Shen Mingde lay on the bed tossing and turning. When he got home, he ate a few bites of food casually and used a few books and videos to play time. In the end, he finally stayed up late into the night. He was looking forward to being able to fall asleep after the day's exertion and forget all that had happened these days. Yet until now, he still tosses and turns in bed. I don't know what time it is, but it seems like a century has passed since he was lying in bed. Today's experience was in his mind all over again. Shen Mingde didn't expect him to find an answer right away, at least not tonight. He just wanted to put all these bizarre experiences behind and get a good night's sleep. He turned around again and took a deep breath, trying to put himself to sleep in the old-fashioned, "sheep counting" way. The round, fluffy little creatures ran in his mind, one sheep, two sheep, three ...... After counting as many as I counted, the animals became jumping, pitch-black, globular braids, one by one, leaping into the mist's open mouth.

Xiao Jing sat in the corner of her bedroom, away from the door and window, with her knees folded. It was the third time she had woken up from a nightmare tonight. Tonight, every time she fell asleep, she would see the terrifying face of the old villager, full of cracks and wrinkles, and every time she slept, she would be in a huge, distorted dark space. And in the third dream, she could see the outline of a huge, terrifying object. The content of the dream seems to increase with the number of times she dreams and the length of the dream. She turned on all the lights in her bedroom, but she still couldn't get rid of the Sandman's infestation. She wanted to wash her face in the bathroom and sober herself up, but she never had the courage to step out of this corner. It's like a hamster in a cage, staring at countless pairs of eyes outside the cage. She's the hamster. She wanted to talk to someone, but he wasn't around, she wanted to call her friends, but who would trust her and understand what she was going through? She wanted to call Shen Mingde, but gave up when her finger was about to touch the screen. She slipped the names of the contacts in her phone's address book from the top to the bottom, and selected them one by one. Eventually, she mustered up the courage to dial the number, only to hear a chime that said "The person you're calling is busy." After a while, she finally dialed another number again, and she said in a choked voice, "Hey? Mommy ......"

Shen Mingde was rescued by a phone call from Yang Guangcheng in the middle of the night. As if he had been granted amnesty, he quickly got up and dressed, jumped into the car, and drove to the central hospital. The cold air in the middle of the night made him feel a strange sense of comfort. Yang Guangcheng's phone call finally gives him an excuse to escape insomnia, and at the same time, Yang Chuan's awakening may give him a valuable piece of the puzzle in the puzzle.

This meeting with Yang Guangcheng made Shen Mingde feel an inexplicable sense of closeness, from a distance, his bearded and even older face made Shen Mingde feel that he had seen a long-lost relative. Yang Guangcheng, who was sitting in the lobby of the inpatient room, seemed to feel the same way. Seeing Shen Mingde walking in from the gate, he immediately got up and greeted him. On the way to Yang Chuan's ward, Yang Guangcheng introduced the situation as he walked, and it was not until he took the elevator to the fifth floor and passed the nurse's station at the corner that he saw the nurse make a silent gesture to them, and Yang Guangcheng lowered his high-pitched voice.

From Yang Guangcheng's story, it turned out that Yang Chuan had woken up a few hours ago. Although his body was still somewhat weak, his spirit was basically back to normal. The doctor then examined him and performed a brief psychiatric evaluation. After that, it was believed that Yang Chuan was still in the recovery period, but the results of the examination were normal. Xiao Liu, the police officer in charge of the investigation, came to the hospital immediately after receiving the notice. Accompanied by his father, Yang Guangcheng, police officer Xiao Liu, and a nurse, Yang Chuan recalled how he disappeared that afternoon.

On that day, that is, on the morning of the 17th, Yang Chuan accompanied Zhou Tengfei to the place that Zhou Tengfei had always called "Xipo Lake" for a field trip. After entering the mountain forest, the experience was basically the same as that of Shen Mingde and Yang Guangcheng, and Yang Chuan also saw the "gnather cages" hanging densely on the treetops. But Zhou Tengfei explained to him very easily: "Don't care about those things, scare people." Then he taught him that in the leafy woods, it is important not only to use your eyes to discern directions, but also to listen with your heart. Yang Chuan followed Zhou Tengfei for a while, learned from Zhou Tengfei's appearance, and listened very carefully, he seemed to be able to hear the sound of mountain streams flowing. The two of them turned east and west and walked for a while in the forest. Yang Chuan felt that fog began to rise all around, but he still didn't see Xipo Lake. The fog became thicker and thicker, Yang Chuan's heart was a little frightened, and he wanted to turn around and leave. But Zhou Tengfei laughed at him disapprovingly, and said: "I told you not to watch so many weird stories and supernatural videos, now it works." After a while, after bypassing a few big trees, Zhou Tengfei looked very weird, he patted Yang Chuan, and said, "Look, isn't the lake just ahead?" Then he walked straight on. The fog was like another life, swallowing Zhou Tengfei in one bite. At that time, before Zhou Tengfei walked into the fog, Yang Chuan wanted to hold him and ask him to understand, but his outstretched hand was empty.

