Xing Mo, who had heard the commotion ahead, returned and froze on the spot, unsure of what had happened.

“Just now, Zhou Zheng…” I gathered myself and pointed at Zhou Zheng, attempting to explain what I had seen.

Before I could finish, Zhou Zheng suddenly changed expression and hysterically shouted, “The teacher isn’t right—he’s possessed! Everyone, be careful!”

Zhou Zheng’s words shocked Wen Youyou and Xing Mo, who instinctively stepped aside, watching me warily.

I smiled bitterly to myself. Zhou Zheng was the one acting strange just now, yet now he was accusing me?

I hurried to defend myself. “I just saw Zhou Zheng lying on top of Youyou without a shadow. I noticed something was wrong, so I shot him. Why don’t you believe me when I act?”

Hearing this, Xing Mo and Wen Youyou couldn’t tell what was true or false, so they looked at Zhou Zheng with suspicion.

Zhou Zheng sneered coldly. “Teacher, have you gone crazy since entering the mountains? Look at me—what’s wrong with me? Stop making up lies. Lying about lying on Youyou? I’m so big, does she look like she could carry me? You’re just talking nonsense.”

Youyou nodded and added, “Teacher, maybe you’re seeing things? I didn’t feel like I was carrying anyone.”

Given the situation, it was clear something was off with Zhou Zheng. He usually treated me with great respect and admiration. He had switched his graduate studies to my field just to follow me. Even if I made mistakes, he would never speak to me like that.

But with everyone on edge, no one had the time to analyze Zhou Zheng’s tone or words.

Zhou Zheng pointed at me again, shouting, “The teacher is possessed by a ghost. He’s been bewitched. If we knock him out, the ghost will come out.”

Wen Youyou snapped back at him, “Zhou Zheng, what nonsense are you spouting? How can you talk to the teacher like that? You don’t believe in these things, do you? Ghosts and gods—this is ridiculous.”

His words made me glance down. Under the moonlight, I did have a shadow.

Lately, everyone had become paranoid, almost neurotic.

Xing Mo, who had remained silent, spoke up: “Let’s stop suspecting each other. I think we’re scaring ourselves. The four of us are here; no one should make a move in front of the others. I suggest we rest tonight and leave the Douyang Mountains tomorrow.”

To avoid unnecessary trouble, we decided to follow Xing Mo’s suggestion and rest until dawn.

In the abandoned village, we found a sheltered spot beneath a broken wall and lit a fire. We didn’t bother pitching tents—some leaned against the wall, others used their luggage as pillows, all settling in awkwardly.

But I knew no one was sleepy after the earlier unpleasantness. I couldn’t assign a night watch. Xing Mo volunteered to watch the fire, but in truth, he was also watching us.

Zhou Zheng and Wen Youyou sat close together by the fire, while I leaned against the wall, quietly observing Zhou Zheng.

He seemed to have returned to normal, occasionally joking with Youyou, making her laugh softly.

I rubbed my temples, wondering if I truly was possessed or hallucinating.

Besides Zhou Zheng and Wen Youyou whispering quietly, Xing Mo and I said nothing, only hearing the crackling of burning wood.

The mountain’s dampness was heavy, but the fire warmed us somewhat. Leaning against the wall, I felt drowsy.

I don’t know how much time passed before raindrops fell on my face. I opened my eyes to see the fire dying down and faint drizzle falling.

The others were still asleep, their soft snores rising and falling.

Then I noticed something troubling.

There were four of us. Besides me, there should be only three others.

The sky was overcast, moonless.

Yet, in the firelight’s dim glow, I saw four figures lying beneath the wall.

A chill ran through me, and I shivered, instantly wide awake.

I sat up cautiously, fearing I’d imagined it. I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Sure enough—I saw Xing Mo lying nearby clearly.

Zhou Zheng and Wen Youyou were resting farther away, but there were three people there, all wrapped in our travel blankets, making it impossible to tell who the extra person was.

Steeling myself, I dared not act rashly, afraid of alerting the unknown person and provoking violence.

I loaded a tranquilizer dart into the gun, gripped it tightly, and slowly stood, approaching the three figures.

The ground was littered with grass, stones, and broken branches. My footsteps were noisy—I snapped several dry twigs underfoot.

Still, the three remained motionless, deepening my ominous foreboding—had something happened to them?

I pushed such thoughts aside and stopped only when I was close.

They simultaneously covered their faces with blankets.

“Zhou Zheng… Youyou…” I whispered their names.

No response.

Swallowing nervously, I raised the gun and moved closer, intending to pull back the blankets to identify them.

Suddenly, my head felt heavy, darkness engulfed me, and I collapsed.

In that moment of losing consciousness, I saw Xing Mo standing behind me.

Ma Su, telling the story, exhaled deeply and instinctively touched his neck.

I hurriedly asked, “Was Xing Mo the problem?”

Ma Su shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. It was Xing Mo who knocked me out—when he woke and saw me pointing the gun at Zhou Zheng and the others, he thought I was about to harm them again and acted. It was a misunderstanding, completely natural…”

“Then who was that extra person?” I asked eagerly.

(End of chapter)