As soon as Xiao Jing and Shen Mingde squeezed into the narrow passage at the entrance of the secret room, they heard the sound of the kitchen door on the ground being slammed open. Immediately, a giant claw with long, deformed fingers reached into the passage and scratched at the stairs at the entrance. What the two of them saw after that was the mask of terror. Xiao Jing and Shen Mingde held their breath, flattened their bodies, and quickly moved sideways towards the "T" junction.

Although the living corpse was slender, the width of its shoulders, chest, and crotch should make it difficult for it to enter such a narrow entrance. Shen Mingde thought so, but this blind optimism was shattered after a moment. The monster tried twice at the entrance, then returned to the surface. In the small space, the two of them heard a few crunching sounds like bones breaking from the entrance. Xiao Jing followed the passage and shone the flashlight towards the entrance, only to see the giant snake-like thing with a mask slip into the passage. Soon, through the dim light source, they saw a figure like a "hanged man" chasing after them. The thing straightened its hunched waist and changed from crawling on all fours to walking upright sideways. Its arms hung limply at its sides, and its upright position stretched out the back of the living corpse that had been hunched. The two of them saw the silhouette of the monster's excessively elongated vertebrae wrapped under a layer of epidermis. The monster appeared to be twice as tall as it had crawled earlier. Due to its height, it can only crouch and move forward. The length of the living corpse's thighs seems to exceed the width of this narrow passage, so that its knees can only bend to the sides of its body in a "breaststroke" pose. This pose does remind Shen Mingde of a frog, or the silhouette of a character in a shadow puppet play.

"Using my phone to play some music might grab its attention!" Xiao Jing said anxiously.

Shen Mingde stopped Xiao Jing and said, "Don't worry, we need a flashlight." That thing can't run fast right now. ”

Shen Mingde's guess was right, the monster didn't seem to be used to this crab-like posture of moving sideways. Although its stride was large, when Shen Mingde and the others had already walked out of the passage, the monster was moving inside with difficulty.

The two of them ran down the right passage to the large hole that had collapsed. As things stand, it seems that there is their last hope. However, neither of them was sure if there was an exit to the outside of the big hole, or if it had been blocked by the collapsed masonry. Shen Mingde ran in the passage and overturned the debris behind him, hoping to create an obstacle for the living corpse and slow down its pursuit. Xiao Jing ran at the forefront, using a flashlight to open the way. The desire to escape and the fear of her life made her unable to care about the shoes on her feet and the pain from stepping on the sharp broken tiles. Although she once participated in the half marathon, she often traveled with Zhou Tengfei on mountain trips. However, she now realizes that running for her life is many times more tiring than any other sport.

Using a high-backed chair as a ladder, the two of them struggled to climb to the ground. Although the monster was no longer visible, they could hear the sound of debris being tipped over and trampled at the other end of the passage. Already climbing to the ground, it was Shen Mingde who was pulling Xiao Jing out of the hole. Suddenly, a small wooden stool flew straight to Xiao Jing's feet. The small wooden bench smashed into the collapsed ground, shattering its bones. It looked like the monster was getting very close to them. In a hurry, Shen Mingde relied on an explosive force to drag Xiao Jing out of the hole with one hand.

The god of luck had mercy on them. As the two crawled out of the hole in the ground and walked out of the half-broken wall, they saw the narrow holes between the ruins. This small hole was the one they had discovered when they looked inside the ruined wing from the courtyard. At that time, Shen Mingde never thought that this small hole would become the only way out for the two of them to escape tonight. Shen Mingde made a gesture and asked Xiao Jing to climb out first.

Xiao Jing shook her head and said, "You first." ”

Shen Mingde said angrily: "Don't fight, you go in quickly." ”

Xiao Jing: "I'm wearing a skirt!" ”

As soon as these words came out, Shen Mingde didn't want to argue with her anymore, and climbed into the cave by himself.

