ID No. 019 - Chapter 15.2

Chen Yang immediately felt his hair stand on end and instinctively inched closer to the boy. “So… Ah Wu was lying? Why?”

The pitiful Teacher Zhou, who was already trembling from the cold, now shuddered as he spoke. “Mr- Mr. Chen, when did Ah Wu tell you this?”

“Earlier today,” Chen Yang lied through his teeth, his eyes wide. “Then we got separated.”

Teacher Zhou swallowed hard. “Like me, that kid’s family was gone early on. When Ah Wu was young, the elders liked him very much, so he had everything — food, clothes… Now, all the young girls like him. His personality probably changed after he grew up. He’s become more shy. When did this start? Why would he lie? He’s not a child anymore, yet he’s still playing pranks to scare people…”

Chen Yang watched the man become more incoherent as he rambled, his voice getting quieter and quieter. “Teacher Zhou, have you seen any kind of column-shaped object on the island?”

Teacher Zhou did not respond.

Chen Yang repeated the question. Only then did Teacher Zhou hear him clearly and shake his head, saying that he had never seen such a thing.

“Have you heard of any strange occurrences?” Chen Yang switched to another question.

Teacher Zhou wanted to laugh. What could be stranger than what was happening right now? The people on the island who he once knew—none of them were human anymore.

For a moment, the only sound around the fire was the crackling of the wood, filling the air with smoke.

Chen Yang stood up and stretched, the firelight only reaching a small area. Beyond that, the darkness swallowed everything, and the trees looked almost ghostly. He didn’t linger on the eerie sight, quickly sitting back down and scooted closer to the young man. Even if he was asleep, Chen Yang still felt a sense of security.

Chen Yang leaned closer to the fire. “Teacher Zhou, let’s have a chat.”

Teacher Zhou glanced at the young man’s face, illuminated by the firelight. He was a few years younger than him, his eyes were bright and had an extraordinary mentality. Despite all the terrifying things happening on the island, he was still in the mood for a chat, unlike himself, who was close to losing his sanity.

Chen Yang casually continued, “Mrs. Liu told me before that they couldn’t use some parts of the island. It seems like there’s something they want to hide. She didn’t say more.”

Teacher Zhou clutched at the thin, damp hair on his head and replied, “There is something… in that area. It’s not a big secret, it’s just… nothing grows there. No matter what you plant, nothing will sprout.”

Chen Yang kicked the young man’s foot to make sure he was listening, then continued questioning Teacher Zhou, “What’s the reason for that?”

Teacher Zhou said, “I don’t know.”

Chen Yang fell silent.

Just as disappointment set in, Teacher Zhou added, “But I’ve heard a rumor.”

Chen Yang perked up immediately. “What rumor?”

“It was before I was born. There was a family on the island who wanted to build a house and the husband dug up the land in that area,” Teacher Zhou recalled. “That night, the man had a dream. He saw a group of strangers—men, women, and children—dancing around his house.

“The next morning, he told his wife,” Teacher Zhou continued, his wet clothes sticking to his body as goosebumps rose on his skin. “And his wife said she had the same dream.”

The temperature around them suddenly seemed to plummet.

Chen Yang held his breath. “And then?”

“Not long after, their son had an accident while playing outside. He died in a drainage ditch,” Teacher Zhou said, lost in thought. “People said the land there was cursed. No one dared to dig in that area again. They would make a detour if they had to pass by it. Some wouldn’t even mention it.

“Pretty absurd, honestly,” Teacher Zhou added. “Mr. Chen, just treat it as a joke to pass the time.”

Chen Yang shouted right as Teacher Zhou spoke, “Where is it? Take us there!”

Teacher Zhou froze for several seconds, then said, his tone stiff, “Mr. Chen, I know you came to tour the island looking for something novel, but in times like these, how can you still…”

Chen Yang responded in a polite and amiable manner, “You’ve misunderstood. We want you to lead the way because we want to get out of here quickly.”

