NIP #588 - Late night thinking
#588 - Late night thinking
"...No way?" Tang Yin said, feigning surprise, his voice laced with deliberate exaggeration. He glanced at the people around him, but no one seemed to notice his subtle performance. The thick fog was spreading at an alarming rate, enveloping the entire plaza in a haze.
Little Mie let out a panicked cry, "Mie--!" Her voice was filled with obvious fear.
"--Everyone, fog!" Wang Lina's sharp voice cut through the silent air, echoing above Foggy Village. Her voice was full of tension and anxiety, adding to the already eerie atmosphere.
Zhao Gang reacted immediately, his rough voice carrying an undeniable command, "--Granny Rong, you go back first! Gao Zhijie, what about you!?" His eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to confirm everyone's position in the thickening fog.
"Don't treat me like an old man!" Gao Zhijie retorted, his weathered face full of stubbornness.
Just then, a heart-wrenching scream rang out, "No, ahhhh! No, don't fog--!!" Gao Mei's voice was filled with despair, her figure appearing especially blurry in the fog.
"Wang Lina!! Quickly take the children back to the dormitory!!" Gao Zhijie's voice cut through the thick fog, carrying an undeniable command.
"Um, um! Tang Yin..." Wang Lina was about to say something, but was interrupted by Hua Lu.
"Leave it to me." Hua Lu's voice was surprisingly calm, exceptionally clear in this chaos.
Wang Lina hesitated for a moment, "...Okay, I'm counting on you! Tang Yin, this is the thick fog of Foggy Village, you'll definitely think this sounds stupid, but, no matter what, you have to abide by the rules here." Her words carried a hint of entreaty.
Tang Yin nodded, "...Yes, I understand." His voice was low and steady, completely different from his previous affectation.
"Oh, is this the legendary thick fog...? I didn't expect to actually encounter it, how lucky." Xia Hui's voice actually contained a hint of excitement, as if she didn't realize the danger at all.
Zhou Zhengxiong raised his camera, "Will it damage the equipment?" His tone carried the concern unique to professional photographers.
"That! Now is not the time to talk about this! It's good that you have rooms, hurry back to your rooms!" Chen Xiang shouted anxiously, her voice sounding somewhat distorted in the fog.
"--Xia Hui, come with me! Photographer..." Wang Lina hadn't finished speaking when Zhao Gang interrupted her.
"I'll do it! It's the activity room, right! Uncle, hurry up and follow me! Be careful not to fall!!" Zhao Gang's voice was urgent.
"There's no need to be so hasty, right?" Zhou Zhengxiong didn't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation, slowly packing up his equipment.
In the increasingly thick fog, a hunched figure swayed, it was the village's respected Grandpa Wolf. His voice was erratic, "Coming, coming, the wolf is coming..." The old man's words were like some ominous prophecy, disappearing into the depths of the fog along with his figure.
Tang Yin watched all of this in silence, but was calculating something in his heart.
"Little Mie, Mr. Tang Yin." Hua Lu's voice broke the brief silence. Her eyes showed a hint of worry, "My ominous premonition, I'm afraid it has come true."
"After the fog rises, you must stay indoors alone, right?" Tang Yin asked softly, his eyes thoughtfully looking into the distance.
Hua Lu's voice was exceptionally clear in the fog, "Ablutions, taboos, dream pillows, banquet preparations, you must abide by these three rules." Her words were like some ancient spell, echoing in this eerie fog. The thick fog seemed to have a life of its own, silently devouring the entire Foggy Village, burying all the secrets in this white world.
"Wash your body, stay indoors alone, sleep...?" Little Mie repeated these rules in her childish voice, her big black grape-like eyes flashing with confusion and unease. Her slender figure looked especially small in the thick fog, as if she could be swallowed by this eerie white at any moment.
Hua Lu gently patted Little Mie's shoulder, her slender fingers appearing faintly in the fog, "That's right, let's wait until tomorrow to eat." Her voice was gentle but carried an undeniable firmness.
