We left the hotel and walked onto the dirt road in front of the hotel. More than 100 meters away from the dirt road, there is a long-distance road, but when it is shrouded in gray fog, it is impossible to see the outline, let alone hear the sound of vehicles moving - even under normal circumstances, such fog can prevent people from going on the road. It's just that in this temporary hedging space, even if you go outside, you still can't hear the sound of anything other than yourself and others. However, it is this kind of seclusion that makes people subconsciously feel that there is really something other than themselves and others.

Something that makes people feel chilled.

Hidden in the corners of the field of vision, the silhouette is obscured by the misty gray fog, but it cannot hide the malice that peeps at people.

The reality is the same, and I wouldn't be surprised if something really swooped out. However, even if it is certain that just an illusion brought about by the environment cannot really make people feel at ease. The associations that frighten me in my mind will grow like weeds. This kind of association does not disappear because of the denial of "mystery" and firm materialism, because those things that cannot be described that will bring harm to oneself are not all products of "mystery". I looked at the others, even people like Dr. Nguyen Li, and I couldn't help but tense their expressions.

Mitsukao is desperately writing something on the paper, and the feeling of a ghost wanders around him from time to time, and we all know that it is the "invisible" Mr. Snoff, but this feeling is still chilling.

"I kind of understand the thoughts of the dead." The fitness instructor muttered, "In this case, we simply can't tell which ones are enemies and which ones are our own people." ”

"I hate to admit it, but if I suddenly come into contact with this ghost, I'll probably treat it as an enemy first." The soothsayer said, "I believe." The other side will do the same. ”

"Then, the only people who can be trusted are those who can see it, just like you and me." The fitness instructor looked at him with a blank eye, as if he was chasing the feeling of Mr. "Ghost" Snoff, "That guy is actually not very credible." Why him? Why is this the time? I think. This must not be accidental. ”

"But we have no evidence, no clues, even if we separate from him, it is difficult to say that we can avoid him, if he really wants to entangle, it is better to put it in front of him than to drive him away." Dr. Nguyen Li's statement, admitting her initiative, was not entirely well-intentioned.

Except for Mitsukasuka, no one knows exactly what kind of person Mr. Snoff is. Even Mitsukao himself is only in contact with the other party on the Internet, although Mitsuki Tsukao is confident in his psychological ability and can distinguish the psychological gap between a person on the Internet and reality, but Mitsukao himself is not a professional psychological researcher, and no one here has heard of his deeds, and he guarantees Mr. Snoff. It was ineffective from the start.

In a strange environment where the dead really appeared, let one not know the details. Its existence is also because some factors are like "ghosts" to stay around, and unreservedly believe in the other party, which is something that normal people with social cognition standards will not do. Dr. Nguyen Le didn't express this conspiracy theory-like malice too explicitly, but, I believe. Everyone understands it in their hearts. Because, I think, since everyone here has attainments in psychology, then. In their actions, it is inevitable to use psychological methods to test and understand the actions of the other party.

Even Mitsukasuka, who looks more mediocre, will not be a fool. I prefer to believe that, in fact, Mitsukasu and Mr. "Ghost" Snoff also know the current situation and what is going on.

There was a sinister atmosphere of intrigue floating in the air, but everyone seemed to be completely unconcerned. Personally, I don't really like the atmosphere, but for these psychologists, it's as natural as breathing air.

There are not many buildings in this rest point, and the distance between them is also very close, and the farthest one is only more than 20 meters. A few steps out of the hotel is a convenience store and a drugstore, with faded mailboxes in between. At this time, the doors of both stores are closed, and it is said that except for the people on duty, most of the rest points will close before 8 p.m. and drive back to the town a few kilometers away, and they will stay here for the night, most of them are tourists. I remembered that when the fog was not as thick as it is now, there were a number of vehicles leaving, but they were not heading for the road more than a hundred meters away, but further away from the long road.

