Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

dong dong!

Suddenly, a heavy drumbeat reached Chen Ji's ears.

The source of the drumbeats wasn't very close to Chen Ji, but the sound was incredibly loud!

As the drumbeats began, the trees around Chen Ji started to sway and tremble slightly; even the gray clouds in the sky seemed to be shaken apart, revealing the outline of the sun.

Rays of rosy light illuminated the earth.

It also shone on the monster.

His eyes bulged out, bloodshot, and his muscles were exposed, gleaming with a wet, dark red glow.

He crawled toward Chen Ji, his jaw drooping dramatically, and he was still screaming shrilly!

Chen Ji quickly glanced around and found that the place where the monster crawled out was a bottomless cave with an extremely strong smell of blood.

Scattered all around were many white skeletons, which made a cracking sound as they were crushed by the monster's flesh.

He turned and ran away immediately!

A faint smell of the sea filled the air; this must be an island.

Chen Ji raised his head and vaguely saw, deep in the woods, on the treetop, half of a bronze-colored disc was exposed, swaying from side to side. Something dark and twisted into a chain was hanging down beside it, striking the cloth surface of the disc.

Clearly, this is the source of the drumbeats.

Chen Ji didn't have time to go through the domain again. His goal was simple: to find the law enforcement officer and Xu Chuan who were hiding there.

Before he came in, he saw the phantom of chains emerging from the mist. Could it be the chain hanging next to this drum?

Not long after, the drumming stopped.

Everything returned to calm.

Dark clouds gathered again, and the sky darkened. This time, Chen could faintly hear the sound of the waves all around him.

He wasn't sure if the monster was chasing him, but he could smell a faint stench of blood in his nostrils, and he felt a chill run down his spine, sensing a subtle malice directed at him.

The woods were dark, and the only things guiding him were the faint lights ahead and the half-circle.

Suddenly, Chen Ji's eyes flashed. There was a person hanging from a tree in front of him, struggling desperately!

It was Xu Sandao!

Wearing a dirty denim jacket, fuzzy pants, and dark red hair, this was his experience in the domain.

A few seconds later, a flash of cold light appeared in his hand, the rope was cut in an instant, and he fell heavily to the ground.

Only then did he see Chen Ji slowly walking towards him, and he was completely stunned.

"Xu Sandao?"

Chen Ji frowned and asked.

Xu Sandao's expression turned strange for a moment. He moved his lips for a long time before finally asking, "Why is it you? What are you doing here?"

"...It's a long story."

Chen Ji remained silent for two seconds before speaking.

He then asked, "Where are your other companions?"

"All dead."

Xu Sandao's face was pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he glanced at the path Chen Ji had taken when he came over with great apprehension.

“I saw those skeletons,” Chen Ji said.

Xu Sandao nodded silently without saying anything. It was obvious that those were other people who had entered the domain.

"What was that drumming sound just now?" Chen Ji asked.

"A reminder," Xu Sandao said succinctly, "When the drum sounds, the ghost in the cave will kill people."

"The next drumbeat will sound in ten minutes. Enter the village; that's the only safe zone."

After saying that, he led Chen Ji toward the lights, glancing back warily every now and then.

"Is the drum in the village?"

Chen Ji asked, "What's hanging from the drumhead?"

He wanted to know if it was a chain.

Xu Sandao shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Soon, they emerged from the dense forest. The sky was extremely dark, and Chen Ji could vaguely see a huge black outline not far away, like a lollipop, with a long pillar supporting the disc.

But it was too dark, and he still couldn't see what was hanging up there.

The two walked on in silence...

Chen Ji glanced at Xu Sandao's profile and sighed with some complicated feelings.

"what happened?"

Xu Sandao was taken aback.

"It's nothing, it's just that things have changed," Chen Ji said softly. "You probably don't know, but I really thought you were dead."

Xu Sandao frowned, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"what are you saying?"

"It's just a feeling of nostalgia." Chen Ji smiled faintly. "I already told you, you wouldn't know."

In the quiet woods, the two gradually approached the village, chatting idly from time to time.

"Have you ever seen a headless corpse wearing armor?" Chen Ji asked. "Very tall, at least 3 meters."

Xu Sandao thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No. Was it a ghost?"

“Yes,” Chen Ji said, “I have to find him.”

"I just escaped back, I don't know if there are any in the village, I'll go in and ask," Xu Sandao said.

He pursed his lips and asked Chen Ji again, "Is it very important?"

"Ah."

"I understand." Xu Sandao nodded slightly. "I will definitely help you find it."

He patted Chen Ji on the shoulder without saying anything more.

As the two approached the village, Chen Ji finally saw two villagers wearing straw hats by the only path leading into the village.

As soon as they saw Chen Ji, they shouted in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Stop!"

"who are you?"

Xu Sandao immediately went up to explain, and after several rounds of debate, he finally walked back with a gloomy face.

"What? I can't enter the village?" Chen Ji frowned.

"Not at all."

Xu Sandao clicked his tongue: "They're afraid that ghosts will follow people back to the village, so everyone has to show a pass."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of yellow paper: "This is it."

“Everyone has this document before entering the village. It shows our identity. This is mine.”

"Is it that complicated?" Chen Ji hesitated.

He thought for a moment, then prepared to walk towards the two men at the village entrance and directly question the chain and the law enforcement officer.

But just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the village!

Another villager wearing a straw hat shouted in terror:

"The village is haunted!"

Chen Ji was taken aback.

Xu Sandao's expression hardened, and he looked at Chen Ji incredulously.

"They're ghost soldiers!" The villager who had rushed over was chattering. "They're terrifyingly tall, headless, and their armor is covered in blood!"

"Where is he?!" Xu Sandao asked immediately.

"The village, the village chief's house..." the villager said in extreme fear, stammering, "They just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Is it the ghost you mentioned?" Xu Sandao asked solemnly.

“Ghost soldiers…” Chen Ji nodded.

“You have to get into the village.” Xu Sandao was silent for two seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, “How about this, change my name to your own, maybe we can get in together.”

As he spoke, he stuffed the document into Chen Ji's hand.

After changing his name, Chen Ji was finally able to enter the village, but Xu Sandao was stopped outside.

He turned around and saw Xu Sandao standing alone outside the safe zone, his persuasion efforts having failed.

Xu Sandao seemed to notice his gaze, gave him a forced smile, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Go find it quickly!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

He calculated the time; there was less than a minute left before the drums would sound again.

This is what Xu Sandao meant when he said that ghosts would kill people outside the village.