Little Mie lowered her head, her fine bangs covering her eyes, "...Yes... I understand..." Her voice carried a hint of helplessness and fear.
Hua Lu was silent for a moment, a complex look flashing in her deep eyes. When she spoke again, her voice became unusually heavy, "As long as you follow the rules, no one will die today."
"What do you mean?" Tang Yin asked, frowning, his angular face full of inquiry. In this white fog, his eyes looked especially sharp.
Hua Lu's voice echoed in the fog, "Today is the banquet preparation, tomorrow is the formal banquet. If you don't prepare properly, you will be punished by the Thousand Bright Gods." Her words carried an ancient sense of mystery, as if she was telling some unknown curse.
"Okay, let's go quickly." Tang Yin's tone suddenly became urgent, as if he realized that some danger was approaching.
Hua Lu gracefully bent down and picked up Little Mie. She took a step back in the thick fog, and in just this short distance, her delicate features had become blurred, and only her solemn eyes could be vaguely seen. "Please be sure to prepare well." Her voice was full of deep concern.
"Tomorrow, I hope I can see you again." Hua Lu's words carried a hint of choking, as if predicting some ominous future.
"--I will definitely abide by the rules!" Tang Yin suddenly shouted loudly as Hua Lu's figure was about to be completely swallowed by the thick fog. His voice was full of determination, as if trying to dispel the worry in her heart.
Looking at Hua Lu's worried face, Tang Yin felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Her kindness was so sincere, and her tearful expression was even more heartbreaking. She must think that he would disregard these warnings, and the next day he would become a disfigured corpse.
Tang Yin wanted to tell her that he fully understood the seriousness of the situation, and understood their inner fear and despair. More importantly, he came here to help them. He wanted to respond to her concern in this way, but the words came to his lips and he swallowed them back.
Then, Tang Yin turned and walked down the hillside, towards his own cottage. The thick fog rolled under his feet, enveloping the entire world in an eerie white. His footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in this silence.
Unlock, enter, lock. The sound of metal clashing echoed in the silent room. Tang Yin leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief. Compared to last time, this time he felt much safer. A lockable door, a space that could isolate the thick fog, and a bed to lie down and rest on. Compared to the last experience, the current development could be described as smooth.
The light in the room was warm and bright, proving that there was still electricity here. Tang Yin recalled that there was also electricity in the dormitory last time, but the power lines and telephone lines in the cafeteria had been cut off artificially. Surrounded by thick fog and cut off from communication, Foggy Village had perfectly become a closed stage. And Tang Yin was a willing actor stepping into this dangerous performance.
He walked to the corner and took out a box of yellow-packaged nutritional food from the old canvas backpack. Although he felt a little guilty for enjoying the food alone, he had to maintain his strength. Because he knew that what was about to be staged tomorrow would be a bloody slaughterhouse. The fog outside the window seemed to be silently mocking his preparations, but Tang Yin's eyes were still firm, like a beam of light in the night.
...
The wrapper of the nutritional food made a slight rustling sound in the dim light, and Tang Yin mechanically put the food into his mouth. The taste in his mouth was bland, but it didn't matter, he just needed to replenish his strength. After quickly finishing this simple dinner, he stood up and walked to the bucket of water in the corner. The water in the bucket rippled slightly, reflecting the dim yellow light from the ceiling. He wet a towel and began to simply wipe his body, the icy touch making his nerves slightly clearer.
The door was locked, and the metal lock clicked reassuringly. Tang Yin looked around this small but safe haven, thinking that all he needed to do next was spread out the quilt and sleep. However, when he lay on the bed, he found that he couldn't sleep at all. Countless things to think about swirled in his mind, like a tangled mess that was difficult to sort out.
First of all, his actions had changed the course of events. Through that carefully woven tragic story, he had successfully integrated into the closed society of Foggy Village. Not only that, but he also saved two reporters who had recklessly barged in here. Was this development a blessing or a curse? Tang Yin felt that he couldn't say for sure, but one thing was certain, the current situation was completely different from last time. This realization made his heart beat a little faster.
