ID No. 019 - Chapter 18.2

Zhang Yan suddenly brought up a question. “Back then, those who were blessed survived by eating humans. Why are the ones this time turning into monsters?”

“Why…” Ah Wu fainted just when he was about to laugh.

Chen Yang’s tense breathing finally eased.

And why was that? It was because what they’d eaten wasn’t human. There was only one human on the island who was right under their noses.

“You all stay here and keep an eye on him. When the time comes, we’ll enter the altar.” Chen Yang picked up the crutch next to Ah Wu, braced himself, and walked toward the young man. He took a deep breath and said, “Want to sit outside for a while?”

Chao Jian stared at him for a moment before reaching out and taking the crutch from his hand. Then, he turned and cast a cold sneer at the two gazes directed at him from inside the cave.

It was an unrestrained display of malice and contempt.

Both Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan were startled.

Especially Zhao Yuan. Watching everyone’s mental state deteriorate one by one, he realized that Chao Jian’s was the worst.

After the two left, Zhao Yuan shuddered and said, “Hey, I feel like this is the real him. That calm, detached act from before was all fake, wasn’t it? I actually preferred when he ignored me like I was air. I got goosebumps when he glanced over me.”

Zhang Yan didn’t say a word, lost in thought.

Zhao Yuan rubbed his hands together. “You don’t think he’s going to turn into a man-eating flower, do you?”

The joke did not elicit any response from Zhang Yan.

Zhao Yuan noticed how distracted Zhang Yan was and found it odd. “We’re about to go home, but why don’t you seem happy?”

Zhang Yan replied in a flat tone, “Until the very last moment, there’s always the chance for something to go wrong.”

“What could possibly go wrong? I think you’re overthinking it.” Zhao Yuan shrugged, unfazed. He didn’t even worry about his growing craving for fertilizer. There was just over an hour left before they could leave. No way he’d turn into a plant in that time.

Looking at the stone pillar and Ah Wu on the ground, Zhao Yuan let out a complicated sigh. “It’s really unbelievable—change your perspective, and the curse and mutation turn into something good…”

Outside, the mountain forest was lush and green.

Chen Yang sat silently, accompanying Chao Jian. The countdown to their return had begun. The overlapping spatial point in the cave was constantly shifting, and only Chao Jian beside him understood its pattern. Yet, Chao Jian’s control of his emotions was gradually unraveling.

“Tell me about your life at the Ninth Rehabilitation Center.”

The icy voice came out of nowhere. Startled, Chen Yang turned his head in surprise. “There’s nothing much to say about that.”

Chao Jian’s gaze immediately darkened.

The sudden reveal of emotion caught Chen Yang completely off guard. He propped his hands on his head, his fingertips wiping away the cold sweat from his forehead. Then, he began recounting his story from the first day he woke up.

Chen Yang had barely started speaking when Zhao Yuan came running out of the cave. “Chen Yang!”

Before Chen Yang could respond, the young man beside him had already shot Zhao Yuan a cold glare, as if he’d long been displeased with him. The innocent yet frightened Zhao Yuan took a cautious step back. “I just wanted to ask… for the ones who died, is the white card still on them?”

Chen Yang was taken aback. “I didn’t check.”

“Ah, okay.” Zhao Yuan hadn’t thought about it earlier either when they buried Zhou Xiaoxiao and Huang Qing. It only occurred to him after he was looking at his ID number while relaxing.

The two bodies were buried nearby, so he decided to go take a look. At the same time, he could keep an eye on the surroundings and discover any traces they left behind.

Zhao Yuan quickly returned, his steps frantic. He said that Zhou Xiaoxiao and Huang Qing’s bodies were mangled, and that something seemed to have gnawed on them.

Chen Yang frowned. “I didn’t see any carnivorous animals in the forest.”

“I… I didn’t either,” Zhao Yuan stammered, swallowing hard. “But it’s really gory, even for a hardcore horror film lover like myself. And… and Zhou Xiaoxiao and Huang Qing’s blood didn’t look normal. I don’t know if it became like that after they died or if it was already like that before…”

Chen Yang cut him off. “If it were animals, why were there leftovers?”

“I don’t know.” Zhao Yuan wiped the sweat off his face. “Oh, and even though I could barely stand it, I used a stick to search their remains. Neither of them had a white card on them.”

Seeing that Chen Yang didn’t seem inclined to say anything else, Zhao Yuan turned and went back into the cave to find Zhang Yan.