However, it stands to reason that the foggy night, which should have been as normal as before, suddenly became abnormal. According to Mr. "Ghost" Snoff, he met the deceased in the convenience store and, after escaping in a hurry, did not dare to go back and close the door, however, the roller shutter in front of us was locked tightly and showed no sign of opening at all. Whether it's the "parallel space" statement or the "hallucination plus behind-the-scenes operation" statement, it can explain the difference we see.

I took a deep breath of air and there was no particular smell.

Mr. Snoff said that the white flowers were planted right behind the post office. Mitsui Tsukao suddenly said to us, "Shall we go to the store first, or shall we go and find those flowers first?" ”

"Let's go see the flowers first." "The most important thing now is not to find other people, and even if you can find other people, if you can't solve the hallucination effect, it will only complicate the situation," said Dr. Nguyen. Being affected by hallucinations all the time, it is difficult to make correct judgments. ”

Dr. Ruan Li, who was tacitly appointed as the leader of the temporary team, did this, and others had nothing to object, because, although there were more options, Dr. Ruan Li's choice was justified so far.

The search for the white flowers suspected to be Claudia was smooth, and Mr. Snoff's information was correct, but since no one had ever seen a real white Claudia, it was equally impossible to judge the small white flowers that grew like wild flowers in a remote corner of the post office. Everyone here already knows that the so-called "White Claudia", except for the people who actually planted it, described it only in the diary of me, a mentally ill person. However, because I'm just a mentally ill person. Therefore, even if the diary I wrote is affirmed to have a certain "authenticity", it still feels strange to use it as a reference.

"Takakawa, is this really white Claudia?" The soothsayer carefully touched the small white flowers. It's like worrying about suddenly taking a bite out of this flower. The moment she touched it, the flowers and leaves curled up sensitively.

"I don't know, but it looks like it." I rambled at it, because these little white flowers were not the same as the white Claudia I remembered, but I really couldn't really describe what kind of white Claudia was - it seemed to be different in every apocalyptic fantasy, and its color was not just white. More precisely, I think. The so-called white Claudia is more of a concept - a hallucination, a key ingredient in the psychedelic "paradise", such a flower, if not a flower, but just a plant.

My answer is **, but. None of the others took my answer seriously. Even if I am a soothsayer, I just ask this casually. They all have their own ideas, and then each dig up a plant.

"Actually, I've been thinking, what if this is Claudia White?" "We don't have the tools to extract it, and we don't have chemists or botanists among us," said the fitness instructor. It is impossible to turn it into an antidote. ”

"Have we decided that White Claudia is the source of hallucinogenic substances?" Mitsui Tsukao was a little surprised, "Actually, we poached it and just tried it." Just find something to do for yourself. Are you expecting it to make things better? ”

"No, how can I say it." The fitness instructor hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't you think that we who came here to dig wildflowers because of a mentally ill person are very mentally retarded?" ”

"Because it's the closest clue to us." The soothsayer's expression didn't change at all, "It may seem ridiculous to others, but what can we do if we don't dig up these wildflowers?" Don't forget, someone has died here, and I'd rather dig for wildflowers here than face those ghostly lunatics. ”

On the other side, Mr. "Ghost" Snoff is also working, but he only sees the dirt constantly being turned up, but there are no utensils and people at all. I think it's a surprise that he has been working with the team indifferently in such a short period of time since we met. I don't know these Mr. Snoff, but I think that he can't meet us directly like Mitsukasuka, and he definitely has an inside story, and this inside story may lead to some dangers.

I had been keeping an eye on him, and suddenly, the ground he was digging stopped turning, a subtle change that didn't alert the other people who were chatting next to him. It wasn't until Mitsukasu turned his head to look over there that a shocked expression suddenly appeared in the air, and then the silhouette of a human figure loomed on the ground. Mitsukasuo was also stunned and shouted in a low voice: "Snoff! ”

Everyone else was awakened by the accident and looked that way, but the changes that had taken place in Mr. Snoff were not over yet. He looked like he was kneeling on the ground, pouting his ass, staring at the pit, I don't know what he was seeing, and in the hazy mist, his figure was spreading some kind of extremely intense emotion. His mouth opened a few times, and we couldn't hear him, until he turned his head, his face distorted with a shocked expression.