Yang Chuan took the big tree around him as the center, looked around not far away, and returned to the same place in vain. He called Zhou Tengfei's name, however, he never saw Zhou Tengfei's response. The fog, the woods, and the hanging, eerie things terrified him to the extreme. And suddenly, he felt that he was being pulled in one direction by an invisible person or some force, which became the last straw for him to collapse. He struggled and wrestled frantically, but it seemed like the force was immense. In the process of scuffling, he seemed to touch the touch of clothes and human flesh. However, at that time, in the panic, he didn't care at all. He roared and ran like a madman, throwing his fist at the fog ahead of him until he plunged into the water. In addition to being frightened, Yang Chuan felt that he was about to drown after falling into the water. He closed his eyes tightly, struggled in the water, and choked on several mouthfuls of water. When he was exhausted, he slowly stood up from the water. It turned out that he was immersed in the lake they were looking for, and the lake that he had been struggling to get rid of for a long time just now was just grazing his thighs.

At this time, he heard the voices of people in the distance, and thought that someone had come to rescue the person who had fallen into the water, so he jogged in the direction where the voice came from. However, as the voice grew, he could hear a series of angry yells, curses, and shouting. Yang Chuan turned around and ran away, and then found a tree hole in the mountain forest and hid inside. The shouts didn't seem to be far away, lingering within his hearing. He felt like the voices were searching for something, and he felt like they were searching for him. He was so frightened that he curled up in the hollow of the tree, not daring to move. The sound gradually subsided, and the sleepiness mixed with silence and fatigue was particularly delicious. When Yang Chuan opened his eyes again, it seemed that the sun was retracting its last rays, and he climbed out of the tree hole, feeling more tired and sore. The pain rushed over his head like a whirlwind, numbing his already drowsy mind even more. He swayed over a few trees like a walking corpse, and fell asleep among the fallen leaves. Yang Chuan woke up again because of the cold, his teeth chattered, and his body shook involuntarily, even if he curled his body into a ball, he couldn't suppress this cold. Yang Chuan knew that he was having a high fever. While he was still conscious, he struggled to get up and get back to the highway where he had come for help. However, his willpower was not strong enough for him to have the courage to climb out of the pile of fallen leaves that had at least a trace of warmth remaining.

Later, Shen Mingde already knew how Yang Chuan was sent to the hospital. Police officer Xiao Liu ended the questioning and comforted them, saying that the forest was indeed a little scary, and a few people got lost there, but fortunately the forest was not deep and close to the road. Yang Guangcheng sent Xiao Liu away, called Shen Mingde, and then returned to the ward again to chat with his son for a while. He said that Yang Chuan was really frightened this time, and he still had nightmares until just now. Yang Guangcheng was now a little worried about whether his son would be stimulated, so he muttered about the dream that Yang Chuan had told him. The dreams were bizarre and seemed to follow a logical order. At first, Yang Chuan felt like he was in a distorted, vast space, and as he dreamed for a long time, he was like watching a movie, and he was able to see more things. Later he saw huge and terrifying objects that he could not even describe in words. Yang Chuan swore that it was an image that he had never seen in any film and television works, and he had never read about in any weird and curious books. What frightened him even more was that the thing was staring at him, and although he couldn't see the behemoth's eyes, he could feel the thing watching him. Just now, just as he was sober, he could actually feel that gaze watching him.

"Huh? Where have you been these two days? There has been no news from the two of you for days. Yang Guangcheng suddenly stopped talking and questioned Shen Mingde.

So, Shen Mingde told Yang Guangcheng about his and Xiao Jing's return to Yushugou Village and the bizarre encounter in the drama school. However, for some reason, he didn't mention the matter of visiting the moving girl today, and he didn't even have the idea of informing Yang Guangcheng of today's events.

Yang Guangcheng said very excitedly: "The phone call when you were chased and killed by that living corpse, that was made by me. ”

Shen Mingde asked suspiciously: "So late, call?" ”

Yang Guangcheng said: "Yes. Look at you, you've forgotten. On the first day, you will go to Elm Gully. I didn't plan to stay in the city with my son. Later, you asked me to check the identity of the person named Gao Shan Xing. On that day, I found some information, and as soon as I got back to the hospital, I called you. You hung up the phone. I thought, there must be something wrong with you, so I haven't contacted you. Waiting for you to call again. ”

Shen Mingde lowered his head and pressed and massaged the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. There are so many things that have happened in the past two days, and he feels that what Yang Guangcheng said just now is already what happened last year.

