Chapter 9: Thriller

Chapter 9: Horror

Despite the approaching dawn, the sky remained dark, especially with the rare, thick fog that blanketed the mountains and forests, making everything a vast, white blur.

The atmosphere was already tense, but when a young man suddenly let out a loud shout, it immediately pushed people's strained nerves to their breaking point.

“Ah…”

Of the few people who had stepped out of the carriage, two were so startled they stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground, and couldn't help but shriek in fear.

“What are you screaming about? Are you trying to scare us to death?!” Zhou Quan glared, annoyed. He himself had been badly frightened, the hairs on his neck standing on end.

“What did you see?” Chu Feng asked. He was walking with Zhou Quan, still a short distance from the others. The dense fog made it impossible to see anyone just a few meters away.

“Ch-ch-ch…” The man’s teeth chattered, his lips trembling with fear. Pointing into the air, his legs wouldn’t obey him; he wanted to retreat but was frozen in place.

“There’s a dark shadow, right there! I saw it!”

“What is that?”

The two who had been startled earlier now also looked up, their voices trembling just like his. Then their bodies stumbled backward as they quickly retreated, shaking uncontrollably from fright.

At that moment, peace in the carriage was shattered. People inside heard the commotion outside, and some women immediately screamed, creating a scene of panic.

This place was originally an ancient battlefield, where, it was rumored, many had died in ancient times. Now, shrouded in thick fog, and with communication devices mysteriously cut off from the outside world, how could anyone not feel a chill?

Some people screamed in fear.

“We haven’t even seen clearly yet! What are you screaming for? What’s there to be afraid of?!” Chu Feng shouted.

He and Zhou Quan walked over together. Through the fog, they vaguely saw a dark shadow hanging in mid-air, very hazy and indistinct.

“Ah!”

The young man who had screamed first yelled again. He was closest to the dark shadow, directly beneath it. He lost control, his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, rolling and scrambling away as if he had experienced the most terrifying fright imaginable.

“Blood! Blood! I saw him!”

His legs, stiff before, were now intensely stimulated and finally moved. He rolled and crawled, scrambling away from the spot.

“Oh my god, there’s blood on your face!”

The two people standing near him saw the blood on his face, and fear seized them too. This place was incredibly eerie, making their scalps tingle so much it felt like they would split open.

“It’s not mine! It’s from there, dripping from him!” The overly frightened man’s face was etched with terror as he pointed into the air.

“There really is a smell of blood,” Zhou Quan whispered.

Chu Feng rushed over in a few large strides, and saw the dark shadow in mid-air. It looked like a person hanging there, dark and indistinct, with blood dripping down.

“A ghost! A ghost hanging in the air!”

The man, severely frightened, cried out in extreme terror. He scrambled to his feet, turned, and bolted towards the carriage, and the other two fled with him.

Fatty Zhou felt a chill run down his spine. He bravely approached Chu Feng, not fleeing with the others, showing a surprising amount of courage.

“Someone really died here. Is this murder?” Zhou Quan looked up.

There was a pool of blood on the ground. The dark shadow in mid-air swayed with the wind, hanging. It was a corpse, still dripping blood.

“How can he be hanging in mid-air?” Chu Feng felt a chill. Even though he was very brave, encountering this situation sent shivers down his spine.

“Right, there are no trees nearby. How is he suspended in mid-air?!” Zhou Quan’s eyes widened, and he stumbled backward, clearly unnerved.

Hearing their conversation, the people on the train grew even more terrified. There were frightened screams from women and the sound of weak weeping, a scene of complete panic.

“A ghost… a ghost hanging in mid-air!” The young man who had been the first to flee back to the train was pale, muttering to himself. The blood still dripping on his face made him look ghastly.

His presence intensified the atmosphere of fear on the train!

The train was stopped in the mountains, a place where many had previously died. Now, with the thick fog and such an eerie situation, how could anyone not panic?

“Don’t be afraid! It’s just a corpse; there’s no ghost!” Chu Feng said, his loud voice aiming to calm everyone’s nerves.

Zhou Quan also calmed down; since nothing dangerous had happened by standing there, his courage slightly bolstered, he shouted, “If he keeps screaming and scaring people, just throw him down!”

In truth, both Chu Feng and Zhou Quan felt uncertain.

Because the corpse hanging in mid-air, with its very long, thick hair covering its entire face, swayed in the wind, presenting a truly chilling sight.

“Come on, a few strong young men! Let’s get him down together and see how he died. It’s just a corpse; what’s there to be afraid of?” Zhou Quan called out.

Actually, he himself was intimidated; calling more people down was for moral support.

Seeing the two of them so calm and unafraid, people immediately felt a sense of calm themselves, becoming less terrified.

Not long after, a few tall, strong young men indeed got off the train and stood with Chu Feng and Zhou Quan, examining the mysterious dark shadow hanging in mid-air.

Chu Feng climbed onto the train roof, where he could see more clearly. It was also the only place he could potentially reach the body if they wanted to bring it down.

Once he was standing there, Chu Feng’s heart skipped a beat. The person’s attire looked completely out of place for modern times; by all appearances, it was an ancient individual!

Combined with the thick, long hair obscuring the head, it became even more unsettling.

Was something truly supernatural about to occur? He felt a flicker of apprehension.

Zhou Quan also climbed up. Despite being a stout man, his physical fitness was surprisingly good; he ascended quickly without any awkwardness.