Chen Yang mulled over it. “So the ID numbers are tied to this place. It’s immediately erased once you die.”

The sharp sound of crunching arose in response.

Chao Jian’s brows were scrunched up as he chewed down repeatedly.

In his hands was a strip of milk candies, which he was popping out piece by piece. The first strip was gone in no time, discarded, and he was already working on a second. It seemed like he was trying to use the sound to control himself, but with little success. His hands were trembling slightly.

From what Chen Yang had observed before, Chao Jian usually sucked on the milk candy rather than biting them like this. The jarring noise chilled him to the bones.

Chen Yang rummaged through his backpack and handed over the remaining two strips of milk candies. He made a mental note to buy more when he returned, though he wasn’t sure what the wholesale price would be.

“Why’d you stop talking?” Chao Jian’s eyes locked on him and voiced his displeasure. “You only got to the second day.”

“… Alright, I’ll continue.”

The person sitting next to him hadn’t taken his medication, and his emotions were no longer hidden. Though not concealed as deeply as before, the ones that surfaced was an aura of danger that visibly emanated from him, as well as a touch of tenacity befitting his age.

At 10:30, Zhang Yan stepped out and called, “Five minutes left!”

Chen Yang’s recount of his rehabilitation center days had stopped at the sixteenth day. He spoke till he got dizzy and his mouth foamed. “No time left. Let’s head in,” he said in a hoarse voice.

Chao Jian remained unmoving where he sat, his expression turning chilly and irritated.

Chen Yang found himself easily reading Chao Jian’s mood, something he found both novel and frustrating. He licked his dry, chapped lips. “I know you dislike things that are noisy and annoying, and couldn’t care less if other people lived or died, but we still have to go back, right?”

“Besides, there’s no Wi-Fi here. Aren’t you bored?” Chen Yang added.

After remaining silent for a moment, Chao Jian grabbed his crutches and stood up. He spoke in an indifferent tone. “Don’t forget that meal.”

“Deal. I’ll treat you when we’re back,” Chen Yang replied readily. He had no other demands besides the hope that they could leave this place quickly and without incident.

As they approached the cave entrance, Chao Jian suddenly stopped and tilted his head slightly toward a specific direction. “Something disgusting is coming.”

Chen Yang’s temple throbbed. He had forgotten to ask Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan if they had properly concealed their tracks on the way here.

“Leave it,” Chao Jian said flatly as he walked into the cave. The dull, steady thump of his crutches echoed as he moved at a steady pace.

Chen Yang quickly followed behind him.

More than a dozen monsters suddenly appeared in front of the cave.

Grimy machetes in hand and expressionless faces staring back—it was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan kept retreating deeper into the cave.

“The inside of the cave is only so big. If they throw torches in, there’s no way out. We’ll just burn to death.”

“They won’t burn us. They like blood and cooked flesh doesn’t have any of that.”

“Then what if they just smoke us out?”

Zhang Yan’s face darkened as he turned to Chen Yang. “Is it time yet?”

“Two minutes,” Chen Yang replied. “There are numerous overlapping spaces in this cave. The entry point moves constantly too, with each spot only staying for four seconds. You’ll need to time it right and not pick the wrong spot.”

Chen Yang added, “And one more thing, you two need to act like you can still put up a fight. Make them hesitate. Otherwise, they’ll charge right in.”

Zhang Yan had no choice but to step closer to the cave entrance, his expression tense as he locked eyes with the monsters.

Zhao Yuan, panting heavily, stumbled over Ah Wu, who was lying in a pool of blood. He fell forward, scrambling to his feet in a panic. “Are we taking him with us?”

“We’ve already gotten everything we need out of him. Who cares what happens to him?” Zhang Yan cursed. “F*ck.”

“Aaaah!!” Zhao Yuan followed with a scream. “They’re getting closer! They’re coming! They’re coming!”

Chao Jian had been searching for the overlap point amidst the chaos. His face contorted with fury and he roared, “F*cking move!”

Silence.

“Zhang Yan, take Ah Wu with you, just in case,” Chen Yang said, gripping the young man’s crutch with one hand and holding onto the stone pillar with the other. As he spoke, something caught his eye at the corner of his vision, and he couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Old Madam Qi’s wrinkled face had already appeared at the cave entrance!

By the time he looked again, she was already by the altar.

Next came Zhang Yan, Zhao Yuan, and Ah Wu.

They hadn’t even recovered from their near-death experience when their faces shifted dramatically.

F*ck!

Old Madam Qi had come in too!