The lid was lifted off to reveal a shocked face. It was Liang Long!
Her limbs were tied, and she was forced into the basket. A cloth was stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she couldn’t make any sound. However, that was not accurate. She made a weak mumbling sound, but it was overwhelmed by the wind.
“It looks like Miss Liang is a lucky one.” Chen Ran looked down at her. His eyes studied her like she was a piece of art. Jiang Cheng interrupted him by walking forward to pull off the lid of the other basket. As expected… it was the aged woman.
However, compared to Liang Long, who was wrapped like a present, the aged woman only had a thin cloth bound around her wrists. It didn’t look hard for her to struggle loose. The aged woman still looked out of it. Her eyes were hollow, like her soul had been sucked away. Her lips trembled as she mumbled things that no one understood.
“Crazy…” Su Xiaoxiao commented coolly. Fatty’s throat moved. Then, the way he looked at Chen Ran changed. He didn’t think this gentle-looking man would use his teammates as experiments… and he did it so openly!
His goal was clear. The tied Liang Long was the experiment or, rather… the bait… To test whether the biker woman had been…
Jiang Cheng removed Liang Long’s gag. Fatty thought Liang Long would go into a rampage to curse Chen Ran, but… he heard nothing.
The rescued Liang Long didn’t even dare to look at Chen Ran. Her limbs were numb from being tied up for so long. However, even so, she still struggled to move away from Chen Ran to hide in the corner that the aged woman had occupied earlier. Her body couldn’t stop trembling.
Chen Ran was at ease. He didn’t become flustered or awkward due to the way his teammates looked at him. Fatty’s eyes flashed, and something was clarified. No one Liang Long didn’t leave with Chen Ran. The Doctor said that she wouldn’t dare. Liang Long wouldn’t dare to stay with the aged woman alone!
Chen Ran controlled her or did something to her. He tied her up and left her beside the aged woman. If they returned to find Liang Long gone or dead… Then, they could confirm a threat in this mission as the aged woman. Then, everyone would know what would happen next. It was, as Chen Ran said. They had to do something unbecoming. It was either to throw the aged woman into the sea or chase her into the forest. The threat had to be eliminated, or they’d all die.
“Is this the method you mentioned?” Jiang Cheng looked at the aged woman and then at Chen Ran. Chen Ran narrowed his eyes. His eyes seemed to reflect something.
Fatty sensed the tension. He was afraid that there would be conflict. He silently swiped a wooden club beside the wall and hid it behind him. Then, he pretended to watch.
As Fatty’s heart pounded, he noticed a glint from the corner of his eyes. He turned around with confusion. He noticed the fading light came from Su Xiaoxiao’s sleeves. There was a clear budge on her woollen sweater. To Fatty’s confusion, Su Xiaoxiao’s gaze was on the Doctor. After taking in a cold breath, Fatty understood the situation was more complex than he thought. As amazing as the Doctor was, he would probably go for a tie with Chen Ran. But, if Su Xiaoxiao also aimed for the Doctor… Fatty tightened his grip on the club. He’d make the move first if things went awry. The atmosphere tensed.
Suddenly, Chen Ran opened his eyes. His lips curled up mockingly. He patted the dust on his sleeves and said, “It looks like Brother Hao doesn’t method. I should have asked.” Then, he turned to the shivering Liang Long and bowed gentlemanly. “Miss Liang, it was just a joke. I hope you don’t mind it.”
Liang Long shook harder. Jiang Cheng pulled his gaze back. He glanced at Su Xiaoxiao casually. The latter’s body tensed. However, Jiang Cheng easily moved his gaze away.
“Look…” Fatty pointed out the window, and his voice sharpened. Jiang Cheng took two steps back to the wall before looking out the window. He didn’t need to do that because shadows had appeared in the previously bright room. The only source of light was the flame in the middle.
The sky… darkened again. Due to Fatty’s warning, everyone noticed something unusual… about the night. Chen Ran raised his brow. The night was different. After Fatty’s warning, the world outside dimmed. It took less than 10 seconds.
Everyone saw it clearly!
The black mist surged forward like locust and covered up the bright sky. The black mist came from everywhere. This was not the real night but a strange mist.
After Fatty saw the black mist, his gaze dulled. The mist brought him a sense of familiarity. The fear that came from his heart gripped his body. His lips opened like he wanted to say something, but he held it in.
He turned to the Doctor. The Doctor’s face was hidden in the dark, but he couldn’t see the Doctor’s eyes. He wanted to tell the Doctor that he was not unfamiliar with the mist. The mist deep inside the forest… was of the same origin.
The darkness of the mist was like an endless swamp. One would involuntarily sink into it. Fatty had that experience before. Thankfully, the whale song echoed in his ears at the nick of time.
Fatty was startled. He suddenly realised something. It was the whale song that broke the mist’s control on him.
Shouldn’t the whales be…
“Friends, snap out of it.” Chen Ran clapped. His eyes shone with excitement. He grinned. “Our old friends are coming!”
Outside the window, on the black sea, a winding trail of light was hurrying towards the lighthouse.