ID No. 019 - Chapter 8.2

After Madam Li died and Li Dafu went mad, Old Madam Qi arranged for the group’s meals to be delivered.

A young man named Ah-Wu, tall and thin with a shy demeanor, delivered their food. Whenever Lin Yue glanced at him, his face would turn as red as a cherry.

So Lin Yue took it upon herself to see him out.

Ah-Wu looked back every few steps, not unlike a shy bride.

Lin Yue gave a charming flick of her long hair, then caught sight of the old tree roots sprouting new shoots. Her face turned pale, and she slammed the door shut.

“He’s too young. We can’t get anything out of him,” Lin Yue said as she returned inside. “He’s just an immature brat who can’t handle any teasing.”

While eating his meal, Chen Yang casually remarked, “He looks good.”

The three others looked at the young man who was cleaning his crutch with his head down. No one suited those words better than him.

Chen Yang and the others hadn’t slept all night. Due to the bright daylight and their full stomachs, sleepiness washed over them like a tide. Chen Yang –the first to succumb– lay down on the floor, followed by Zhao Yuan, Lin Yue and Zhang Yan.

Only the young man remained sitting, resting his head on his hand as he traced the patterns on the wooden table.

Chen Yang, who was sleeping on the inner side, lay motionless in a proper posture.

Due to the curse, Zhao Yuan had been keeping his distance from Chen Yang. But one of his legs draped over Chen Yang when he turned over in his sleep.

A metal crutch stretched over, nudging Zhao Yuan’s leg aside and giving it a tap.

The force was strong enough to wake Zhao Yuan from his slumber. Rubbing his leg, he glanced at the young man sitting at the table before drifting back to sleep.

Chen Yang and the others were awakened by cries and screams from a nearby house. It seemed that someone had been captured, as if torn apart from their loved ones forever.

This scene played out several times throughout the day, enveloping the island in a continuous atmosphere of panic.

At night, the cries became more frequent, both near and far. Old Madam Qi’s facade of treating the sick to calm the situation was gradually unraveling.

Everyone was afraid of death. The sick and the healthy were bound to be pitted against each other, drawing out the darker sides of human nature.

Standing in the courtyard, Chen Yang said, “A lot of people have been cursed in just one day. If this continues, there will be no one left on the island. What do you guys think?”

There was no response.

At some point, Lin Yue began fixating on her phone. Influenced by her, Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan also glanced over from time to time. They were all waiting, like prisoners awaiting a verdict.

Everything else was pushed to the back of their minds. They couldn’t focus on analyzing or searching for clues.

Seeing this, Chen Yang went inside and dragged a chair over to the young man, quietly waiting next to him.

The five of them sat in silence as if no one was there. The night grew deeper, and after an unknown amount of time, Lin Yue’s phone slipped from her fingers and hit the hard-packed dirt floor.

The sound broke the superficial silence.

Zhao Yuan cried out as he clutched his head, and fell back into his chair as if all his strength had been drained. Zhang Yan said nothing. Guessing at something and having it confirmed were two different things. He couldn’t handle the truth even after having mentally prepared himself.

The two days were up and they were still here. They had not gone home.

The verdict was in: death.

Their last glimmer of hope shattered. This truly wasn’t a survival task where they could leave after two days. They had to uncover the root of the curse in order to go back.

In the courtyard, there was a crash as Lin Yue started smashing things, her hands trembling uncontrollably all the while. Yesterday, she nervously said they’d find out when the time was up. Now she knew but couldn’t accept it.

Chen Yang swallowed hard. “Even if we complete the task and return to the real world, we might still be left with psychological trauma. If we don’t recover before continuing with the next task, then our condition will worsen – just like her. If we receive any more blows, we might go mad.

“I haven’t seen her take any medication,” he muttered to himself, then suddenly thought of something. He turned to the man who had his eyes closed and asked, “What medicine are you taking?”

“Calcium supplements,” the man replied calmly.

Chen Yang seemed to believe him and nodded. “Oh yeah, you have a leg injury, so you do need the extra calcium.” He deftly changed the subject. “I initially thought Lin Yue was the most suitable if there was ever a need to cooperate, but it’s too dangerous now. Her mental state is in a precarious state. We better rely on ourselves.”

As Chen Yang spoke, there was a knock at the door.

Then came Zhou Xiaoxiao’s panicked voice: “Zhang Yan, Zhao Yuan, it’s me! Hurry and let me in!

“Hurry up! I’m so scared! Please, let me in!” She began to sob. “Please open the door!”

The expressions on everyone’s faces changed.

“Wasn’t she dead?”