Chapter 1 What Sound?

"What's that sound?"

The fatty was very sensitive to sounds and immediately widened his eyes, looking around.

But it was no use. Anyone could tell that this fog was strange. It appeared almost instantly. It was just that none of them had expected that they hadn't even found Daotou Village yet, and strange things were already happening on the road.

"Everyone, don't panic. Try to stay together." Jiang Cheng reassured everyone.

They dismounted and used the horses to form a circle around the entire team, with the people hiding inside, cautiously watching their surroundings.

The strange sound was very fast. In a few breaths, it arrived around them. Just when they thought they were about to be attacked, the strange sound suddenly disappeared, and the surroundings fell into an eerie silence, a silence that made people panic.

Jiang Cheng's eyesight was still decent, but in such a fog, the visibility was less than 3 meters.

But just because people couldn't see didn't mean animals couldn't feel it. The originally docile horses kept pacing in place, visibly agitated.

There was something nearby, and those things were still there, quietly lurking.

"Staying here is just waiting to die. The horses are frightened. We must keep moving."

Zhang Qizheng's voice was trembling. It was rare for this old man to show such a side.

Jiang Cheng and Zhang Qizheng led the horses at the front, while Yao Shunyu and Tang Qisheng guarded the rear. After confirming the direction on the map, the group continued to move forward.

The mountain road was already difficult to walk, and with the fog, everyone could only grope forward, their nerves constantly on edge.

Cold sweat dripped from the fatty's forehead. He stammered, "I... I said, did you guys hear that? That sound is still there, right... right beside us."

The fatty heard it. As they moved, the disappeared strange sound also rang out at the same time, and it was very close to them, very close, as if it was hiding behind the fog in front of them.

After walking for who knows how long, the team suddenly stopped. Jiang Cheng, who was at the front, squatted down, staring at the ground.

The fatty walked over and saw footprints and hoofprints left on the soft ground.

"This... this is what we left behind!"

The fatty recognized his footprints at a glance, because he was wearing a pair of sneakers, and the pattern on the soles was still vaguely visible.

Zhu Jie was also a little flustered, his breathing becoming rapid. "What... what's going on? Are we... are we lost?"

But everyone knew that this possibility was almost non-existent, because this road was a straight road, and the map also marked it that way. There were no forks at all.

"Don't panic, this must be the fog playing tricks," Zhang Qizheng said.

"Looks like it's a ghost wall or something, but how could something like this appear during the day?"

Tang Qisheng looked puzzled. Ever since entering this area, he had felt uneasy, as if something was bound to happen. It seemed like it had come true.

Everyone didn't stay where they were. Jiang Cheng tore off a piece of cloth and tied it to a conspicuous tree branch nearby, then led the team forward.

But this time, they didn't walk far before the team stopped again, and this time the discovery shocked everyone.

"Holy shit!" The fatty stared at the messy marks on the ground, completely dumbfounded. "What the hell is this?"

Not long after they had walked, Jiang Cheng suddenly noticed that the original footprints on the ground had changed. Because they had been circling, hoofprints and their footprints had been left on the ground. But this time, there were some other things on the ground, a series of marks smaller than their footprints.

About half the size of their footprints, shaped like inverted triangles.

Jiang Cheng tested the depth of the footprints with his hand and found that they were deeper than their footprints. This was no small thing, at least not something a small animal could leave behind.

With the discovery of the strange footprints, the team fell into unprecedented panic.

"Those things are following us, aren't they?" the fatty asked.

Tang Qisheng swallowed and his expression also became horrified. "It would be better if they were really following us. I'm afraid those things are right beside us. Have you heard of being blinded by ghosts? Maybe they're covering our eyes, that's why we can't get out."

It had to be said that Tang Qisheng's story was too influential, and the fatty was good at imagining things. The result was that the fatty shivered violently, and his calves cramped.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng stood up and said in a very firm tone, "Don't hold onto any illusions. It's just like you said, they... are hiding beside us, even right behind us, but we can't see them."

"This..." Zhu Jie was stunned for a moment, then he braced himself and asked, "How can you be so sure?"

"It's very simple, you guys squat down and take a closer look at these footprints."

Without Jiang Cheng saying anything, Shao Tong spoke first. He squatted on the ground, gesturing with his hand. "Look at these footprints. These footprints are very dense, but at the same time very clear. None of them overlap with our footprints or the hoofprints. What does this mean?"

Zhu Jie immediately understood. "It means these guys are right beside us, moving forward at almost the same speed as us!"

"That's right." Shao Tong took a deep breath, turned to look behind him, and after a long while, he said, "I think we're in big trouble this time."

Now it was certain that the fog was caused by those things. Although they didn't seem to have any intention of attacking them for the time being, it would be hard to say what would happen when it got dark.

The scene fell into silence as everyone was trying to come up with a solution. Soon after, Jiang Cheng's voice rang out, "The situation might not be that bad. I have a method we might be able to try."

Jiang Cheng turned to look at Tang Qisheng. "Ghost walls are effective on people, but what about horses?"

Tang Qisheng was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "You want to use the horses to lead us out?"

Jiang Cheng didn't explain much and immediately chose a roadside where the footprints were relatively sparse, then released his horse.

And they remained still, waiting in place.

The horse was also frightened. After being released, it immediately raised its hooves and, instead of following the road, dashed into the woods on the side.

When the sound of the horse's hooves disappeared completely, Jiang Cheng and the others slowly approached the woods. The fog was densest in the woods, and just approaching it made them feel apprehensive.

Overcoming their apprehension, the group found the hoofprints left by the horse in the woods. And this time, the area around the hoofprints was clean. Those inverted triangular footprints had disappeared.

"It worked!"

The fatty was so excited that he was about to follow the hoofprints and leave, but the next moment he was stopped. "No, this might also be a ghost wall. Everything we see now might be an illusion!"

"Rear team becomes the front team. Release the horses, and everyone holds onto the tail of their own horse. Close your eyes." Jiang Cheng looked at the fatty. "You and I will walk together."

"Remember, don't open your eyes, and don't let go of the horse's tail!"