Chapter 36: This is Not That

The "black hair" that bound Fat Jun threw him into the air, then rapidly pulled him down, and it looked like he was about to be dragged into the dry well.

With astonishing reaction speed and jumping ability, Wang Zikai leaped up. The muscles in his arms instantly bulged, becoming thick and firm. He locked his arms around Fat Jun's large belly from behind and flew toward the dry well with him.

"Clank!" At the critical moment, Wang Zikai's legs landed on the well's platform, firmly wedging him in place.

"Ahhhh—" Fat Jun screamed in pain. Fortunately, he weighed over 200 pounds, and his body was fat. Otherwise, his bones would have surely shattered under the intense pulling force.

The black hair couldn't drag Fat Jun into the well, so it threw him high up again. Wang Zikai held on tightly, flying alongside Fat Jun into the air.

The black hair swung forcefully.

"Bang!" Fat Jun and Wang Zikai crashed heavily into a nearby house, with wood splinters flying and dust rising.

The black hair still didn't let go of Fat Jun, continuing to spin him around on the ground.

"Bang, bang—bang—" Fat Jun and Wang Zikai were like a giant pendulum, hurled by the black hair through the ancestral hall, smashing doors and windows, breaking beams, and even flying to the second floor, shattering the intricately carved balustrade. In just half a minute, the entire hall was reduced to rubble, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, Wang Zikai, like a tough turtle shell, locked Fat Jun from behind, shielding him from most of the impact and harm. Otherwise, Fat Jun would be either dead or crippled by now.

Gao Yang and Officer Huang were still standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall, holding their handguns high like fools but not pulling the trigger. Even if they had submachine guns, they wouldn't be effective against these black strands of hair. If they had to use a firearm, a flamethrower would be more useful.

The only hope now was Qingling, who knew this and had already drawn her long knife, crouching and waiting for an opportunity. Soon, the chance came. She seized an opening in the black hair's movements, charging, drawing her knife, and slashing.

"Swish—"

The flash of the blade cut through the air, and hundreds of black strands fell away. Fat Jun's hair began to shed rapidly. Just when everyone thought they were saved, more black hair suddenly burst out of the well, attacking Qingling.

Qingling was startled. She swung her knife to cut, but still made a mistake, and a strand of hair wrapped around her wrist. Then, more and more strands of hair wrapped around Qingling, quickly turning her into a "human mummy."

"Bang, bang, bang!" Gao Yang fired his gun, but as he expected, the bullets passed through the black hair as if they were water, causing no harm at all.

The black hair stopped fighting, simultaneously exerting force, dragging both Fat Jun and Qingling toward the well.

Qingling flipped, bent her legs, and forcefully pushed, wedging herself outside the well. Meanwhile, Wang Zikai also still held onto Fat Jun, with his legs wedged outside the well as well.

"Help!" Fat Jun cried out.

Gao Yang and Officer Huang rushed over immediately, grabbing onto Qingling and Wang Zikai.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded: the five people twisted and held each other, forming a distorted "three-headed, six-armed" shape, firmly wedged at the well's edge. Their bodies were entangled with thick black hair, which slowly tightened, inch by inch.

From a distance, this scene looked frozen in time.

In fact, the forces on both sides were reaching a delicate balance.

Gao Yang swore this was the longest and most painful "tug-of-war" he had ever experienced in his life.

Three seconds passed.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed...

As the strength bearer of the five, Wang Zikai gradually couldn't hold on anymore. "Damn, damn... I can't do it, I'm going to let go..."

"Don't! Don't let go!" Fat Jun cried loudly. "I don't want to die..."

"Fatty, sacrifice yourself to save us four. This is worth it. Big Brother will avenge you later..."

"Why me..." Fat Jun shouted. "Why don't you let go of Gao Yang? This is his test; I'm just caught up in it..."

"Shut up, you idiot! Even if I die... I won't abandon my brothers..."

"Boom!"

