Mo Wen was oblivious to the strange situation around him. He continued looking around and finally saw a faint light between the gaps in the wooden shelves.
An exit!
Without wasting any time, he ran towards the light and escaped from the confined space filled with jars and locust seeds.
Opening the back door of the villa again, he was greeted by the same long, dark hallway.
In the distance, the sound of dripping water echoed, whispering in the darkness, tempting him to venture deeper...
Mo Wen hesitated for a moment before reaching for the switch on the wall. A weak yellow light flickered on, illuminating the mottled walls ahead, and in the flickering shadows, he saw a large, broken hole in the floor.
It was the same hole he had seen earlier upstairs... But he had exited the corridor, so why was he back downstairs?
Swallowing hard, he turned towards the laundry room. Above him was the broken floor, and through the dim light, he could see numerous bugs and ants crawling.
The old boiler was rusted, and a leaking pipe was surprisingly releasing clear water. He bent down, dipped a finger in the water, and moistened his dry lips, detecting no strange taste.
At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow near the boiler—
He raised his phone to light it up, but the phone's light was noticeably dim. He stared intently, seeing a massive ant nest with a deep entrance, as if leading to an unknown underground world.
Termites swarmed in and out, as if performing an unknown ritual. A large, dark beetle slowly crawled out from deep within the nest, its shell gleaming eerily in the dim light.
The beetle moved with cold determination. The termites became agitated, raising their sharp jaws and attacking the beetle's joints and abdomen simultaneously!
Black fluid oozed out, filling the air with a pungent odor. The termites, like an invisible flood, engulfed the beetle entirely, the horrifying "rustling" sound filling the space.
Mo Wen held his breath, his hair standing on end, finally realizing—several termites had already crawled onto his shoes...
He quickly lifted his foot, shaking off the crawling creatures, his heart racing, and ran for his life.
This place... was not meant for humans.
-----------------
In the dense forest, moonlight filtered through the branches, casting a cold glow. A pure white fox stood silently, ears perked, eyes full of alertness. Shadows began to appear under the trees, increasing in number, like ghosts summoned by the night, silently closing in on the villa Mo Wen had entered.
The white fox's tail swayed lightly, its fur gleaming in the moonlight. It turned slightly, its gaze piercing through the shadows, focusing on the villa's closed window, eyes deep and anxious.
Just as it took a step, a black shadow lunged with a sharp whistle. It aimed for its throat. The white fox dodged gracefully, but the shadows were ready. They closed in, forming an invisible barrier. The villa was cut off. Every time the fox tried to break through, the shadows surrounded it. They blocked its path, as if they had intelligence. They prevented it from reaching the villa.
The white fox growled softly. Its silver eyes showed urgency. It leaped, moving like lightning. Its claws flashed with deadly intent. One shadow was torn apart, dissolving into a wisp of black mist. But as it charged forward, the shadows closed in. They cut off its path completely.
The fox squinted, its tail flicking. It turned abruptly, trying to break through in another direction. As soon as it took to the air, two shadows pounced from the sides. Their claws glinted with eerie energy. The fox was forced back to its original spot. It twisted mid-air, landing with claws dug into the soil. It barely stabilized itself.
The shadows didn't rush to attack. They moved slowly, forming a special pattern. They blocked the villa's direction tightly.
The fox's fur bristled slightly. Its gaze fixed on the window. Its eyes grew heavier. It realized—the shadows weren't there to kill it. They were there to stop it from entering the villa.
Realizing this, the fox roared. Its body was surrounded by a burst of silver light. It turned into a gust of wind, charging towards a gap in the shadows. Its resolve was thunderous. The shadows sensed this and swarmed, enveloping it completely. For a moment, the fox vanished in the darkness.
A heartbeat passed.
The next moment, a brilliant silver lightning exploded from within the shadows! Like thousands of sharp threads, it tore a gap in the darkness. The fox's blood-stained white figure shot out, like a lone wolf breaking through an encirclement. Without hesitation, it sped towards the villa, the shadows shrieking as they gave chase.
The fox didn't look back.
It lunged at a shadow, its claws slicing through, the shadow dissipating into mist. But before it could steady itself, more shadows pounced, surrounding it completely. Gradually, the fox's movements slowed, its body covered in small wounds, the red blood staining its white fur. It reached the villa's front door, its gaze still cold, breathing heavily, seemingly searching for an opportunity.
But the shadows kept gathering.
-----------------
He turned another corner, and another.
Every time he thought he was nearing the end, he found himself facing another similar corridor, like an endless maze.
His phone's light grew dimmer, the remaining battery like a dying candle, reminding him—time was running out.
Mo Wen licked his dry lips, took a deep breath, and began trying to open door after door. He had no more expectations, just wanting a place to rest temporarily.
Finally, a door creaked open under his hand, the hinges making a dry, creaky sound, as if awakening something long asleep.
Under the dim wall lamp, he saw an old guest room, dust particles floating in the air, spider webs in the corners trembling lightly. The bed frame was half-collapsed, pillows scattered on the floor, the mattress torn as if by wild animals.
Mo Wen chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
After wandering for so long, he had returned to the basement… At least there was a window here, though small, allowing a bit of moonlight in.
He sighed, propped the remaining bedboard against the wall, pulled down the dusty velvet curtain, shook it out, and spread it as a makeshift mattress. It wasn't comfortable, but better than lying on the cold floor.
Exhaustion washed over him like a tide. He lay down with his clothes on, but as soon as he got close to the mattress, his back felt sore. He muttered, folded the curtain a few more times for extra padding, then lay on his side, closing his eyes.
His breathing gradually steadied, his consciousness sinking into darkness.
Just as he fell into sleep, the room's light flickered and then went out.
Instantly, the only light source was the small window, casting pale moonlight.
In the silence, something began to move slowly.
A locust seed rolled off his body onto the curtain, bouncing lightly before stopping eerily. Then the second, third… those seemingly harmless seeds came to life, merging silently into the darkness, slowly spreading along the edges of the makeshift bed.
They seemed to be waiting, waiting for a moment.
Gradually, the seeds began to split, a thin white film peeling off their surface, like something shedding a disguise.
Shadows appeared behind the seeds—blurry, twisted, like ghosts emerging from the mist.
The white shadows extended silently, slowly, and patiently attaching themselves to the velvet fabric. Bit by bit, pieces of cloth gently wrapped around Mo Wen's body.
As if waiting for him to wake up.
The moonlight outside seemed to sense something, flickering uneasily before being swallowed by an unseen darkness, extinguishing completely.
In the pitch-black room, the only visible thing was the layer of spreading locust seeds, seeming to possess invisible tendrils, inch by inch climbing up his legs, chest, and finally settling on his oblivious face.
Darkness enveloped everything silently.
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