Lin Xiao stood in the village chief house, listening to her repeat herself over and over.
Realizing there was nothing new to gain from the conversation, he decided to leave.
Lin Xiao put his hand on the door and slowly opened it. To his astonishment, the scene outside had completely changed.
Instead of the village, he was now standing next to a river. The riverbanks were shrouded in a thick mist, which curled and twisted around the gnarled trees that lined the water's edge.
The air was damp and cold, and the sound of the gently flowing water was the only thing that broke the eerie silence.
Lin Xiao tried to make sense of his surroundings, but the mist was so dense that he could barely see a few feet in front of him.
Before he could turn around, someone shoved him from behind with a strength that even he couldn't resist.
Stumbling forward, Lin Xiao found himself right at the edge of the river.
He quickly turned around, only to find that the door he had just come through had vanished. He was now completely alone, surrounded by the dense, oppressive fog.
The sense of isolation was overwhelming, but Lin Xiao knew he had to stay calm and figure out his next move.
"Great, just great," Lin Xiao muttered to himself, scanning the misty landscape. "Now what?"
As he tried to get his bearings, he noticed the river seemed to pulse with an unnatural glow beneath the surface.
The water was almost black, and it gave off a faint, eerie light that made the mist around it shimmer.
"Is this the river the old woman mentioned?" Lin Xiao wondered aloud, his voice barely more than a whisper in the heavy silence. "The one with the ghost?"
He knew he had no choice but to investigate further. If he could find the ghost and uncover the truth, maybe he could complete the dungeon, and, find a way back to Xiao Bai and Lil' Blackie.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao stepped cautiously along the riverbank, keeping his senses sharp for any sign of danger.
The mist seemed to grow thicker the further he went, and strange, indistinct shapes loomed on the edges of his vision, always disappearing when he tried to focus on them.
Just as he began to doubt his path, he heard a faint, mournful wail echo through the mist. It was a sound that chilled him to the bone, but it also gave him a direction.
Ever since Lin Xiao was a little kid, he was not afraid of ghost stories. In fact, he liked listening to them because he felt that if ghosts were real, it meant his father was still with him.
Lin Xiao walked towards the strange wailing noise, the sound growing louder and more haunting with each step.
As he moved, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking in circles, the mist around him thickening and the landscape remaining eerily unchanged. A sense of being trapped began to settle over him.
Thinking he might be caught in some kind of supernatural loop, Lin Xiao glanced down at the river.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw a face beneath the dark, swirling waters. It was pale and ghostly, with eyes that seemed to stare directly into his soul.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving Lin Xiao questioning whether he had really seen anything at all.
He felt an urge to reach out and touch the river, to see if there was something more beneath its surface.
But his instincts warned him against it, and he decided to follow the wailing instead. As he pressed on, the wailing grew louder and more distinct, taking on a sorrowful, almost human quality.
Lin Xiao pushed through the mist, his heart pounding in his chest. The path along the river seemed to stretch endlessly, but he was somewhat determined to find the source of the eerie sound.
...
...
Back in Xinyang City, in an unknown place, there was a hall. In the center of the hall shimmered a massive red portal, casting an eerie glow over the room.
Around it stood a team dressed in tactical gear, their faces grim and focused. The leader, a stern man named Zhang, addressed them.
"Everyone, get ready. We are leaving in two minutes."
The team swiftly gathered their equipment, checking weapons and securing their gear. Soon, they stood in formation, awaiting further orders. Team Leader Zhang scanned their faces, his own expression as hard as stone.
"We don't know what might be inside the portal," he said. "Every drone we've sent never returned, so be careful. Even though I have a domain, it doesn't mean you guys have it too. In case of danger, I will only protect myself."
Hearing these words, the team members showed no emotion. They looked like puppets, ready for war, their training and conditioning evident in their lack of reaction. Team Leader Zhang was used to this and simply nodded.
"Let's go," he commanded, and without hesitation, he stepped into the portal, followed closely by his team.
With a whoosh, they were engulfed by a swirling sensation.
The world around them twisted and warped, colors blending and shifting as they were transported to another place.
The teleportation was disorienting, and as they emerged on the other side, a wave of dizziness and nausea hit them hard.
Despite their hard training, some stumbled, clutching their stomachs, while others steadied themselves against the ground.
Team Leader Zhang took a moment to gather his bearings. Before him stood a massive medieval castle, its stone walls weathered and ancient.
Towers rose high into the misty sky, their battlements sharp and imposing.
Ivy crawled up the sides of the castle, and the heavy wooden doors looked like they hadn't been opened in centuries. The air was thick with a sense of foreboding, and an uneasy silence hung over the place.
But as Zhang focused, he noticed something odd. From within the castle, faint but distinct, came a series of strange noises. It took him a moment to identify them, and when he did, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Are those... cat noises?" he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.