Chapter 34: The Malevolent Spirit of the Snow Mountain 04

Chapter 34: The Malevolent Spirit of the Snow Mountain 04

Chen Mo and Xiao A walked silently.

Chen Mo, during his university years, was quite reserved. True to his name which means 'silence', he barely spoke a few words to guys and hardly dared to say a word to girls. Short and plain-looking, his face was marred by acne.

The only one who was somewhat nice to him was Xiao Hui.

Lost in thought, Chen Mo looked up at the back of Xiao A walking ahead. Her silhouette resembled Xiao Hui's, but she wasn't as pretty.

"Hey, you there! What's your name?" Xiao A called out from a distance.

Chen Mo replied, "Chen Mo."

"Alright. There's no path ahead. Let's head back," Xiao A said.

In front of Xiao A was a dead-end, nothing but a vast expanse of snow.

Chen Mo nodded, thinking this girl was braver than him. As Xiao A turned around, she was behind Chen Mo.

Suddenly she remarked, "Chen Mo, why are your pants so dirty?"

"Huh?" Chen Mo tried to look back. "Where?"

Xiao A laughed, "On your backside, all muddy. Where did you get that from? It's so dirty."

Chen Mo didn't recall when he got it dirty, feeling somewhat embarrassed. It might have been from the cemetery yesterday when he saw Xiao Hui's photo and nearly fell to the ground in shock.

Perhaps because of this little interaction, the young man and woman quickly warmed up to each other. Chatting, they discovered they were both university students and discussed how long they'd been in JC, and the copies they'd played.

"This direction probably doesn't lead to Yingjun. Let's try that way," Xiao A suggested, pointing to another path.

Chen Mo recognized it as the direction he went with Pei Yi the day before, to the highest ski point and the cemetery. Reflexively, he felt apprehensive, but he couldn't show fear in front of a girl. "Do you want to check it out?"

Xiao A replied, "Sure, I'm quite curious about that cemetery."

"Okay, okay," Chen Mo readily agreed, playing the role of a chivalrous guardian.

Upon arrival, Chen Mo was surprised to see a snowman in the middle of the path, "Why is there a snowman here? It wasn't here yesterday."

"Really?" Xiao A curiously leaned in to look, poking it with a stick, "Let me tell you a story, but don't be scared."

Chen Mo thought silently, knowing he would be scared, but still said, "Go ahead, tell me."

"There was once a couple who had a fight. The guy killed his girlfriend and hid her dismembered body inside a snowman. The police couldn't find her during the investigation, until the snow melted and revealed the corpse."

Chen Mo: "..." Is this really the right time to tell such a story?

After Xiao A finished her story, she walked ahead nonchalantly. Chen Mo glanced at the snowman again, swallowing hard. Whether it was a trick of the light or something else, the white snow seemed to have an eerie red hue. Blinking, he saw it was indeed red.

Could there be a body hidden in this snowman too? Chen Mo thought about calling Xiao A, but didn't want to overreact. He decided to tell Pei Yi when they got back.

"Wow, the view from here is amazing!" Xiao A exclaimed from the highest point of the ski slope. "Chen Mo, come and see this."

Chen Mo joined her, feeling dizzy from the height and the intense light that dazzled his eyes. Everywhere he looked, there was a disturbing red. Covering his eyes, he said, "Xiao A, let's go back."

"Huh?"

"Let's head back."

"I don't want to go back yet," Xiao A protested. "It's still early, why return now?"

Chen Mo felt increasingly irritated, finding the woman annoying. Seeing her standing at the edge, it seemed she could be pushed off easily. From this height, a fall could be fatal. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a scream and saw Xiao A falling down the steep slope, disappearing from sight. He tried to grab her but it was too late, and he nearly slid down himself.

"Xiao A!" He cried out, but it was of no use; she had vanished after tumbling down the high cliff.

"..." How could this happen?

Chen Mo shook his head, the snow was too bright, causing severe glare. Maybe he was anemic? What should he do? He had pushed her down. How could he explain this to the others? Maybe it's better not to say anything... Yes, because he might end up like Ying Jun, locked out.

He calmed himself, glanced around to see if anyone was there, and then sneakily started walking back.

However, this scene was witnessed by Dr. Feng and his wife.

"Old Feng! This kid! He!" Mrs. Wu couldn't believe her eyes. They had just arrived at the scene when they heard a scream, and saw the young girl being pushed down by Chen Mo from such a height!

"Hmm," Dr. Feng said, "Let's not make a fuss about this."

"Why not? Old Feng, he's a murderer!"

"Murderer? It's just a game. My dear, we've survived until now by not meddling in others' affairs. That Pei Yi seems formidable, and Chen Mo is his companion. Let's not provoke them."

"Alright, whatever you say."

