Chapter 5: Searching (Part 2)_1

Luckily, East Suburb Park was filled with many secluded paths and towering trees. Chen Yang distanced himself from the crowd and stepped onto one of the small paths, enjoying the cool breeze of the summer night.

"Um, are you looking for something?"

Puzzled, Chen Yang touched the back of his head and asked with fear in his heart.

"Shut up, just walk slowly along this path."

Right Hand suddenly extended several meters, once again adopting its strange, unrecognizable shape, appearing terrifying in the quiet darkness.

While Chen Yang had almost gotten used to the appearance of Right Hand, he couldn't help feeling nervous now. This was an outdoor area and if someone saw it, they would surely be scared out of their wits and claim they saw a ghost.

Chen Yang looked around fearfully, afraid of someone suddenly barging in.

Fortunately, aside from the rustling leaves and the occasional chirp of the cicadas, there was no one else on this small path.

After walking more than a hundred meters along the path, Right Hand vibrated, giving the order: "Go down, closer to the lake."

The lake?

Chen Yang stopped and looked down. A dozen meters below the steep slope, the sparkling lake reflected the bright moonlight.

Why was he being told to approach the lake?

Was it inviting me to enjoy the scenic view?

Chen Yang shivered and was punished by Right Hand.

As he slowly squatted and slid down the slope to stand at its bottom, he noticed several willow trees. During the day, one could find reprieve under these trees, enjoying the cool breeze from the lake – quite delightful, really. Unfortunately, since the place was underdeveloped and lacked facilities, there were no seats and one would have to deal with the pesky mosquitoes among all the wild grass. This made it unlikely for anyone to come down here to cool off.

Additionally, there was a clearly visible warning sign at the foot of the slope, indicating 'No Swimming!'

"Alright, jump in."

As Chen Yang squatted and began dusting off the grass and soil on his pants, Right Hand abruptly said this, startling him.

"Jump, jump in? Where to?"

Chen Yang looked around, not seeing any place suitable for jumping.

"Nonsense, jump into the lake, of course."

"Into the lake?"

Chen Yang was taken aback by Right Hand's words. Leaving aside how deep and dark the lake water was, it simply looked hair-raisingly eerie in the dim moonlight. Who in their right mind would jump into it? It seemed like something only someone with a death wish would do.

Chen Yang was resolved to protest, even issue a diplomatic objection, because this damned extraterrestrial apparently didn't realize that jumping into the lake for someone who didn't know how to swim equated to seeking death!

But before he could voice his protests, Right Hand, seemingly out of patience, directly took control of Chen's body - making him as stiff as a corpse. "Splash!", he fell into the lake face-first.

"Damn!"

The cold water soaked Chen Yang's clothes almost instantly. Before losing consciousness, he managed to swear out loud.

The moonlight somehow seemed brighter now. The ripple that was caused by his entrance quickly subsided and the park's lake once again became calm and tranquil, just as it always was...

Not far from where Chen Yang had jumped into the lake, on the opposite bank, at the foot of a slope under a willow tree, two young men, both visibly anxious and sweating profusely, were facing one of the most difficult choices of their lives.

"Brother Liu, are we really going through with it?"

A comparatively frail young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to look at "Brother Liu".

Standing at 1.85m, Brother Liu was considered tall by any standard. Unfortunately, his decisiveness didn't quite match his stature. Obviously already uncomfortable with his own actions, he was still hesitating.

Upon hearing his companion's question, Brother Liu gritted his teeth and muttered, "Of course we're doing it! Dammit, Monkey, are you getting cold feet?"

Monkey looked visibly dejected. "Brother Liu, I think we should reconsider. After all, if we get caught, we could go to prison for over ten years."

"Coward!"

Brother Liu seized Monkey's collar and scolded, "We've already captured someone. Do you think we can just let him go now?"

"No..."

Monkey scratched the back of his head, "Can't we just get out of here? She didn't see us after all."