Seeing this, the other strong young men felt their courage grow. With more people together, they felt less afraid and followed them onto the roof one by one.

“Is this… a movie shoot? What on earth is he wearing?!” Fatty Zhou, after getting a clear look at the person, was so startled he almost swore.

“Who… who is that? Why is he dressed like that?!” a young man asked, his expression uneasy.

“I have a strange feeling this is an ancient person. Could he have been buried under this battlefield? And… how is he hanging in mid-air?” another person added.

As these words were uttered, a chill ran through the few people on the train roof, a layer of cold enveloping them, making the entire area feel somewhat frigid.

“Are those… iron chains on him? How could they be dangling from high above? That shouldn’t be possible!”

Fatty Zhou could no longer remain calm. He tugged at Chu Feng’s sleeve and whispered, “Brother, we can’t get involved in this. We’ve stumbled upon something inexplicable; let’s get out of here quickly!”

The mist was too dense; nothing could be seen clearly.

In mid-air, shadowy figures hinted at what seemed to be arm-thick iron chains dangling down, suspending the corpse. The sight made their scalps tingle, resembling a scene of infernal torture.

The others heard Fatty Zhou’s words, and their faces immediately changed. They turned, ready to jump off the train, as the unsettling atmosphere made their skin crawl.

“It’s alright, those are vines, not iron chains.”

Chu Feng’s timely words made everyone jump.

“Mountain vines? How did they grow all the way here?” Fatty Zhou asked, skeptical. He squinted, looking closely through the mist, and indeed, there seemed to be leaf-like growths on what had appeared to be chains.

“It actually looks like vines,” someone else confirmed with a nod, letting out a long breath of relief.

“He probably fell from the mountain,” a tall young man said, shaking his head. “These filmmakers are really dedicated, risking their lives like this.”

Chu Feng took off his upper garment, grabbed a sleeve, and then swung it forcefully, wrapping it around a vine. He pulled hard, yanking it closer.

The corpse immediately swayed and moved closer.

“Ah…” Two people were severely startled.

“Whoa, brother, you’re too bold! You just went for it?” Fatty Zhou exclaimed, startled, but quickly regained his composure and hurried to help.

“Come on, everyone lend a hand!” Zhou Quan called to the others.

The others reluctantly braced themselves and came over, truly unwilling to touch the dead body.

Chu Feng was startled. As he pulled the vine closer, he saw an artifact that was both ancient and astonishing.

It was a short sword, entirely black with no lustrous sheen, appearing to be forged from black metal. The corpse still clutched it in its hand, unyielding even in death.

They unwrapped the vines and lowered the body.

“There’s a sword too?” Everyone was surprised.

Chu Feng pried open the man’s hand and took the black metal short sword. He was quite surprised; the sword was only a little over a foot long but felt remarkably heavy.

“Let me see, whoa!” Fatty Zhou took it, but his hand trembled, almost dropping the black sword. He exclaimed, “How can it be so heavy?!”

The others were somewhat repulsed and unwilling to touch the sword, preferring to observe the corpse.

“Let’s put him on the ground,” Zhou Quan said, handing the short sword to Chu Feng. He then motioned to the others to help him move the body.

Not long after, some people emerged from the carriage and gathered around the corpse on the ground, all feeling a mix of unease and bewilderment.

It was a tall man, whose clothing seemed completely out of place for the era. His wound was clearly fatal: a bloody hole, the size of a fist, pierced straight through his chest, still dripping blood.

“It looks like he was pierced by a large, sharp object,” someone whispered. “Even his sternum was cleanly severed, leaving a truly gruesome hole.”

It was too gruesome; the women from the train couldn’t bear to look.

“Brother, why aren’t you coming down?” Zhou Quan asked, puzzled, calling up to Chu Feng on the train roof.

Chu Feng waved him up.

Fatty Zhou returned to the train roof, then followed Chu Feng, walking forward along its length.

“Look!” Chu Feng said, pointing.

In mid-air, wrist-thick vines dangled, easily within reach.

“Why are there so many mountain vines here?” Zhou Quan muttered. “If they keep growing like this, the train won’t be able to pass through.”

“These don’t seem like mountain vines,” Chu Feng said, looking up at the sky. “When the train stopped yesterday, I noticed the mountains on both sides were still quite far away. Mountain vines shouldn’t be able to hang down like this.”

Zhou Quan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Not mountain vines? Are they hanging down from the sky?!”

He abruptly looked up, mirroring Chu Feng’s gaze.

But the fog was too thick, a vast white haze that obscured everything.

Holding the black metal short sword, Chu Feng pushed aside the low-hanging vines and continued to walk forward along the train roof.

Suddenly, he stopped. His body stiffened, and his pupils sharply contracted. He was utterly shocked, his nerves instantly taut.

“Why aren’t you moving?” Fatty Zhou asked from behind, stepping closer.

In an instant, he nearly turned to stone, his body frozen. Finally, he couldn’t help but blurt out a string of curses.

“Holy moly! Was this what caused that massive tremor on the train roof in the middle of the night?!” He simply couldn’t believe his eyes, utterly stunned like Chu Feng, and then just stared.

The object was entangled in vines, dangling onto the train roof.

Zhou Quan looked up, and as if in a trance, whispered, “This is… a satellite, entangled in vines, dangling down from the sky?!”

He was incredulous, struggling to accept what he saw.