Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 69 Danger and Safety

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Danger and Safety

The time goes back to when Bai Yanliang and the two others just entered the forest.

One person losing their sense of direction might be an accident, but all three getting it wrong at the same time surely means something went wrong.

After realizing they were lost, Yu Hanzhou immediately took out a small knife to carve a mark on a tree.

But... the moment he touched the tree trunk, Yu Hanzhou felt a pair of entirely dark eyes staring at him from somewhere.

Yu Hanzhou remained alert but dared not seek the source of that gaze.

Later... Huang Yourong appeared. He initially thought Huang Yourong was targeting Su Qian... unaware that he had already touched a taboo.

...

Back to Li Mu.

Upon discovering Yu Hanzhou’s corpse, Li Mu was chilled to the bone. Yu Hanzhou was already dead... then the Yu Hanzhou before him, as expected, was...

Taking a quick step forward, Li Mu didn’t dare look back, only sprinting desperately forward!

This wasn’t his first survival mission; he knew well... if a tree was one of the taboos, then a new change must have occurred following the "Yu Hanzhou" appearance.

Yu Hanzhou’s manner of death was identical to Cheng Zhipeng’s; and why was Cheng Zhipeng killed?

Traveling at night?

He couldn’t find an answer temporarily, but he could set a range for himself.

That is... do not touch or speak of trees.

Dark places, or rather, places with shadows, must not be entered!

At the moment, he was in extreme danger: Yu Hanzhou, Tian Dawei, He Miao, Chen Qingshan, Sun Liang; five people in total had been swapped with ghosts.

This was unprecedented; even for a survival mission, there were too many ghosts—strangely many.

What eerie change occurred in Fog Gathering, or was there a hidden key not yet found...

Currently, five ghosts appeared in the forest.

Moreover... they were all targeting him.

The resentful role in survival missions was indeed the deadliest identity.

If this continued, he would be the next to die.

To stay alive, he had to uncover all the taboos or... eradicate them fundamentally using the rules.

Li Mu was contemplating wildly while sprinting under the sunlight.

He slightly turned his head, using his peripheral vision to glance behind, and yet...

Something even more terrifying happened.

Five people... silently followed at his side, only a body’s distance away from Li Mu!

They stared at Li Mu with ambiguous smiles, seemingly running without effort, just bizarrely trailing him.

This inhuman gaze sent shivers down Li Mu’s spine.

Rules... rules...

What taboo exists in Jixue Village that even the ghosts can’t touch?

Yu Hanzhou survived the last mission because of Qi Nian, and the decryption that time was: "Do not open your eyes when facing a mirror; do not turn back when softly called..."

The taboos were clearly laid out for everyone.

Yet it was Su Qian’s call that led almost everyone to break the taboo from the start...

Whereas Qi Nian, in the life-and-death moment, wondered if even ghosts must follow the decryption, and... she bet correctly.

The decryption in Fog Gathering wasn’t just for humans but also... for ghosts.

It was a rule transcending above all.

But this time’s decryption was: skin and flesh flay, Sacrificial Blood Heartless...

No matter the angle, it didn’t seem like a taboo; it seemed merely a descriptive language.

Li Mu started to sweat on his forehead.

His stamina was good; in fact, he had been consciously training his body in reality since entering Fog Gathering, and most others did the same.

But... no amount of training changes the fact that humans are humans; his strength would eventually run out, and once it did... these ghosts would...

Wait a minute!

Li Mu’s eyes suddenly shone.

He slightly slowed his pace, looked back; they still maintained a body’s distance.

But this time... rather than being afraid, Li Mu’s eyes sparkled even more.

A fierce ghost was actually pursuing him humanly?

They showed no abnormal abilities, like suddenly appearing in front of him...

Moreover, considering their speed, catching up or even surpassing him wouldn’t be difficult, yet... why did they honestly trail behind him?

No... from the start, they had always been behind him.

Could it be merely to cause immense psychological stress?

No... certainly something wrong here.

Ghosts wouldn’t commit meaningless acts, so... what was their purpose in doing this?

Li Mu pushed his mind to its limits, feeling like he was about to grasp something crucial...

Following behind...

Why would ghosts follow behind...

Surveillance?

Additionally... Yu Hanzhou and Cheng Zhipeng’s heads were twisted bizarrely to face backward, were this merely a random act by the ghosts, or was there a deeper significance?

Li Mu’s mind raced, finally!

A flash of inspiration struck him.

Yes!

The way to survive was right here!

He suddenly stopped, turning to face the five fierce ghosts showing unhidden malice.

Then... stepped forward!

...

The village’s outskirts.

Su Qian stared blankly at the village before her.

Out?

Really made it out?

"Huang Yourong" didn’t attack?

"What on earth... is going on..."

Su Qian murmured, watching Bai Yanliang walk directly toward Huang Yourong, then... passed right through his body!

With no other choice, Su Qian braced herself, mimicked Bai Yanliang’s actions, closed her eyes and charged forward as if prepared to meet her end.

However... upon passing through Huang Yourong’s body, it was as if something burst, though the surroundings remained unchanged, yet... finally, no more eerily returning to the starting point.

Now, she followed Bai Yanliang out of the forest!

"There’s an old saying, the most dangerous place is the safest place." Bai Yanliang glanced at Su Qian, speaking coolly.

Though out of the forest, Bai Yanliang didn’t feel relaxed, for the sky was beginning to darken... night... was approaching.

Nighttime in Sacrificial Blood Village was clearly a taboo; Cheng Zhipeng proved this with his life.

At this point, hearing Bai Yanliang’s words, Su Qian finally understood his suggestion, but her questioning tone grew even more incredulous.

"Are you saying... the ghost following us was the actual path?"

Bai Yanliang nodded.

"Since its appearance, it hasn’t intended to hide its identity as a ghost, but it just followed unhurriedly without extra actions. There’s only one possibility: that it only needs to follow us to kill." Bai Yanliang glanced back at the forest as he spoke.

"I still... don’t quite understand..." Su Qian said, somewhat fearing looking at Bai Yanliang, feeling perhaps she was too foolish?

"Ordinary people, upon knowing there’s a ghost behind them, wouldn’t dare confront it, let alone approach or pass through it; thus it merely needs to stand behind, cutting off the only way to survive. No matter which direction we went, we would gradually touch various taboos, then be killed by it." Bai Yanliang uncharacteristically explained at length.

"So... the way to survive was so simple... the most dangerous place is the safest place..." Su Qian finally grasped Bai Yanliang’s explanation but couldn’t fully believe it was that simple.

At this moment, footsteps echoed from the forest.

Simultaneously, a man’s voice sounded: "Indeed quite simple, the most dangerous place is the safest place, but... who has the courage to go to the most dangerous place?"

Following the voice, Su Qian looked over, cheering as she saw who emerged: "Li Mu!"