After looking at us for a second or so, I could feel everyone's bodies tense. Because, Mr. Snoff's appearance at this time exudes a dangerous smell, and it seems that he will attack at any moment.

But he didn't do it in the end, and the strange and hostile feeling was like gummy, chewed by something, slimy and full of resilience. Dr. Nguyen Le took the lead, and the others, including Mitsui Tsukao, moved away from him at breakneck speed. Mr. Mitsukasu seemed to feel that his neckline was a little tight, so he pulled it hard.

"What do you see? Mr. Snoff. Dr. Ruan Li asked in a deep voice.

When Mr. Snoff heard this, he only showed a mocking and sad expression, and the next moment, the figure disintegrated. We looked at each other and didn't understand what was going on, but it was clear that this place was already dangerous, and even digging for wildflowers would suddenly encounter a dangerous Cheng dù. Mr. Snoff had never been so formally in front of us before, and when he appeared, he immediately collapsed, which made us feel a little resistant to the pit he had dug before.

We don't know. Whether Mr. Snoff is dead or alive, but the place where he disappeared may really be buried some kind of secret.

I walked up first, and Dr. Nguyen Li tried to pull me back, but I broke free. If I don't go up, there is absolutely no way for anyone else to turn away. Mr. Snoff's death - although he may not be dead, but only "gone" again - is enough to distract people from fear.

I broke free from Dr. Nguyen Lê's tugging and rushed to where Mr. Snoff had been standing, and like him, looked into the dirt I had dug up.

After that-

I also felt a little weird and scary, because this layer of the ground that nourished the little white flowers. There was a large patch of the same flower, rooted in the body of a man.

And this corpse is none other than Mr. Snoff himself.

"Ghost" Mr. Snoff died.

While I was stunned, the others also put aside their initial fears and walked straight over. I didn't cover up the existence of the body, and this discovery silenced everyone a little.

The fitness instructor crouched beside me, sliced open the corpse's skin with a knife he had unearthed from the hotel, and cut deep along the muscle layers. Everyone could see the small white flowers planted above the corpse. They have already planted their roots deep into the corpse. It looks like it's based on the corpse and gets normal.

No, the flowers that grow on human corpses are probably difficult for ordinary people to imagine.

"It's miserable." The fitness instructor sighed and said to us, "The cause of death was that someone hit the head from behind. However, the time of death was much earlier. ”

"How early?" Mitsukasuka seemed to think of something and hurriedly asked.

"At least before we met him." The fitness instructor said dryly, "What is Mr. Snoff that we met before?" ”

"Even if it's really a ghost. It must not be for nothing that he brought us here. "Although Dr. Nguyen Li said this, looking at her appearance, I didn't believe it at all, Mr. Snoff we met before was a ghost and a ghost. Of course, forcibly using "magic tricks" and "hallucinations" to explain it will also work, but it is clear that she does not intend to judge the current situation in such a blunt way.

Perhaps, Dr. Nguyen Li has always been holding the idea that "although I don't know why, it must not be a strange force or something like that", and looked at what is happening at the moment.

The soothsayer then said, "Do you see Mr. Snoff's expression before he disappears?" ”

"Well, he also seemed surprised that it would be his own body buried in the ground." Mitsukasu said, "And then, he felt that he was dead, so he disappeared? Sounds a lot like a ghost story. ”

"Ms. Ruan, what do you think is going on?" The fitness trainer asked, "What should we do now?" ”

"I don't know what's going on, but I don't think I'm dead, and I don't think you're such a dead person." Dr. Ruan Li sneered, glanced at Mr. Snoff's body, and said, "Since Mr. Snoff led us to find his body, maybe he doesn't want his corpse to become flower fertilizer like this?" Let's get the body up. ”

"Your idea is obviously the logic of ghost stories." The fitness trainer's expression was a little strange.

"This is because there is such a person or some people who intend to play this qiē as a ghost story." Dr. Nguyen Li asked rhetorically, "Isn't this a psychological clue?" ”

"That's just as well." The fitness coach restrained his expression, nodded and said, "Then, next, when we get out of the body, a series of strange things will happen." If we ignore it......"

