Chapter 7
It was starting to get dark so Xiao Tangqiu and Tang Mianmian hastily looked for the restroom. When they finally located it, they mentally prepared themselves to face that awful, primitive toilet. They both pinched their noses, tried to block out any disgusting odors and charged into the restroom.
These pit latrines were extremely basic and crude. They were made out of a few planks of wood that were arranged over the pit, and there were several holes between the planks that covered the septic tank below. These holes were s.p.a.ced out from each other, essentially creating the makes.h.i.+ft ââsquat toiletsâ that were separated from each other by wooden boards.
Xiao Tangqiu hesitated for a bit before picking the innermost stall that had a window, hoping that there would be better circulation in that stall.
But even then, he couldnât stop the terrible stench that a.s.sailed his nostrils. He quickly finished up and left without giving Tang Mianmian the chance to speak to him.
Nearby the restroom was a well, which seemed to be used for was.h.i.+ng hands. By the side of the well, there was a small wooden bucket which was half-filled with water that didnât look very clean.
Xiao Tangqiu frowned slightly; according to his experience, it didnât matter whether it was a horror movie or a video game, wells were definitely a no-no. It was almost as if he could see a Flag standing tall and waving high.
Thus, he decided to use the water in the small bucket.
Although it looked a bit turbid, there shouldnât be anything wrong with it, right?
Xiao Tangqiu was was.h.i.+ng his hands when he suddenly heard an earth-shattering scream.
âAH! AH! AH!â
His hearing acuity was only average, which was why he was previously unable to recognize right off the bat, this good friend of his, with whom he had played countless of games with.
Right now, it also took him a moment before he reacted â
wasnât that Tang Mianmianâs voice?
Had something happened to Tang Mianmian?!
Xiao Tangqiu stood up and turned around; he saw Tang Mianmian stumbling out of the restroom. As soon as Tang Mianmian saw Xiao Tangqiu, he immediately shouted, âAh! Ah! Ah! There are ghosts! Letâs go! We need to run away!â
Hearing that, Xiao Tangqiu didnât care about anything else and quickly followed, running after Tang Mianmian. The both of them ran in a frenzy, sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them. After running a distance, Xiao Tangqiu finally stopped, gasping for breath as he cried, âCanâtâ¦. Runâ¦. Anymoreâ¦..â
âWhy is your stamina so bad?! We barely ran!â Tang Mianmian appeared to have been scared out of his wits; his face was pale, devoid of any color. Seeing how Xiao Tangqiu could run no further, Tang Mianmian gritted his teeth, threw Xiao Tangqiu over his shoulder and bolted off.
Xiao Tangqiuâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦..
What the f.u.c.k! This rascal clearly had the face of a cute shou, how in the world did he have so much strength?! Why was his stamina so good?! This was definitely illogical! Was he one of those violent shota types?!
Didnât they agree to be weak, fata.s.s geeks together? Why did he secretly get fit on his own ah?!
Tang Mianmian carried Xiao Tangqiu all the way to the village chiefâs house, although he didnât actually know that it was the village chiefâs house. He picked the biggest house in the village on a whim, guessing that the village chief lived there, but didnât expect to be correct.
There were a few other players waiting outside the village chiefâs door. They were also here to obtain more information.
The others were shocked upon seeing the weary state of Xiao Tangqiu and Tang Miamian. âWhat the f.u.c.k happened?! Is he dead?
Tang Mianmian immediately put down Xiao Tangqiu, his face revealing an expression that said, âWeâre saved!â when he noticed the other players.
Xiao Tangqiu was dizzy after being carried over Tang Mianmianâs shoulder for so long. It took him a while to respond, ââ¦â¦.. My friend here said that he saw a ghost in the restroom earlier.â
âGhost?â shouted the man called Zeng Jinping, whose expression suddenly changed. âThere really are ghosts in this G.o.d-forsaken place?!â
Just then, Luo Mansu swaggered out of the village chiefâs house. He laughed at their reactions, âThis mission is called âFis.h.i.+ng Villageâs Haunted House.â Of course, thereâll be ghosts.â
The twin sisters in Luo Mansuâs team were frightened out of their minds. Older sister Ding Tiantianâs face was white as a sheet, âThere really are ghosts? Will the ghosts harm us? Will they kill us? Will you protect us?â
âIt depends on the circ.u.mstances. Some ghosts may not have any malicious intent, but given this gameâs setting, I can guarantee these ghosts will definitely kill you.â Luo Mansu flashed the twin sisters a wicked smile. âIt all depends on your performance. I only want teammates who are helpful. If the both of you arenât of any use, why should I help you?â
The color drained from both twin sistersâ faces. Younger sister Ding Mimi timidly asked Tang Mianmian, âCan you tell us more about the situation when you encountered that ghost?â
âYeah, we should try our best to avoid it!â Zeng Jinping chimed in.