The hole was small and triangular in shape, and in the middle of it was a steel bar projected from the ground. Shen Mingde squirmed forward in the small hole. His own body filled the small hole to the brim, and the light from the flashlight couldn't shine in at all. Therefore, he can only use his right elbow to prop up the ground, and his left hand grope his way forward. The rubble and other hard debris left his right arm in pain, and the dust kicked up by the breeze blew into his eyes, making his vision blurred. Finally, Shen Mingde's left hand stretched out of the cave. He grabbed a raised stone on the left wall with his backhand and pulled his body forward. Suddenly, there was a "click" in his ears, and then he heard an ominous "squeak" sound. He felt the space in his back shrink, as if the collapse above was sinking.

Xiao Jing squatted in the cave, biting her lower lip. She shone a flashlight into the small cave, hoping to provide Shen Mingde with a light source. However, all she could find was Shen Mingde's struggling legs. So, she turned the flashlight to the hole on the other side. Suddenly, she saw several slender fingertips flash from her field of vision. She shone her flashlight again at the small hole that led to the outside. saw that Shen Mingde's legs were still kicking. She really regretted that at such a "critical" moment, why should she care about the details of the "spring". She anxiously switched the direction of the flashlight back and forth, comparing the situation of the living corpse coming out of the hole and the progress of Shen Mingde's escape from the small hole at any time. The monster's claws had reached out of the hole, but the ground seemed to be too smooth for it to find its focus. However, the progress on Shen Mingde's side does not seem to be optimistic. His legs, which he had been struggling to thrive, stopped, and his writhing waist seemed to be no longer exerting. Is he exhausted? Xiao Jing slapped Shen Mingde's calf twice.

Shen Mingde felt the lapping on his calf. It was like Xiao Jing's encouragement to him, and it was more like urging. Could it be that the living corpses have caught up? He wanted to look back and take a look, but his shoulder was stuck in the hole, and there was no room to turn around. Forget it, don't think about it. Shen Mingde gritted his teeth and rubbed his face with his left hand. Suddenly, sweat, tears, mixed with dust and dirt formed a Peking Opera mask on his face. Shen Mingde stretched his left arm forward as much as possible, so that his left rib cage and left armpit were close to the cave wall. His right shoulder struggled to move behind him. It wasn't long before he managed to slip his shoulders out of the hole. However, he heard the ominous "creaking" sound coming from the back of his head again.

Xiao Jing stared intently at the hole in the ground. The living corpse had put its arms on the ground. It seemed to be directly pressed into the ground with its slender fingers, supporting the weight of its entire body. At this time, Xiao Jing could already see its shoulders and its head with a mask. The monster suddenly stopped struggling out of the cave, and slowly turned the terrifying mask in Xiao Jing's direction. Although the eyes of the living corpse could not be seen, the sight that shot out of the mask's eye hole seemed to have a terrifying magic. The muscles in Xiao Jing's whole body spasmed at the same time, and then as if she was being stared at by "Medusa", she felt her body stiffen and petrified.

I don't know how long it has been "petrified", and Shen Mingde's shout came from Xiao Jing's ears. Seeing that Shen Mingde had crawled out of the cave, suddenly a warm current of hope melted her already stiff body. Before he could hear what Shen Mingde was shouting, Xiao Jing slipped into the small hole like a smoke. She didn't care about the broken tiles on the ground, and the steel bars that had been spent scratching her skirt, and she clenched her teeth and crawled resolutely out of the hole. Just as Xiao Jing's head and shoulders were sticking out of the cave, she suddenly heard a collapsing sound, and then she felt a heavy weight on her waist. She pursed her lips and cast an inquiring glance at Shen Mingde. Shen Mingde didn't answer, he took Xiao Jing's mobile phone, and then made a gesture to encourage her not to think too much and climb forward quickly.

Although Xiao Jing's body is relatively slender, she also struggled to squeeze out the small hole. Shen Mingde finally breathed a sigh of relief and planned to help her stand up. Just as she was about to withdraw her right foot, which was still the last one left in the hole, she suddenly felt a shock to her body. A strong force grabbed Xiao Jing's right foot and pulled it backwards violently. Xiao Jing stepped on the outer wall of the cave with her left foot, and hugged Shen Mingde with both hands to prevent herself from being pulled back into the cave.