Before Wang Zikai could finish his sentence, the entire ground at the well's edge collapsed, and the five of them fell deep into the earth.

"Ahhhh—"

In the chaotic shouts, Gao Yang only felt darkness before him.

...

[Life Detection in Progress…]

[Status: Alive]

[Damage Level: Minor]

[Reminder: You have entered an unknown domain, unable to explore, Lucky Point gain increased by 2x.]

[System Shutdown]

[Beep—]

Gao Yang slowly opened his eyes, feeling the bright sunlight and dazzling rays.

He raised his hand to block his eyes, his hands covered in dirt and the smell of moldy moss. He slowly sat up and moved his arms, realizing that there was nothing wrong with his body.

The first person he saw was Qingling. She had taken off her sports jacket and was wearing a sexy black sleeveless top. She was slightly bent forward, biting a bandage with her mouth, and single-handedly wrapping up a wound on her right arm. At a glance, she looked like the heroine from Tomb Raider 9.

"You... alright?" Gao Yang asked.

Qingling slightly raised her head and looked at him: Help.

Gao Yang immediately took the bandage from her mouth and began wrapping her wound.

"What about the others?" Gao Yang asked.

"I don't know, I just woke up too," Qingling replied.

Once he finished bandaging Qingling's arm, Gao Yang's eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. He looked around and was stunned!

This was Gujia Village! They were lying at the village entrance, and it should be around noon. Something felt off... Was he still dreaming?

Gao Yang pinched Qingling's face... It didn't feel like a dream. He never had such a realistic sensation in dreams.

Qingling glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking if I can copy your talent." Gao Yang said nonchalantly, secretly studying Qingling's expression. Sure enough, he got away with it. "Still can't do it, meaning I haven't been unconscious for long, probably not over 12 hours."

He thought for a moment and added, "Shouldn't be in heaven either."

Qingling raised an eyebrow. "Can you go to heaven after you die?"

"Should... probably." Gao Yang wasn't too confident about it.

"Ga ga ga..." A goose call came from behind.

Gao Yang thought he heard wrong but turned around and saw a large white goose.

The goose waddled proudly past him. He was about to say something when a whole group of white geese marched by, making quite a commotion.

"Ga ga ga..."

After a few seconds, the goose army left, and Gao Yang and Qingling were covered in goose feathers.

"Are you two from the city?" asked an old man who approached. He was short and lean, with dark skin, shirtless, wearing a pair of black linen pants, and barefoot with calloused, muddy feet. He held a long bamboo pole in one hand, and a smoking pipe hung from his mouth.

There were people here! What was going on?

Gao Yang was surprised, and Qingling quickly stood up, her movements wary.

"Are you here to mourn?" the old man asked again.

"Uh..." Gao Yang stood up, replying vaguely.

"Go to the ancestral hall. When someone dies in our village, we gather there and sing opera." The old man put down his pipe and pointed to the ancestral hall high on the village's edge, "That one."

Gao Yang looked over and saw that outside the ancestral hall was a dirt square with a temporary shelter, several tables set up for a banquet, and many white flower wreaths at the entrance. The funeral hall should be set up inside the yard, with faint sounds of a troupe singing opera.

"Thanks," Gao Yang said, following the old man's directions.

"Ah, Huazi's family died horribly. Five people, all torn apart in one night... I live next door, but didn't hear a sound. When I woke up, everyone was shocked. Hands and feet were scattered all over the yard, the vegetable shed, the trees, the roof... and Huazi's head was stuck..."

The old man stopped speaking and glanced at a stone tablet at his feet, marked with the character "Gu." There was a dried bloodstain still on it.

"Such sin!" he sighed deeply and went off to herd the geese.

Gao Yang immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned to Qingling, "Did you notice?"

Qingling nodded slightly, "When we came, the stone tablet was broken."

Though he couldn't be completely sure, Gao Yang had formed a preliminary conclusion. "This Gujia Village is not the same one we came from."