Tang Mianmian was about to open his mouth to speak when Xiao Tangqiu held him back. He raised an eyebrow, âIf you want us to talk about it, youâll need to give us some information too.â
The others looked a bit surprised at his words, but then turned to look at each other in dismay. Luo Mansu eyed Xiao Tangqiu, rubbing his bald head as he laughed.
âItâs not that we donât want to exchange information,â Zeng JinPing smiled bitterly at Xiao Tangqiu. He seemed to have been temporarily a.s.signed leaders.h.i.+p among his teammates and took the initiative to speak on their behalf. âThe truth is we havenât been able to find anything. This fis.h.i.+ng village really has nothing of interest. Weâve searched through all the houses and still came up with nothing. We donât even know what we should be looking for.â
Ding Tiantian and Ding Mimi merely looked at Luo Mansu, who shrugged, âWe got nothing as well. Thatâs why we came to see the village chief. We were hoping to get some information from him but he wonât talk.â
The couple and the quiet trio werenât around, and it didnât look like they could get any information from the players here. Xiao Tangqiu rubbed his chin and indicated for Tang Mianmian to start talking. He was also curious to know what Tang Mianmian had experienced earlier.
Tang Mianmian gulped and slowly narrated what happened. âJust now, Xiao Tangqiu and I went to the restroom together. After I was done, I realized I hadnât any toilet paper with me; so, I called out to Xiao Tangqiu. At first, there wasnât any movement in the next stall. But after a few seconds, a hand stretched out from a small crack in the wooden part.i.tion.â
Tang Mianmian looked like he was about to cry as he continued, âI thought it was Xiao Tangqiu, so I took it without thinking. But the texture just didnât feel right, so I took a closer look. It wasnât toilet paper! It was f.u.c.king paper money thatâs used to burn for the dead! I immediately felt a chill up my spine and ran the h.e.l.l out of there.â
âSo you didnât see what that ghost looked like?â Luo Mansu asked.
Tang Mianmianâs small face had turned completely pale, âI was almost frightened to death! Do you think Iâd still go and find out what that ghost looked like?â
Yellow Hair frowned and asked, âHow can we avoid that ghost then? Donât go to the restroom?â
âThat makes sense, weâll try to avoid the restroom,â said the man wearing gla.s.ses.
The man in the suit looked repulsed, âWhat are we supposed to do if we need to use the toilet? Donât tell me youâre planning to do it in the bushes! How disgusting and unhygienic is that?!â
Luo Mansu sn.i.g.g.e.red, âIs cleanliness more important than staying alive? If youâre dead, you wonât even have the chance to complain about cleanliness.â
The girls looked rather uncomfortable. But they were more afraid of the ghost in the restroom and didnât express any objections.
Xiao Tangqiu asked Tang Mianmian, âSo, did you use it?â
Tang Mianmian was confused, âUse what?â
Xiao Tangqiu replied, âThe paper money.â
ââ¦â¦â¦. I did.â
âHa!â Luo Mansuâs laughter was a little strange, âHow did it feel?â
âIt was a bit rough but Iâd already taken it and I didnât have any toilet paper eitherâ¦â¦..â Tang Mianmian turned red.
Xiao Tangqiu suddenly took a step back, a look of disapproval on his face. âWait a minute, you didnât wash your hands, did you?â
Tang Mianmian blushed in embarra.s.sment, âIt was an emergency! Are you still going to harp on whether or not I washed my hands?â
âWell, itâs safe now and thereâs water here. Quickly wash your hands.â
Tang Mianmian looked like a puppy that had been wronged, but he still walked over to the side of the village chiefâs house. There was a bucket of water, which he used to wash his hands.
Xiao Tangqiu looked up at the sky and noticed that it had turned dark. There werenât any villagers out on the streets, and there werenât any lights either. The darkness seemed to announce the presence of the unknown. âShouldnât we be heading back now? Itâs already getting dark.â
Luo Mansu nodded, âLetâs go back.â
Xiao Tangqiu looked inside the house and saw the old village chief sitting on a stool. He was completely motionless and resembled a statue. If it wasnât for the fact that he still blinked, Xiao Tangqiu wouldâve been convinced that the old man was dead. But the abnormality in his lack of movement only served to paint a more disturbing picture.
There was a dirty table in front of the old village chief. A faint yellow light radiated from the diesel lantern on the table. It was very dim and looked like it could die out at any moment, but against the swirling darkness of the night, this light seemed to be the only glow left in the pitch-black fis.h.i.+ng village.
They all left the old village chiefâs house and headed back to their temporary accommodation.
After taking a few steps, Xiao Tangqiu turned around to look at the village chiefâs house. Without them noticing, the door had already been closed quietly.
Soon after, the lights inside the house went out.