At the same time, Xiao Jing's mouth also shouted: "Shoes! Shoes! ”

Shen Mingde grabbed Xiao Jing tightly and replied: "My life is almost gone!" Still thinking about your shoes? ”

Xiao Jing shouted: "Shoelaces! Shoelace! ”

Shen Mingde immediately understood what she meant, and quickly climbed behind Xiao Jing. With the help of the flashlight, he saw a paw grab Xiao Jing's casual shoe, as if two more nails were buckled into the upper. The monster's posture on the other side of the wall might have been hard to get it to exert its strength. Xiao Jing stepped on the outer wall of the cave with one foot, and although she couldn't get out quickly, it also kept it difficult for her to be dragged back into the cave. Shen Ming grabbed Xiao Jing's right ankle and maintained the balance of power between the two sides. They were at a stalemate as if they were in a tug-of-war. Xiao Jing's casual shoes are like the red ribbon in the middle of the long rope used in the tug-of-war, moving in and out of the hole from side to side. Xiao Jing's shoelaces were firmly tied and tangled in the constant running. In the constant swaying and dim light, Shen Mingde couldn't find a way to unravel it.

Simply, Shen Mingde took out the folding saber in his pocket. However, there were so many tools on the saber that he couldn't pinpoint the blade accurately for a while. Shen Mingde changed his position, he half-knelt on the ground, and propped up his left knee against the outer wall of the cave. Grabbed Xiao Jing's ankle with his right hand, held the handle of the saber with his left hand, and took out the folded gadgets one by one with his teeth. In this short moment, he distinctly heard two sounds of wooden beams breaking, and the sound of small stones tumbling down. He felt that time was running out. However, Xiao Jing was also a little exhausted at this time, and the bending of her legs on the outer wall was even more obvious. The casual shoe no longer lingered at the entrance of the hole, but went deeper into the small hole. I don't know how many tools he opened, Shen Mingde finally found the sharp blade on the saber. He immediately lay down at the entrance of the cave, pressed Xiao Jing's calf sideways, held a flashlight in one hand, and reached into the small hole with a saber in the other.

The casual shoe swayed from side to side as if consciously dodging a saber. Shen Mingde couldn't find an opportunity to cut the laces at all. From time to time, dirt and stones would fall from it, obstructing his vision. Suddenly, with a "boom", Shen Mingde felt the earth shake violently, and then he saw that the collapse had obviously collapsed. The small hole that could have allowed an adult to pass through just now is now the size of a cat that even a cat would be willing to drill through in the middle position. But at this moment of collapse, the strange hand that was holding Xiao Jing's shoes paused for a moment. Shen Mingde immediately reached into the gap between the shoelaces with the saber. The pause was very long, and after that, this person, a monster seemed to have begun to fight. The stone wall above the small hole began to break and collapse. It's very slow, but it's already a speed that's visible to the naked eye.

After a few seconds, only a loud "boom" was heard. A puff of smoke enveloped the two men who had collapsed to the ground. Shen Mingde heard Xiao Jing's sobs, and he didn't know whether it was pain or sadness. He saw that Xiao Jing's right foot was still stuck in the original hole. Her ankles and half of her calves had been buried by the collapsed rubble. The living corpse should have been barred at the other end, perhaps buried. The thing didn't make a single whining the whole time, and I didn't know if it could make a sound. Shen Mingde immediately climbed to Xiao Jing's right leg, and he struggled to pick up the small gravel. No, Xiao Jing slowly pulled her right foot out of a gap. Except for two minor scratches on his feet, he was still nimble.

More than two hours later, in the early morning of the next day, Xiao Jing and Shen Mingde finally got into the car and drove away from Yushugou Village. The SUV drove along the intercity highway towards the city. Shen Mingde also glanced in the rearview mirror from time to time to see if any vehicles or other things were catching up. However, apart from the occasional freight truck whizzing back and forth on the road, there was no sign of any vehicle behind it. After their car drove a long distance, the two gradually relaxed.