"It may be very safe, but again, because the other party does not act, there will be no more clues." Said the soothsayer.

"I think the focus is on these flowers." Mitsukasuo stared at the little white flowers growing on the corpse and said, "I kind of believe that these flowers are the so-called white Claudia." However, can you create so many illusions with just that little? And, since it grows in such a place, it can still affect everyone in the rest area, which means that the plant itself is not a carrier of hallucinogenic substances. ”

"Is it pollen?" The soothsayer asked.

"How can such a small flower create such a big fog through guò pollen?" Mitsukasu shook his head, "Whether or not it is the source of the hallucinogenic substance, unless the analysis of these flowers and fog is completed, no valid evidence can be obtained." Moreover, we all subconsciously think that these white flowers are white Claudia, and that they are all caused by it, and that some people are using it to create some kind of conspiracy, and I think this kind of fixed thinking is also dangerous. How did Gao Chuan, a child, know that Claudia is a plant that exists in reality, and how did he know that it can create illusions? Ms. Nguyen. ”

"I don't know." Dr. Nguyen Le said, "This child is not under surveillance all the time. Perhaps, like a soothsayer, he heard about these things from someone else because of a certain chance. ”

"Anyway, what else can we do if we don't follow this as a clue?" The fitness instructor was a little irritable, but quickly thought of, "Water pipes and water towers." Rather than tracing the source of the hallucination in the hallucination, we should perhaps look for something real as a direction. We've all been sure before that the water outage at the hotel is not a hallucination. It was supposed to be found along this clue, but it was led astray by the dead ghost of Snoff. ”

"Of course I'm going to check the water towers and pipes." Dr. Nguyen Le said: "However, the corpse and these white flowers growing on the corpse are not hallucinations, they are real clues, if not the key, are they?" What's more, their existence zài is also special enough. ”

The others did not continue to pester, and made a concerted effort to dig up Mr. Snoff's body. At this moment, there was a sudden movement behind them, and everyone was frightened, and suddenly looked over there, only to see a figure like a rabbit running into the gray mist.

"What's going on again?" The fitness instructor was a little stunned, but in a blink of an eye, he seemed to figure it out again, "Did you misunderstand us?" Moreover, at such a coincidental time. At this time, she was not in a hurry, and said to Dr. Ruan Li: "Ms. Ruan, you are right. Sure enough, there was a follow-up. ”

Others seem to have figured it out. The man who fled seemed to be alone, and assuming that he had been in the same situation as we had been, and that he could only feel an eerie death-like silence, then, suddenly, when he met us exhuming the corpses, he would have been frightened. Unless the situation can be explained, it is not surprising that the other party thinks that he is a murderer, or that he is some kind of ghost. Since we look at the current situation based on "illusions", it is almost inevitable that the other person will have hallucinations related to us because of the stimulus.

"And then we're going to run into other people in the process of chasing that person, and then we're going to be targeted like murderers or monsters?" Mitsukasuo had a speechless expression on his face, "Or, the people we see will only be a group of monsters with blue faces and fangs?" ”

Hearing him say this, the fortune teller, the fitness trainer and Dr. Nguyen Le suddenly looked at me. I don't know why, but my eyes are full of meaning. Assuming that the situation mentioned by Mitsukasu has anything to do with me, it must be a hallucination of a mentally ill person. From the perspective of speculation, perhaps, all three of them feel that the aggression that I possess as a mentally ill person is caused by a similar situation? The monsters I killed, the mysterious events I encountered, were all just illusions that distorted normal conditions and normal humans?

Perhaps, in the eyes of people who are not interested in "mystery", this is the case, which is why I am considered to be an extremely dangerous mental patient.

However, if Mitsukasu's idea comes true, then Dr. Nguyen Li should have a way to deal with it, because she has done many studies on this situation. Although I know that this is not the case with my own condition, since Dr. Ruan Li has already worked in this direction, it is naturally impossible to be fruitless.

"Go back to our bus and get some medicine." Dr. Nguyen Li said categorically. (To be continued......)