Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 715: Don’t Look Back on a Night Journey

Chapter 715: Chapter 715: Don’t Look Back on a Night Journey

"My grandfather dropped out of school when he was young because of poor family circumstances, always relying on odd jobs to make ends meet," she said.

"One day, as Grandfather returned from carrying goods to a neighboring village, darkness had already fallen. The mountain paths were serpentine and deserted, frightfully urging him to quicken his pace. But the load on his back was heavy, slowing him down."

"While passing a curve by the mountain, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, as though something had been following him all the way."

"There’s a saying in my grandfather’s hometown: one must not look around or turn back while walking at night. So, Grandfather never dared to look back, only bearing his heavy load and marching forward."

"But the faster he walked, the quicker the footsteps behind him seemed to follow. The night was silent except for the rustling tree leaves, his heartbeat thundering, his back drenched in cold sweat. Just as the footsteps drew closer and closer, he saw a fork in the path and, gathering his strength, he ran towards the branch leading to the village."

"He thought the path he chose would be closer to where people were, convinced that whatever followed him wouldn’t dare to continue, but to his surprise, the footsteps did follow him, not only that, but someone tapped him on the shoulder!"

"At that moment, a chill shot down from his shoulder to his legs, his head buzzing, frozen in place. However, the person behind him spoke up, ’Young man, I’m a little scared walking alone at night, let’s go together.’"

"Grandfather heard the voice and turned back to see a middle-aged man dressed like a local, his legs trembling as he accepted a cigarette from him, and they continued on their way, chatting as they walked."

"Along the way, Grandfather took a few sips from the flask of liquor offered by the middle-aged man, feeling warmth and vigor spreading through him, and they chatted as they strode on."

"It wasn’t long before the middle-aged man suggested taking a break. Grandfather thought nothing of it and agreed. Sitting with their little drink, smoking cigarettes, they laughed heartily."

"But after one cigarette followed another without any indication from the man of resuming their journey, Grandfather, anxious to get home, said, ’I need to get back home now. We can talk more another day.’

"Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man’s expression turned dark at those words, and he slapped Grandfather’s chest, exclaiming, ’Who said anything about talking another day?’"

"A wave of dizziness from the liquor washed over Grandfather, and by the time he regained his senses, the middle-aged man was gone. And the spot he found himself in was a graveyard, its undulating forms dark and foreboding; the very object he had leaned against while chatting with the man turned out to be a tombstone!"

"In terror, Grandfather bolted, only realizing once he had left the graveyard that he had never actually reached the fork in the road. He no longer dared to continue his journey, so he went to a nearby mountain hunter’s self-built home."

"He lived in a remote mountain area where many people hunted. The self-constructed homes were rudimentary but equipped with beds and blankets. Planning to hide there for the night and travel by day, Grandfather lay down, but soon after, a ’click-clack’ of footsteps sounded outside the house, stopping and starting, as if circling the dwelling."

"Sweat soaked through Grandfather’s clothes again and again, but youthful vigor turned fear into anger, and, brandishing a stool, he rushed out, ready for a life-and-death struggle."

"The ’click-clack’ continued, but the bamboo grove was empty. After a fruitless search, Grandfather realized the noise came from dried bamboo shoot husks still hanging on the bamboo, which rattled in the wind. Not only were they on the bamboo, but it seemed some careless person had also hung two husks on the back of his carrying basket."

"Relieved, he returned to sleep, but the night’s events had taken their toll, and he couldn’t rest. At the break of dawn, he hurriedly shouldered his goods and headed home."

"Passing by the riverbank, Grandfather heard footsteps again and, irritated, was about to curse the person who had hung the bamboo husks on his basket. But then he remembered that he had already removed and discarded them the previous night. Moreover, someone had recently drowned in this river. His skin crawled, and without looking back, he dropped his basket and ran home."

"When he arrived home, he found a bruised handprint on his chest and fell ill for several days. Once he recovered, he didn’t delve into the events of that night, resolving never to walk at night again."

"As for who hung the bamboo shoot husk and who the middle-aged man was, or what the footsteps following him by the river were, that remains unknown."

Xu Ruosi paused at this point, took a slight breath, and then said, "My story is finished."

The room fell silent, the candlelight on the wax figure flickered, and after a moment, Jie Ling took a deep breath, "Is the story you told real?"

Xu Ruosi glanced at her, "What do you think?"

Jie Ling rubbed her arms where goosebumps had sprouted, "That’s really terrifying... Such a scary story should meet the game’s requirements, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the room began to rise, and Xu Ruosi straightened her clothes and stood up.

"Remember to wait for us outside if you get the clue," Jie Ling reminded her uneasily, "It’s safer to walk together."

Xu Ruosi did not respond to her, and when the room stopped, she stepped toward the door.

Those seated at the table paid attention but nobody took the opportunity to follow her out.

"I wonder what clue she will get..." Jie Ling murmured.

Xu Huo glanced at the ventilation duct in the room and spoke up as the room began to sink, "Who’s going to go second?"

"Me, me!" Long Aotian eagerly said, "I have a ghost story from a friend, it’s really scary!"

The other three did not compete, and when the room steadied, he began.

"My friend’s hometown has a salt drying field. Usually, there are quite a few people working there, but during the holidays, the workers all leave, and the boss has to hire someone to keep watch. They pay for one full night’s watch."

"However, the salt drying field is located quite far from where people live, there are hardly any people around, and it’s said that some bad incidents happened there in the past, so adults are reluctant to go. The boss usually finds some gutsy youths through middlemen, kids who are brave and haven’t heard the old stories about the place."

"One day, when the salt drying field was closed for the holiday, a middleman approached my friend’s cousin, paid him, and asked him to keep watch. The cousin agreed without a second thought."

"The watch is generally done at night, so he went to the salt drying field after having his evening meal."

"Unexpectedly, as night fell, his grandmother came, saying she had consulted a fortune-teller for him, which revealed he would face a calamity that night, and it was best not to leave the house."

"But since he was already gone, his grandmother, being elderly and without other able-bodied people at home, had to find someone from another house to accompany her. After much trouble, she found a distant relative to go along, but by then it was very late. By this time, my friend’s cousin could already see the salt drying field."

"He was walking on a path up a hillside, standing high and looking far, and before even going down, he surprisingly saw that the salt drying field was full of people, shoving and turning over, with continual shouting, bustling with activity!"