"How can that work? You can’t see! No way!"
"Brother Dashan, don’t forget I have ancient martial arts! Here’s the deal, could you carry and run? I’m worried sothing will happen to Ah Mi!"
Dashan nodded, quickly hoisting An Yiqing onto his back before breaking into a sprint.
But before he could run far, he saw Ah Mi standing there motionless, her back facing him.
"Ah Mi, what’s wrong?" Dashan stood behind her and cautiously asked.
Ah Mi didn’t turn around; it was as though she was possessed, frozen in place. Suddenly, An Yiqing, carried on Dashan’s back, caught a faint scent of blood.
"It seems... like the sll of human blood..."
Dashan’s heart clenched with unease, but before he could say a word, the dazed Ah Mi slowly turned around.
In the oppressive darkness of the night, under the dim moonlight, Ah Mi’s face was so pale it evoked deep dread. The terror and despair in her eyes sent a chill down Dashan’s spine.
"Ah Mi, what exactly is going on?"
"B-Brother Dashan... Xiao Yu... the villagers... they—they all seem to be dead...!"
Dashan froze in shock, his grip loosened, and An Yiqing flipped off his back, landing on the ground. Blind, her steps wavered as she stumbled toward Ah Mi.
"What exactly happened? Ah Mi, don’t be afraid! Tell what you saw!"
An Yiqing felt Ah Mi suddenly grab her hand tightly, as if clutching at a lifeline. Her breaths ca in quick, ragged gasps, like a fish flailing out of water.
"X-Xiao Yu! There’s corpses everywhere! Uncle Changqing! Uncle Agong! Aunt Hua! So many, so many! All corpses!"
An Yiqing’s heart dropped; she imdiately shouted sharply, "Brother Dashan! Don’t just stand there! Co look!"
Snapping out of his shock, Dashan rushed over to join Ah Mi and An Yiqing. As his gaze followed the direction Ah Mi was staring, his face turned deathly pale in an instant!
Under the faint moonlight on the familiar little path he’d walked for over twenty years, there sprawled more than a dozen lifeless bodies. Among them were those he knew well: Li Changqing, the doctor who had treated An Yiqing; Uncle Agong, who often begged Ah Mi for fish; Aunt Hua, whose skilled hands had sewn clothes for An Yiqing. So many people, each frozen in death with wide, horrified, furious eyes unwilling to close. Their mouths stained with dried blood, and their garnts stiff with clotted, crusty stains—a pitiful, chilling sight.
"T-this... wh-what on earth..." Dashan’s face contorted in disbelief as he stared at the lifeless forms of those who had lived alongside him for over two decades.
Though An Yiqing’s eyes could not see the grueso scene, the overwhelming stench of blood grew increasingly potent to her senses. Pressing her lips into a taut line, she steeled her resolve and took command.
"Move forward. We need to figure out exactly what’s going on!"
The three of them supported one another, stumbling and pacing slowly toward the center of the village. With every step further, the stench of blood deepened, choking the air. By the ti they reached the village entrance, each footstep fell upon wet, sticky, blood-soaked earth.
"...Dead! All dead! Everyone’s dead!..." Dashan stood transfixed, gazing blankly at the horrifying scene before him, his once-clear eyes now seemingly painted crimson by blood.
Ah Mi’s pale face trembled as she shuffled forward, only to suddenly halt before letting out a piercing cry, "Grandma!—"
An Yiqing felt Ah Mi abruptly release her hand, dashing ahead frantically. Along the way, she stumbled and fell countless tis before finally collapsing to her knees with a loud thud, her anguished wails echoing through the still night.
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