After leaving the valley, the phone signal vanished completely, and the electronic compass
He had a nagging feeling that the world on this side of the valley was different from the outside, perhaps because he dealt with ghosts so often, making him more sensitive to certain things.
Peering upward through the gaps in the branches, there were no stars or moon in the night sky, as if an airtight cloth had been draped over their heads. The further they walked, the more unsettled he felt.
"Be careful. We're almost there."
After another ten minutes or so of walking, Chen Ge and the others finally emerged from the forest.
Looking up, the sight before them left each person astonished.
"Are those... lanterns?"
Old Wei nudged Grandpa Bai's arm, but this was Grandpa Bai's first time visiting Living
"Don't know." He took a piece of jade from his pocket and hung it around his neck. "I'll go first. You two follow me, and don't stray too far."
The three entered the mountain hollow, and the blurry outlines of buildings gradually became clearer.
Deep within these remote mountains, such a village was actually hidden away.
All the structures were in a style from decades ago, desolate and dilapidated, yet eerily, every single household had a white paper lantern hanging by its door.
The faint, ghostly glow was like a cluster of white eyeballs, suspended on either side of the dirt path, staring at the three outsiders.
Someone was in the village!
This village, abandoned for decades due to plague, still had residents living inside it until now.
"Grandpa, should we just go in?" Old Wei walked up to Chen Ge. He still remembered Captain Yan's orders; tonight's primary mission was to protect Chen Ge.
"Let me think." Grandpa Bai gazed at the seemingly deserted village and the white paper lanterns strung throughout it, cold sweat beading unconsciously on his palms. "I used to come here with my father during the daytime. I really didn't know Living Coffin Village looked like this at night."
With a bitter smile, Grandpa Bai's meaning was already quite clear: he didn't want to go in.
Of the three, only he had entered Living Coffin Village before. He knew just how strange and terrifying it was. Even during the day it was like this—what would it be like to go in at night?
"We can't rush. Let's steady ourselves first." After saying this, Old Wei patted Chen Ge's shoulder. "How about we scout around the village perimeter first?"
Chen Ge didn't answer Old Wei's question. He stood alone at the very back, his expression unreadable to both Grandpa Bai and Old Wei.
"What's wrong?" Old Wei was worried about Chen Ge. Although he felt Chen Ge could sometimes be reckless, he had to admit that standing beside Chen Ge at the entrance of this mountain ghost village gave him the greatest sense of security.
"I'm considering something." Chen Ge waved him off, then glanced down at his black phone.
As they had approached the abandoned village, Chen Ge's black phone had vibrated once, and he had received a new system notification.
"Survivor favored by vengeful spirits! Congratulations on finding Living Coffin Village deep in the mountains. Do you accept the three-star horror scenario—Living Coffin Village Trial mission?"
"If you have a problem, say it. We can all help analyze it together." Old Wei and Grandpa Bai both gathered around.