Hospital 444
Chapter 267 - 3 Porcelain Doll

Chapter 267: Chapter 3 Porcelain Doll

Dai Wei followed his father, walking on the snow-covered road where snowflakes were falling thickly.

It was precisely because of this snowy weather that the sun was almost invisible in the sky.

"This weather... it’s really cold," Dai Wei subconsciously wrapped his shoulders, "It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a cold climate."

"Dai Wei, you need to be prepared," dad said to Dai Wei, "Captain Lin is a person who’s easy to speak to, and his experience is quite rich. Most importantly, he is the village chief’s brother-in-law, and he is someone who has a say in front of the village chief."

"Okay, I... I know."

Mayor Ge Pingyan was indeed Nanmian Village’s absolute leader, whose word was the law. In the whole village, everyone was willing to give him some respect.

"My goodness..."

At that moment, as they passed a lake in the village, Dai Wei noticed that the surface of the lake had already frozen over!

"Didn’t... didn’t this happen just overnight?"

Dai Wei distinctly remembered that last night, the lake had not been frozen!

Now, he understood why he had felt so cold last night.

"Old Dai, hello."

"Old Dai, your son is going on patrol in the White Mist Area tonight, right?"

Along the way, they occasionally encountered pedestrians who greeted Dai Wei’s dad. After all, there were only so many people in the village, and most of them knew each other.

"Yes, but since he was chosen, we must follow the rules, right?"

"Indeed. We must follow the rules."

That’s what everyone also said.

Then, Dai Wei looked at his dad and said, "Dad, I heard that if you break the rules, there would be serious consequences, right?"

Dai Wei’s dad nodded and said, "Yes."

"What kind of consequences?"

"Terrible consequences." When he said this, Dai Wei’s dad seemed to be recalling something horrifying, his expression even twitched slightly, "It’s better for you not to know, Dai Wei. The villagers want you to follow the rules for your own good."

"Okay, I understand, dad."

Soon, they arrived at Captain Lin’s house.

...

"Old Dai, why so formal?"

Seeing the meat that Dai Wei’s dad brought, the broad-faced and jolly Captain Lin Tai laughed loudly and said, "You can be at ease. If you entrust your son to me, I will definitely take good care of him!"

"I should have visited you much earlier; it was inconsiderate of me."

In fact, Dai Wei’s dad also felt a bit of regret in his heart. He should have come sooner; now, it almost seemed like he was making a last-minute plea, which naturally wouldn’t be as effective. Others had probably paid their respects to Lin Tai long ago.

Throughout the year, regardless of the season, someone had to patrol the White Mist Area every day. The patrollers were chosen by drawing lots daily, but the captain was rotated only once a month. And those qualified to be a captain were members of the patrol team with sufficient experience.

Lin Tai was quite easy to talk to and said, "All right, sit down. I am aware of why you’re here, Old Dai. I will explain the patrol precautions to your son and take good care of him."

"No, no, we just came to visit you. This young fellow often doesn’t know any better, so if he does anything inappropriate, you don’t need to spare my feelings. Whatever punishment or scolding he merits, don’t hesitate!"

"Haha, okay. Ah, if I weren’t going out on a mission tonight, I’d really like to have a drink with you. You wouldn’t know, but aside from anything else, my wife’s skill in brewing liquor is quite extraordinary."

"No problem, once you step down as captain next month, right in time for the Spring Festival, we’ll definitely drink to our heart’s content!"

"Haha! You said it! Don’t forget when the time comes!"

Dai Wei hadn’t expected that his dad and Captain Lin seemed to get along quite well.

This was indeed beyond his expectations.

"Dai Wei," Captain Lin glanced at him, "you’ve grown a lot, just like that, you’ve become so big."

"As a kid, he often played basketball with children from the neighboring village," Dai Wei’s dad sighed. "It’s a shame our village doesn’t even have a basketball court."

"Yes... if it weren’t for ten years ago..."

Ten years ago...

It was around the end of the year then.

By that time, some of the people who worked outside had started to return to the village.

Originally, it was supposed to be a day of reunion. By then, the village had already embarked on the path of poverty alleviation.

Everything was beginning to thrive.

Back then, Dai Wei was still in primary school. The most exciting thing for him was that if Nanmian Village could successfully get out of poverty, the school’s teaching environment could also be greatly improved, so students wouldn’t have to study in a leaking room without even textbooks anymore.

But then... upon waking up overnight...

An enormous amount of White Mist had mysteriously appeared around the village.

At the same time, a dilapidated temple suddenly appeared in the center of the village.

In the beginning, everyone thought the emergence of the mist was just a normal natural phenomenon. But as the mist materialized, all of the village’s water, electricity, and coal supplies were completely cut off, and there was no way to communicate with the outside world anymore.

Therefore, in an attempt to seek help, villagers ventured into the White Mist, but... none of the people who entered the mist ever came back.

Hence, the villagers started to panic. It was at this time that the villagers entered the dilapidated temple, where they discovered a stele.

On the stele, there were some eerie inscriptions.

These inscriptions have become the village rules of Nanmian Village today. No one dares to violate these rules.

"Actually, joining the patrol team would mean your mother’s family can get an extra ration," Captain Lin started cracking melon seeds he picked up from the table and said, "The more you contribute, the more you get, after all, only by joining the patrol team can you receive the food and various living supplies bestowed by the temple."

"That’s true."

After all, the village had been cut off from the outside world for ten years, and with water, electricity, and coal disconnected, the inconvenience of daily life was undoubtedly undeniable. And only if someone in the village joined the patrol could they get food and living supplies to endure these years that felt as confining as imprisonment.

Everyone was enduring the hardship, hoping that one day someone from the outside might come to rescue them.

And there were many people who, trapped in the mist, had been separated from their loved ones working in the cities for a decade, completely unaware of each other’s fate.

And no one knew...

Exactly what kind of horror was lurking inside the mist.

"In a while, I’ll take Dai Wei to the temple," Lin Tai looked at the clock on the wall and said, "It’s time to get the new bamboo poles and porcelain dolls."

"Porcelain dolls," Dai Wei asked, "As long as the porcelain dolls are with us, we are safe, right?"

"Generally speaking, that’s the case. Don’t be too nervous, just stay close to us, and whatever you do, don’t get too close to the White Mist."

"But not too far either, right? According to the rules, we can’t get more than two meters away, can we?"

"Right, two meters, that’s what is written on the stele in the temple. Haven’t you been to the temple to see the stele?"

Those in the village who had participated in the patrols always avoided talking about the details.

But certainly... they must keep a distance of at least two meters from the mist!