Shen Mingde suddenly broke the silence and asked, "I didn't expect you to dance?" ”

Xiao Jing replied: "It's yoga and aerobics. ”

Shen Mingde, who was driving, looked ahead, he opened his mouth wide and made an expression of sudden realization. Later, he asked, "How do you know that living corpse is afraid of music?" ”

Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and said, "It's not scared, it's intoxicated." It loves music and dancing. We hid behind a wooden frame in the backyard. I was terrified. My biggest fear was that thing suddenly appeared behind me. So I kept staring at it through the cracks in the wooden frame. Then, your call comes and the music comes on. The monster's behavior changed suddenly. Its movements become softer, its shoulders droop, and it doesn't look so alert. Then I suddenly thought of the words engraved on the half of the mask we had picked up. Music and dance may really work. So, just give it a try. ”

Shen Mingde asked angrily: "What if I fail!?" ”

Xiao Jing did not answer, but lowered her head and covered her mouth with her hands. Shen Mingde saw her weak body twitch twice. Suddenly, he felt pain in his heart, and regretted that he had not controlled his emotions just now. He wasn't talking, in fact, he wanted to tell Xiao Jing what he thought, but he couldn't say anything.

The silent time always goes by for a long time. Xiao Jing had enough of this dead silence in the drama school tonight. So, she casually asked, "What are you going to do when you analyze it?" ”

Shen Mingde thought silently for a while. His lips pursed and pursed, looking hesitant. Half a minute later, as if he had made up his mind, he said, "It's too dangerous." ”

Xiao Jing turned her head and looked at Shen Mingde. With a look of joy on her face, she said, "Yes, it's a very dangerous day." ”

Shen Mingde's expression did not become relaxed, but said with a serious face: "It's not just today, it's the whole thing." It's crazy, it's dangerous. It's not just Chen Yongyi, that Gao Bowen also wants to kill us. Maybe the two of them have already colluded. The door to the main hall is locked from the outside. They also released the living corpse. They didn't want us to get out of drama school. All of this is beyond our capabilities. Trust me, Xiao Jing. While it's still too late, let's stop it. ”

"What about Tengfei that week? Won't you help me get him back? Xiao Jing stared at Shen Mingde with that indecisive, pitiful gaze, looking forward to his answer.

However, Shen Mingde was unmoved and said calmly: "Zhou Tengfei, we may not need to save him." ”

Xiao Jing immediately argued: "Didn't you see it? The words written on the back of the photograph read, 'May be sacrificed'. Zhou Tengfei will also be sacrificed by them! ”

"That's your opinion!" Shen Mingde shouted uncontrollably. Then, he slowed down his tone again and said, "Why don't you understand? The words 'may be sacrificed' after the photograph can be interpreted in addition to 'may be sacrificed'. It can also be interpreted to mean 'qualified to make sacrifices'. If the latter interpretation is used, Zhou Tengfei is not a 'sacrifice', but a 'sacrifice master' and a 'sacrificer'. Open the notebook and take a look at the content in parentheses after Zhou Tengfei's name. What is written on it? 'Zhao, Zhou Fangyi, nephew'. What do you mean? Still don't get it? That shows that Zhou Tengfei has an aunt named Zhou Fangyi, who is married to the Zhao family, so Zhou Tengfei has a relationship with the Zhao family. The twelve adults in the first photo were the first candidates. And the twelve children in the second photo are not 'sacrifices', they may be the second batch of candidates they have chosen. The Zhao and Wang families had already lined up in order, and they may not have given up at all. Perhaps that sacrifice is still going on. This year, it was Zhou Tengfei's turn. ”

"Nope! You're not right! Zhou Tengfei will never hurt his family and friends! Xiao Jing retorted.