Thus, the murder was buried amidst the white snow.

Compared to this tragedy, Zhou You's side was much livelier. He and Xiao B were getting along famously, with Zhou You even daring to hold the beauty's hand. Xiao B shyly accepted.

Once hands were held, things progressed easily. Zhou You occasionally made flirtatious jokes, like asking if she would be cold while sleeping and other risqué humor. If the other person was receptive, the conversation would continue; otherwise, it would end there. Gradually, their relationship became more intimate.

In a secluded corner, shielded by the dim shadows of tree branches, the two shared a kiss. If it weren't for Xiao B's modesty, Zhou You would have definitely taken things further right there. After their kiss, they walked back hand in hand.

Changing the scene back to Pei Yi. When he turned around, he realized Xiao C was gone. People don't just disappear into thin air. Pei Yi immediately circled the area a few times, but found no one. Could she be using the restroom? Thinking this, he headed towards the only public toilet.

The public toilet was nestled under the trees. "Xiao C," Pei Yi called out, but received no response.

It might have been in the women's restroom. Since it was daytime, Pei Yi couldn't enter, so he threw a stone inside, but no one came out. He felt something was off – either no one was in the restroom, or something had already happened.

Just then, Doctor Feng and his wife approached.

"Aunt Wu, Little C is missing. We don't know where she went. Could you check the restroom?"

Aunt Wu nodded, holding back from mentioning what had just happened. She entered the women's restroom, first encountering a large mirror. The restroom was pitch black, oddly dark despite the bright daylight outside, devoid of any light.

There were two stalls in the restroom. Aunt Wu didn't linger on the mirror and, taking a deep breath, opened the first stall to find it clean, likely unused for a long time. Without further inspection, she moved to the second stall and, mustering her courage, swung the door open with a creak. Thankfully, it was empty.

She sighed in relief, already one girl had gone missing, and she hoped not to find anyone else missing. Just as she was about to leave,

she felt a drop of water fall on her forehead, cold and chilling. Touching it, she was horrified to find it was blood.

Looking up, she froze in terror, seeing the body of Little C, sprawled over the restroom's upper piping, as if forcibly placed there.

Her scream alerted the two men outside, who rushed in.

Aunt Wu, being older, wasn't prone to such dramatic reactions, especially in front of the younger people. But this sight was truly horrifying. She collapsed into her husband's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Embarrassed by her breakdown, Doctor Feng half-embraced his wife and led her out.

Pei Yi was left alone in the ladies' restroom.

The ceiling of this public restroom was very high, covered with densely interwoven pipes. Xiao C's body was squeezed in there because

the gaps left by the pipes were too small, compressing her body out of shape. Especially her eyes, bulging out in terror.

This could only be the work of a supernatural force.

An immensely powerful force had violently lifted Xiao C up and forcibly stuffed her between the pipes.

Xiao C's abrupt abduction left her no time to react, her expression frozen in shock and extreme terror, as if she had witnessed something horrifying.

Pei Yi, having seen photos of people scared to death, found the horror of this scene unmatched by any horror movie he'd seen, capable of haunting one's dreams for nights on end.

Exiting the restroom, Pei Yi lit a cigarette, taking a moment before joining Dr. Feng.

The trio remained silent on their way back.

Just the second day, and already two were missing, one dead. Could they last until the seventh day?

Arriving at the cabin, Zhou You and Xiao B, beaming with joy, were taken aback by their somber faces. "What happened?" they asked.

Aunt Wu recounted the grim events.

Xiao B's face turned blank in shock. She felt slightly alienated before, but never imagined her sister would die so suddenly.

As they mourned, Chen Mo returned, his eyes darting around evasively.

"Pei Yi, you're back."

Pei Yi nodded, frowning. "Where's Xiao A?"

Chen Mo, having rehearsed his story, gulped nervously. "She... she fell off the cliff at the skiing spot." He knew from detective novels that the less said, the better.

"How could that happen?" Pei Yi questioned. Xiao A seemed the most astute of the three girls.

"Yeah, she just slipped... I'm sorry, Pei Yi."

Pei Yi waved it off. "Why apologize to me?"

Hearing both her sisters met with accidents, Xiao B's face contorted in agony, while Zhou You comforted her.

Amidst their sighs, Aunt Wu suddenly pointed at the cabin. "Look!" Following her gesture, they saw a giant "5" painted on the wooden wall outside the cabin.

Everyone understood it meant five days left.

Enduring this was becoming unbearable. They were witnessing an unseen force orchestrating everything.

Zhou You, infuriated, hurled a stone at the still-moving number. Pei Yi was about to stop him when the stone struck the wall with a thud.

The motion halted. The "5" was incomplete, missing a horizontal stroke, resembling a hook, making it even more sinister.