Yang Guangcheng looked at Shen Mingde, who was tired, and nodded weakly, and he continued: "That Gao Shan Xing is not a student of Fengyang Art Academy. Hey, don't get excited, listen to me. Gao Shan Xing, she went to school at Fengyang Art Academy, but she was not a student of the academy. Listen to me and explain it to you from the beginning. I went to Fengyang Academy that day and asked about it. However, the teacher who manages the students denies that Gao Shan Xing is a student of their school. I also checked the information on the computer. Later I understood what she meant. In recent years, there is indeed no student Gao Shan Xing, and if this student has graduated for many years, then she can't help me check. Later, in the hallway, a male teacher stopped me. This male teacher knows Gao Shan Xing. He was sitting in that office just now, and he heard what I said. From his mouth, I knew that Gao Shan Xing, a student, was a bit special. She didn't get into that academy seriously. It was some big guy who put her in that academy. With the results of Gao Shan Xing's cultural class, he couldn't be admitted to any university at all. Fortunately, this girl dances well. Since there is still a background, the college accepted this student. Actually, the person who let her enter the academy and the academy didn't plan to give Gao Shanxing any academic qualifications, student status, etc., and she didn't even need to graduate. It is to raise the alpine apricots in the academy. That must have been years ago. ”

"No wonder Gao Shan said that she was a sophomore in college. It turned out that she never graduated. Shen Mingde muttered.

"Don't worry, there's something more interesting." Yang Guangcheng continued: "When I was in the second year of college, Gao Shan Xing disappeared. After the teacher told me this, I thought it was quite interesting. I made an appointment with this teacher to have some wine together in the evening and talk again. Unexpectedly, he was also quite interested. And so that night, I drank until midnight before I called you. What is the teacher's name 'Bin'? He was reluctant to leave his name, but he was very interested in Gao Shan Xing's matter, and he always wanted to find someone to talk to. He used to be a student of Fengyang Academy, and he was in the same grade as Gao Shan Xing. Apricot almonds have always been mysterious. It is said that the school also prepared a separate dormitory for her. I heard from some girls that her dormitory was on the west side of the fourth floor of the women's dormitory. Because the school didn't recruit that many students in those years, the girls' dormitory on the west side of the fourth floor was always empty. The place was gloomy, and when it got dark, the lights weren't even turned on on that side. In fact, most of the students can't see Gao Shan Xing. Even if you see it, it's a matter of walking by. Don't talk to her, you won't even call. One night, very late, two little girls who lived on the east side of the fourth floor came out of the toilet in the corridor and happened to see Gao Shan Xing going upstairs and returning to the house from the west staircase. Later, various rumors spread in the school. Some people say that Gao Shan Xing is not a wine maid or something. But many people say it's unlikely. At that time, Gao Shan Xing had short ear-length hair and bangs, and the bulging vertebrae could be seen clearly on her exposed neck. She doesn't seem to have any fat on her body, and the muscles that are wrapped in her skin are angular. In the teacher's words, she looked like a 'stickman' doll. Whoever asks her to accompany the wine, then this taste is really special. Gao Shan Xing is always alone, often dancing alone in the practice room late at night. Occasionally going to class, i.e. sitting in the last row of the classroom for a while, disappears. She got a boyfriend in second grade. Everyone says that there are people in this world who like alternative skinny types. Since then, Takayama seems to have changed a bit. It's still so gloomy, but it's not the same in terms of clothing. I remember that during a class, the teacher saw Gao Shan Xing wearing a white and pink striped T-shirt and denim shorts. She is occasionally seen wearing a shiny, crown-like hairpin, or a hairpin with a cartoon decorative pattern.

It was in the fall of second grade that the teacher was invited to join a group. The group said they were looking for an invisible lake. Do you understand? That's the lake. The teacher is surprised to find that Apricot Takayama and her boyfriend are also in the group. They prepared for about a week. It was also the first time the teacher spoke to Apricot Takayama during that period. Now that he thinks about it, Gao Shan Xing not only behaves mysteriously and looks strange, but also speaks quite scary. It is said that it will be prepared for a week and then depart, but in fact, there is nothing to prepare. They just read legends about the lake every day, and they would gather around at night to tell ghost stories and something. The teacher probably used a trick to create an atmosphere for this expedition. A week later they set off. Apricot Takayama is the group's guide. From time to time, she would tell you some brainless horror stories, which scared the other two girls into screaming. What the? You ask me what story Takayama apricot told? I asked about it, but the teacher couldn't remember it. He didn't seem to hear much, and he didn't believe in any ghost stories. Later, in that mountain forest, they experienced similar things to us. A few people have also been separated. When I returned to school after the holidays, the teacher found out that three people in the group had not returned to school. It is said that two of them were scared crazy that day and have not been heard from from them since. Gao Shan Xing's boyfriend came back, but he was suspended from school soon after. The teacher and two other classmates went to school in the academy well. But since then, no one has seen Takayama apricots again. The teacher's grades were very good, and his popularity was also good, and with the help of Gao Shan Xing's boyfriend, he stayed in the college and worked directly after graduation. Do you know who Apricot Takayama's boyfriend is? ”

Seeing Shen Mingde shaking his head after thinking about it, Yang Guangcheng said triumphantly: "Chen Huaizhi." ”