Secondly, in this village shrouded in strange mist, at least one person had experienced the legendary Yellow Spring Feast of Taboos. This discovery was completely within his expectations. Not only were those old people with wrinkled faces and deep eyes suspicious, but even the seemingly rough Zhao Gang seemed particularly suspicious. Tomorrow, he should be able to find a suitable opportunity to naturally inquire about the detailed situation when the fog rose last time. In addition to these strange customs and superstitious legends, the long history of Foggy Village may also hide important clues.
Then... Tang Yin's thoughts unconsciously drifted to Hua Lu. That woman was even more special than he had expected. She always fell inexplicably, and would become nervous whenever someone called her name. Although she had these strange little quirks, it had to be said that she had a unique charm. It was like walking into a high-end restaurant with trepidation, but unexpectedly finding that the prices were affordable and the dishes were delicious, giving people a surprise.
However... Tang Yin turned over and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Objectively speaking, Hua Lu seemed to have a good impression of him. This made him a little confused, was it just because of the dramatic hero saving the beauty scene when they first met? Being liked should have been a pleasant thing, but this unexpected stroke of luck made him feel wary instead. This was probably the instinctive resistance to unexpected joy in human nature.
In short, this was a wonderful fate that was completely beyond his expectations. But... after all of this came to light, how should he face her? Tang Yin closed his eyes, but all that appeared in the darkness were Hua Lu's melancholy and deep eyes. The fog outside the window seemed to be silently telling something, and his heart, like this fog, was full of incomprehensible confusion. The old clock on the bedside table ticked, as if silently calculating how much time was left until tomorrow's banquet.
If he were to continue acting here, pretending to settle down in Foggy Village, he would probably offend a lot of people. After thinking about it, he would eventually leave this village shrouded in mist. At that time, how should these complex interpersonal relationships be resolved? He gently rubbed his temples with his fingers, trying to sort out his thoughts. Hua Lu would most likely choose to stay here, right? But what about Wang Lina? What would she choose? Tang Yin couldn't help but smile wryly, had he reached the age where he would make such wishful thinking?
To be honest, Wang Lina's affection for him this time did make him feel a little elated. Maybe because of the failure last time, this time he had a special obsession with saving her. It was like compensating for past regrets, and like completing an unfinished wish.
However, thinking about it from another perspective, the current Wang Lina was no longer the person he remembered. She was not the comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him, who had lived and died with him, and who he had personally witnessed leaving at the last moment. Tang Yin sighed deeply, a burst of bitterness rising in his heart. He realized that his feelings for her had nothing to do with the current Wang Lina. To yearn for some kind of memory resonance with her at this moment was just a futile fantasy.
"Don't think about it..." Tang Yin whispered to himself, trying to interrupt these pointless and empty thoughts. He sat up from the bed and decided to reorganize the important information he had. The bedside lamp emitted a dim yellow light, casting swaying shadows on the wall. His eyes became sharp, as if he wanted to penetrate this mist-like mystery.
First of all, the distribution of the protectors last time. Zhao Gang was the snake's protector, this had been confirmed. Tong Xiaoliang and Little Mie were the monkey's protectors, while Qin Ming and Granny Rong were the wolf's protectors. Tang Yin's fingers drew something in the air, as if constructing an invisible network of relationships. These were all protectors whose identities could be confirmed, but the identities of the remaining protectors had become an unsolvable mystery.
Logically speaking, the spider should be the one protecting the snake. But Zhao Gang was killed on the second day, which meant that the spider was likely to have died on the first day. Tang Yin frowned slightly, thinking about this possibility. In other words, the spider's protector was either Gao Zhijie or Qin Yi. Combining various signs, he was more inclined to believe it was Gao Zhijie.
Finally, there was the crow... Tang Yin rubbed his aching temples. He had no clue about the identity of this protector. In the last banquet, only one person was executed according to the usual procedure, but abnormal deaths outside the rules occurred frequently. This meant that the crow had no chance to exert its protective power at all. More importantly, whether the crow's ability to identify the identity of the corpse was also applicable to people who died abnormally was still an unsolved mystery.