Shen Mingde continued: "Yes, he will not hurt his family and friends. So he chose his colleagues, and me! Zhou Tengfei will not sacrifice you, because you are his family. Will he sacrifice me? Am I his friend? Others say that he is a man who is righteous to his friends. But what am I in his heart? I'm just his boss! In all these years, he didn't invite me to his house once. Although I can call him a brother and treat him as my own, Zhou Tengfei and I still keep a certain distance. It's like when I used to work in other companies, I used to go out for drinks with my boss, but for myself, it was just socializing. ”

"You're just paranoid! Don't talk nonsense without evidence! Xiao Jing also became excited, and said with a trembling voice: "Even if Zhou Tengfei goes to sacrifice, what else can you do now?" Your phone has dropped in the drama school, and the photos are gone. Takayama Apricot is still left in the lakeside village. We still don't know what's going on with this lake. Tonight. No, we offended Chen Yongyi and Gao Bowen again last night. They won't let us go. If you call the police now, maybe Gao Shan Xing will never be able to come out. We don't have any evidence. Also, what the hell is going on with your wrist? Could that monster track you through the markings on your wrist? How do you let us roll it out? How is it safe to roll out? ”

"There's one more clue." Shen Mingde suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Jing who was wiping his tears, and continued: "The girl who moved away from Yushugou. What is her name for? Did Gao Bowen tell you where she moved afterward? ”

Xiao Jing was still silent with her head bowed.

Shen Mingde said softly: "Think about it. That girl is important. She was one of the first people to come into contact with Lao Yo. I wonder what Lao Yu told her? How did Lao Yu let her see the lake? Many people who have entered the village and seen the lake have died. I wonder how she survived when she saw the lake. She was also taken by those men to sacrifice at that time. What happened at the time of the sacrifice? She must have seen it. After that, he was brought back by Zhang Li. How did Zhang Zhang get her out? ”

Xiao Jing wiped the tears on her left and right cheeks twice, nodded and said, "The girl's name is Wang Yajuan." I know the address. ”

As Xiao Jing spoke, she turned to Shen Mingde. He suddenly saw that on Xiao Jing's left and right cheeks, tears mixed with dust turned into black mud. was rubbed left and right by Xiao Jing like this, and a picture was formed, which looked like a pair of butterfly wings. Shen Mingde smiled evilly, turned his face away, and continued to drive. He took out two wet wipes from the car and handed them to Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing took the wet wipes, and saw the butterfly wings on her face from the rearview mirror and smiled.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the car was much more relaxed, Shen Mingde continued: "You can rest well tomorrow." I'm planning to go to drama school again. Then we'll go find that Wang Yajuan. ”

Xiao Jing hurriedly said, "Then you have to be careful...... In my opinion, it's better not to go to drama school. You also lost your phone, how can we get in touch? ”

Shen Mingde said: "I think, that old man dares to let a living corpse come out to kill people. But he shouldn't dare to kill people in broad daylight. Mobile phone, I still have a spare one at home. You can reissue the phone card. But why did you bite me to lose my phone at the end? ”

Xiao Jing explained: "Singing and dancing may temporarily reduce the monster's desire to attack. But for some reason, it becomes very irritable as soon as it sees the phone video. It was very close to me at the time, so I could feel the change in its mood. If you're going to see that monster again tomorrow, you'd better bring two portable tape recorders or something. ”

Shen Mingde said with a smile: "Others use peachwood swords to subdue demons and exorcise demons. I'm using a tape recorder. Well, I see. I still have a few voice recorders at home, which may be useful. ”

When Xiao Jing was about to get out of the car, she wrote down her mobile phone number with a message note and a ballpoint pen on the car and pasted it on the steering wheel. Then he said goodbye to Shen Mingde with a smile, and hurriedly walked into the community.

Shen Mingde watched Xiao Jing's back with a smile on his face until he disappeared into the night. His smile faded away, replaced by his usual grim face. The face seemed even more grim than usual. At this moment, Shen Mingde had to admit that there was a wish hidden in his heart. He hoped that Zhou Tengfei was a complete villain, or that he would never come back.