After leaving the God of the Past’s death realm, Gao Ming confirmed that his memory had been tweaked by fate. He and most of the citizens in Han Hai were raised in captivity. Their futures had been decided. However, Gao Ming was presented with a chance to change everything. He might be the first person to really leave Han Hai.
The main road that led out of the city was wide and clean, as if many vehicles were using it daily. Who would have thought it would be an illusion?
No one knew where the cars that left the city went. Perhaps they had never left Han Hai.
The basin that was made from the altar crackled. Underneath the dancing flame were the death portraits. One could see crying faces among them.
“The black mist is getting thicker.” Teacher Lee looked at the pictures that were thinning. She felt a wave of despair. There was no signal on her phone, and the GPS was not working. They were on the familiar path, but it felt like they were moving to a different world.
“Teacher, I’m scared. My grandma is physically unwell. She’s waiting at the station for me to come home.” Fu Ping was the most cowardly student in the class. She never spoke up in class. She didn’t dare to approach others. Her family was the main reason behind her introverted nature. Fu Ping’s parents went out to work and never came back. It was her grandmother who raised her. Fu Ping was an understanding child because she never wanted to give her grandmother any trouble.
“We’ll get home safely tonight. I’m sure of it.” Teacher Lee hugged Fu Ping. This was supposed to be a normal class trip. Who knew why fate decided to play such a huge joke on them?
“Mr Gao, I’m almost done burning all the pictures. How far are we from the city?” Teacher Lee didn’t dare to show her fear before her students. She hoped that Gao Ming could give her some good news.
“We’re almost there!” Gao Ming was fully focused on dealing with the unknown power. It was an unmentionable force. It was stronger than any Gods he had faced before. Gao Ming couldn’t see the other party, but he could sense their presence. It was like an endless mountain range or black sea.
Gao Ming’s memory of this road was shattered. He gritted his teeth until his gum bled. On top of that, he had to calm the rampaging God of Flesh and Blood. Gao Ming had no idea what happened to the God of Flesh and Blood. Once he sensed the terrifying presence, he started to go on a rampage. If Gao Ming weren’t there, he would have escaped the torture room already.
“Teacher! Look! The trees on the roads are moving. They are trying to reach their branches into the bus!” Wei Jiu was the smartest student. He spent the least amount of time on his homework, but he was always at the top of the class. He was curious about everything.
“Stay away from the windows!” Chen Jing shouted at the same time. He yanked back Wei Jiu. The next moment, the ‘branches’ smashed into the window. Nine slender fingers slammed the back window that was not covered by the light of the fire.
The leaves dragged among the window. The students in the last row saw clearly that each leaf was human faces sewn together.
These trees were constantly moving. They hid in the dark.
“What is that?” Wei Jiu’s fingers trembled. He had been observing this world. The more he did, the smaller he felt, “Have we fallen into a nightmare? Why are we getting punished?”
“It should be the citizens of Han Hai who ask that question.” Gao Ming gripped the steering wheel with one hand and waved behind him. “All the students need to sit within the range of the light. Things might try to get on the car. You have to be careful of the back where the light can’t reach!”
Gao Ming stepped on the pedal and moved away from the ‘trees’. He was getting closer to the tunnel.
“In the past, I have no idea why these mountains are called Hen Shan. However, I get it now. Based on translation, these mountains are like big ghosts bound in hatred.”
The bus was like a butterfly without its wings that had fallen into the black sea. The temporary brightness of the bus was incongruous from the world. Despite its weak light, it managed to cause the monsters in the mist to open their eyes.
The ground shook. The main road was like a rolling tongue. Black-red cracks appeared on the mountain. The despair-filled eyes slowly opened.
Compared to Jing Tuoshen, Gao Ming didn’t give himself any other options. He gave it his all.
“The school bus came from the outside world and has the presence of reality. Other than Chen Jing and Shen Tuxiao, the other students are unrelated to Han Hai. With their help, I might have the chance to find the path that shouldn’t exist.”
“Only five pictures are left!” Teacher Lee reminded him softly. The more they departed from Piety Safety town, the more pictures she needed to feed the flame to keep it alive.
Teacher Lee saw the ‘branches’ hitting the window earlier. If the fire went out before they reached the city, the monsters in the mist would tear them apart.
“We’re almost there. Toss all the pictures into the basin.” Gao Ming ordered softly. His heart jumped in a specific rhythm. The shape of the tunnel appeared at the end of the path. The darkness exuded a creepy chill.
The last five portraits were dropped into the basin. The fire rose. The spreading flame allowed Gao Ming to see further. His gaze froze on the left side of the tunnel. On the ground next to the tunnel was a heavily damaged e-bike. The vehicle was nothing special. It was different from the bike Xuan Wen used to carry him out of the tunnel. However, the fact that a bike was there was a distressing signal for Gao Ming.