Teacher Zhou looked confused. “What does that have to do with it?”

The young man didn’t respond, clearly having something he couldn’t say. Teacher Zhou didn’t press him. “I can take you, but not at night. Although I grew up on the island, I’ve only ever been around the outskirts of the forest. I’ve never been in the forest on the mountain, so I’m not familiar with the area. I can only navigate once it’s daylight.”

“We’ll stay here then,” Chen Yang said. “We shouldn’t let an open fire burn for too long. Teacher Zhou, please put out the fire when your clothes are mostly dry. My brother and I will sleep first.”

“Alright.” Teacher Zhou glanced at the good-natured young man, then looked at the silent, strikingly handsome young man, his pale lips trembling slightly from the saltwater. “Mr. Chen, when you leave the island… could you take me with you?”

Chen Yang’s breath paused for a moment and pretended not to hear. How could he take him? His arrival here was not something he decided and his departure would only take an instant.

The only thing they could do was complete their task as quickly as possible and stop this curse.

Chen Yang fell asleep leaning against the tree, his head tilting to one side, but he was promptly nudged back by the crutch and ended up resting on the young man’s shoulder.

Teacher Zhou saw this scene and couldn’t help but glance at the young man. He hadn’t expected someone with such a cold and distant aura to show any concern. When the young man looked over at him expressionlessly, Teacher Zhou hurriedly closed his eyes.

At the same time, Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan, while fleeing, collided with each other. Neither of them had time to apologize or curse—both were running for their lives, not even sure where they had ended up. They only knew they were in a forest they hadn’t been in before.

They had been walking for a long time!

“Is it… that?” Zhao Yuan said shakily. “We’ve run into a ghost wall.”

Zhang Yan shook his head . “No. I encountered a ghost wall in my last mission. This isn’t it.”

“Then why have we been walking for so long and are still stuck here?” Zhao Yuan asked.

Zhang Yan couldn’t explain it. As soon as he stepped into this area, he felt something was wrong with the forest. It wasn’t a ghost wall; they weren’t circling back to the same spot, but they couldn’t seem to get out. Could this forest really be this vast?

Zhao Yuan now felt he’d rather drink manure water and stay with the monsters at the foot of the mountain than stay here. He quickened his pace, but suddenly felt a force pulling at him from the left.

“Why are you pulling me from behind?” he asked.

“What?”

“I said, stop pulling me,” Zhao Yuan said irritably. “You’re making it hard for me to walk.”

Zhang Yan, with his back to him, turned around. “Aren’t I in front of you?”

Zhao Yuan’s eyes rolled and he was about to pass out, but sobered up at Zhang Yan’s slap.

“No one’s pulling you. Your clothes were just caught on a branch. Look for yourself!” Zhang Yan pointed and snapped.

Zhao Yuan stuttered like a fool. “Branch? A branch?” He quickly glanced behind him, and sure enough, there was a branch. “Damn… It almost scared me to death… Ah!”

Just as he pulled himself together, Zhao Yuan screamed again, “There’s a sound behind us!”

Zhang Yan was truly annoyed. He remembered how the other guy had used him and almost gotten him killed by the monsters, and his tone was as bad as it could get. “Can you shut up for a second? Haven’t you ever heard leaves rustling from the wind?”

“No, no, absolutely not! Trust me this time,” Zhao Yuan said, nearly in tears. “Turn around, look behind you!”

Zhang Yan ignored Zhao Yuan and kept searching for a way out of the forest. He kept hearing Zhao Yuan still going on about something following them and finally turned back to check.

His pupils shrank when he saw it—there was a vague shadow!

“I wasn’t lying, was I? We’re being watched…” Zhao Yuan didn’t finish his sentence before Zhang Yan started walking toward the shadow. Zhao Yuan was horrified, his eyes almost popping out. “Come back! You’re going the wrong way! Get back here!”