Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared -
Chapter 293: A Rumor
Chapter 293: Chapter 293: A Rumor
The blizzard continued to rage on without any signs of slowing down, forcing everyone to stay in the small cabin, where those who needed rested, and those who were injured tended to their wounds.
Having decided to form an alliance, the group now had to redistribute all the strategic resources, starting with the firearms and ammunition, as well as food and other supplies.
Based on the past performance of Su Hui and Zhuo Hang, it was decided that they were trustworthy. Hence, under everyone’s persuasion, the Deng brothers handed their hunting rifles to Su Hui and Zhuo Hang, allowing them to maximize the use of the weapons.
The next order of business was the ammunition, which was very scarce. The group had seven hunting rifles in total, but not even fifty rounds to share. Regardless, Su Hui and Zhuo Hang each received ten rounds, with the rest of the group left with around five rounds per person.
Deng Wenming protested that without their hunting rifles, they had lost their ability to protect themselves and asked Gu Fan’s group to yield some helmets in return.
Su Hui and Zhuo Hang agreed to this without any hesitation. They handed over the helmets to the Deng brothers in a fair exchange of weapons.
Gu Fan’s helmet was broken, he only had a stun baton left. Su Hui handed him her crossbow, but Gu Fan claimed he didn’t know how to use it. Su Hui rolled her eyes at him, "I didn’t know how to use it when I first got it either. I learned during actual combat. If I could do it, why can’t you?"
Gu Fan grimaced: "Our talents are different!"
"Stop arguing, you’re ruining my mood." Su Hui said. She then looked at the crossbow in Gu Fan’s hands with a regretful expression.
After redistributing the resources, everyone felt bored being trapped in the small cabin as they watched the blizzard outside. The boredom lasted up until late at night when everyone gathered listlessly around the stove.
Unable to tolerate the dullness any longer, Lu Yi suggested: "How about we tell stories to pass the time?"
"That’s a great idea. You go first." As soon as Jie had finished speaking, Lu Yi replied with an apologetic look, "Sorry, but all I know how to tell are scary stories. Are you sure you want to hear them?"
"Shut up! Your doomsaying isn’t helpful." Everyone glared at him scornfully, making Lu Yi scratch his head awkwardly.
Kang Rong voiced her worries: "I wonder when this blizzard will end. Maybe it’s nature’s way of telling us to turn back. We could be walking into a dangerous situation if we continue."
To this, Hu Bo sneered: "The most dangerous things in this forest are the wolves and black bears. We’ve seen both before, so what could be worse? Stop freaking yourself out."
Ouyang Jin didn’t agree: "Not necessarily. I’ve heard some creepy tales about this forest from the villagers. The wildlife isn’t the scariest thing. It’s something unknown and strange that wreaks havoc, especially during blizzards..." Ouyang Jin wanted to continue, but old man Tian shot him a stern look, causing him to immediately fall silent.
Lu Yi, Hu Bo, and others urged on: "Wait, what? What is it? Don’t stop halfway!"
Gu Fan could tell whatever Ouyang Jin was going to say was something terrifying, which was why old man Tian had stopped him. Maybe it was something so fearsome it would give people nightmares.
The supervisor chimed in: "Why should we stop, old man Tian? It’s just a rumor, not real."
"Really? Big brother supervisor knows about the rumor too. Do tell." Their curiosity piqued, everyone yearned to uncover the nature of this rumor.
The supervisor continued: "There’s a tale that many villages used to dwell near the forest, relying on hunting for sustenance. However, one by one, they moved away, distancing themselves from the forest. On the surface, two reasons justified this: reducing reliance on hunting, and fear of wild animal attacks. But there was an actual reason."
With everyone’s ears perked up to listen, even Gu Fan’s, and having drawn the attention of everyone, the supervisor went on: "As the rumor goes, should anyone still be in the forest during a blizzard and fail to return in time, they would hear strange sounds by nighttime. These sounds would cause them to lose consciousness and control, leading to their disappearance."
"Once, two brothers were returning to the village after hunting, only to be caught in a blizzard. It was at night, and they were struggling to make their way. Suddenly, they heard a weird and ethereal tune wafting over, not covered by the blizzard. The younger brother, after listening, froze on the spot. His eyes were vacant and lifeless. He dropped the game he was carrying. He then started walking in the opposite direction, like a puppet under control. No matter how his older brother called or tried to pull him back, he didn’t respond. The younger brother disappeared into the blizzard."
Listening to this, everyone shivered with chills, casting strange looks at the supervisor.
The supervisor had a wronged look on his face: "You guys asked for this. Besides, it’s just a rumor. It could be a tale made up to scare children. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re brave enough to face a wolf pack, so why fear a mere tale?"
Despite the reasonable argument, everyone felt a little afraid. It felt like a sleepless night, dreading the coming of nightmares.
Lu Yi protested. "Although we wanted to hear, you could have chosen not to share it, or you could have told it during the day. Why tell this haunting tale at nighttime and in such a storm? Are you purposely asking for us to have nightmares?"
"I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through. Let’s sleep now." The apologetic supervisor suggested, while old man Tian just sat there with an expressionless face, not even giving them a glance.
They weren’t sure if they could sleep soundly. Hopefully, it was just a rumor. Everyone crawled into their sleeping bags with that thought.
"What if the rumor is true?" Lu Yi’s words caused Jie and Xu Haowen to abruptly climb out of their sleeping bags. They didn’t care about the biting cold as they rushed to cover Lu Yi’s mouth: "You should keep quiet! Stop with your meteorological prophecy!"
"Alright, let’s get some rest now. Stop fussing." Su Hui’s words calmed everyone down, and Lu Yi immediately shut his mouth.
Gu Fan laughed then sat staring at the ceiling for a while before he closed his eyes. He listened to the howling wind outside, which seemed to grow fiercer, inciting fear that the cabin might not hold up.
Gradually, Gu Fan drifted into sleep. Amidst his drowsiness, he could hear a strange sound mixed within the howling wind. It was melodious, somewhat like the hum of a woman, and somewhat like...
As night deepened, everyone, one by one, entered the realm of dreams. Gu Fan was sleeping soundly when suddenly, he heard a voice: "Brother, brother, where are you going? Where are you going?"
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