"Besides, Brother Liu, even if we were to go ahead with it, this woman is also quite unattractive, isn't she?"

Monkey glanced at the woman who had fainted in the pile of weeds. By the light of the moon, he could still make out that her appearance was a bit....

Monkey thought deeper, in the event that they were arrested for such an act, brought before the law, put on trial, public opinion watching from their televisions, would immediately judge them. Their faces would still project an air of "wickedness" even if they were pixelated. What low lives they were to behave so recklessly! He could already feel the disdain from the public.

Just thinking about it, it was very humiliating!

"Ahem ahem..."

Brother Liu coughed awkwardly, and then in an outburst of anger, smacked Monkey on the head, "You've got some nerve! I told you to make a move, but I didn't tell you to choose this kind of woman! Are your eyes located on your ass?"

Can I even be blamed for this? Shouldn't the blame be placed on both of us for having our sights set so low?

Monkey was indignant, but he didn't dare vocalize his thoughts. He continued to complain in silence.

"Enough. Regardless, she may not be up to standard, but she is of a different gender to us. Be content, I'll let you go first today."

Brother Liu pushed Monkey a little.

Monkey tried his best not to look at the woman's face. However, as he started to walk away, he couldn't help but think about turning back. Suddenly, there was a splash at the edge of the lake.

"Uh, what's going on?"

One cannot ignore the rustling by the lake. Brother Liu frowned at the deep lake, mumbling, "Strange, when did this lake ever have such big fish?"

The sound was indeed like that of a large fish flipping and rolling.

Suddenly, Monkey began to feel anxious, he stuttered, "B-Brother Liu, something's not right?"

"What's not right?"

Brother Liu turned his head and said in a low voice, "Why are you trembling? Are you possessed?"

"No, Brother Liu, have you ever heard about the ghost haunting in East Suburb Park?"

"Haunted...?"

Brother Liu's face changed slightly, then he sneered, "Haunted? You believe in those ghost stories? If there were ghosts in this world, I'd like to see one. I would like to see what a ghost looks like."

Having said that, Brother Liu noticed Monkey's face going pale, his pupils dilated, his body stiffened, and a cold sweat broke out on his cheek, as if he had seen a ghost himself.

A ghost?

Brother Liu felt a chill in his heart, he forced a steady face and said, "Monkey, don't try to scare me with that expression, otherwise, I'll be pissed."

Monkey stood there in a trance, his eyes wide in terror, staring at something behind Brother Liu in absolute silence.

Unable to maintain his composure anymore, or to put it better, hardly anyone could ignore and not turn their heads under Monkey's startled performance.

In the next moment, Brother Liu swung back abruptly, he wanted to see clearly what the heck was happening.

Nothing eerie or the fabled ghost crept into sight, instead, a hand emerged from the lake!

A hand was a common sight; everyone, whether their hands are delicate and white or rough and black, has hands. However, a hand would not typically frighten people unless it appeared under such circumstances—

In the dead silence of the night, near the lake, a pale hand emerged from the depth of the dark lake below, suggesting an eerie abnormality. It was unnatural. No, not unnatural, it was sinister!

A chill erupted from the depths of Brother Liu's heart, spreading throughout his body almost instantaneously. His mouth slightly agape, he tried to say something, but discovered that for some reason, he couldn't make a sound.

He had always considered himself brave, and though he hadn't really committed any serious crimes, Brother Liu thought he had seen a lot, including bloody fights. He reckoned he wouldn't encounter anything truly frightening in his lifetime. But at this moment, he realized he was mistaken. He wasn't fearless; he just hadn't encountered something truly terrifying.

Perhaps, fear is not the right word; he was blank. His mind was empty, because of an overwhelming fear, a straightforward way to put it, he was scared out of his wits.

The pale, wet hand slowly extended, grabbing the grass on the shore. Amidst the splash of the water, a drenched head slowly emerged from the lake.