Volume 1, Chapter 22: The Village Tour Begins! You Cannot Just Stand By and Watch Us Die!

Inside the house, Luo Bin felt his heart in utter turmoil.

The car window had long since fogged up. Having breathed against it for too long, the moisture blurred the glass, making it impossible to read Gu Yiren’s lip movements anymore.

Luo Bin felt as if he were a lottery player missing a single digit to win five million, or a student who missed a better academic path by failing a single question.

Why was it always just a little bit off?
Why was it always just that tiny margin of difference?

Could it be that he was truly incapable of changing anything? Was he destined from his previous life to be an ordinary person, constantly struggling through the dust, only to eventually stop breathing in a hospital bed as a nobody?
And in this life, was he to be that same ordinary person, always falling just short?

Even with the advantage of foresight, even with the answers in his hands, was he still destined to miss the opportunity perfectly?

"The evil spirits are out!" Old Kong shouted in a low voice.

On the village road outside the archway, a figure appeared.
The man was tall, wearing an old-fashioned Zhongshan suit and a flat cap, holding a thin, jet-black walking stick. He walked into the village with steady, measured steps.

One after another, more figures followed behind him. Luo Bin noticed that they were emerging not just from the village entrance, but also from both sides of the house where he and the others were hiding.

The village sat at the foot of the mountains, and the evil spirits came from the mountain; therefore, every path at the foot of the slope was a path, though the main road was the gate to enter and leave the village.

Soon, dozens of evil spirits surrounded the prisoner transport vehicle.
Zhang Jun screamed, wailed, and let out agonizing roars.

Other evil spirits surrounded the car where Zhang Li and the others were, smiling as they gently tapped on the glass.
The car remained eerily silent, but Luo Bin could see the blinding light of an oil lamp through the front windshield.

His eyelids twitched, and sweat beaded down his temples.
The aversion to light returned, his throat felt itchy and parched, and a wave of bloodlust surged within him.

It smelled so good...
Right beside him were Gu Ya, Zhang Yunling, and Luo Feng...
And further aside, there were so many other villagers...

He didn't go for the lamp oil immediately. There wasn't much of it left, and if he drank it too early, what if it didn't last until dawn? So, Luo Bin endured.
He didn't know what drug addiction felt like, as he hadn't even smoked in his previous life.
Was that comparison even accurate?
After all, his body’s instincts didn't loathe this craving; it was only his psychological consciousness and the reality of the situation that couldn't accept it.

He forced his attention away from the windshield and focused on the prisoner transport.
The crowd of evil spirits grew denser, their smiles becoming increasingly twisted and intense.

Zhang Jun had wet himself.
His body shook like a sieve.

"So you know fear now? What about when you were harming others?" Old Kong sneered.
The other villagers in the room nodded, without exception.
Luo Feng’s expression remained grim and cold, devoid of extra emotion.
Gu Ya pursed her lips, seemingly afraid to look, yet her eyes kept darting upward—this was human instinct, the nature of curiosity.
The more terrified one becomes, the more intense the curiosity grows. It was like walking a dark road, fearing someone might be there, yet scanning the surroundings vigilantly, wondering where someone might spring out from.

"Luo Shan!"
"I won't close my eyes even in death! I won't let you off!" The miserable roar echoed once more across the village road and the night sky.

Then, an evil spirit lunged onto the prisoner transport, grabbed Zhang Jun’s ear, and ripped it clean off!
Blood sprayed wildly!
All that remained was Zhang Jun’s blood-curdling scream!

A group of evil spirits began pulling the ropes of the transport cart, moving it into the village.

A group of evil spirits pushed from behind.
The surrounding spirits began climbing onto the cart!
They scrambled over one another like cats greedy for fish, and Zhang Jun was the captured mouse.
The screams were incessant.

Gu Ya couldn't watch anymore. Her face turned pale, and she shivered as she retreated to the back.
Zhang Yunling stood where she was, one hand resting on the window, her expression dazed, looking as if she had been frightened out of her wits.
Most of the villagers turned pale; the scene was truly horrifying.
The punishment of the "Village Tour" had become fully tangible!
They were the ones who had excitedly called for it, and now, they were the ones filled with dread.

Zhang Jun no longer had ears; his head looked bald and raw.
He no longer had fingernails; the spirits had ripped them out one by one.
He wailed and begged for mercy, every ounce of fat on his body trembling.

Luo Bin was shaking, uncontrollably shaking.

"If you're scared, go to your mother's place," Luo Feng said.
"Yeah, it’s been a long time since we had a Village Tour like this. If you're afraid, don't watch. Besides punishment, this serves as a warning, making sure the villagers follow the rules," Old Kong advised.

Luo Bin crouched on the ground, trembling. He buried his head deep in his arms and opened his eyes wide.
Scared?
That didn't exist.
He felt it was cathartic—even exhilarating. He felt so excited he wanted to roar, so excited he wanted to rush out the door!
This cruelty was deeply satisfying to his spirit!

He carefully fished the plastic bag containing the lamp oil from his pocket. No one was paying attention to him. He shoved the bag into his mouth, bit it open, and the thick, slick oil instantly flooded his palate.
The thirst for blood and the aversion to light were suppressed once more.

"Xiao Shan?" A hand landed on Luo Bin’s shoulder.
"I'm fine, Dad. I'm okay now." Luo Bin took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
"Your eyes are full of bloodshot veins. Don't push yourself," Luo Feng warned.
"If he likes pushing himself, let him," someone muttered with a cynical tone.
Luo Feng remained unmoved, ignoring the comment.
"I'm really fine," Luo Bin said softly, not daring to open his mouth too wide for fear of revealing the oily scent inside.

He then moved back to the window.
The prisoner transport was already far away.
The massive crowd of evil spirits was also far off.
The Village Tour was just the beginning.
The village entrance was the appetizer; the bloodiest part would be in the center, and the most stimulating part, he imagined, would be at the village tail.

However, the evil spirits didn't seem to have fully left...
About a dozen of them were strolling back, walking toward the Santana.
The villagers who had chosen this location were, to some extent, less resilient and afraid to watch too much gore.
Therefore, as the spirits surrounded the Santana, most of the villagers turned even paler; their previous bravado vanished, replaced by deep-seated fear.

Luo Bin’s heart, already cold, plummeted to the very bottom.
He had hoped that since the spirits had all followed Zhang Jun for the tour, that damn ghost Zhang Li might escape unscathed.
But things had gone against his wishes.

...

"Zhang Li... I'm scared..." Zhu Qianqian said, trembling.

"Don't be afraid! Didn't they just surround the car and tap on the windows earlier? The windows and doors are sealed tight; they can't get in! Besides, we have the oil lamp! Wait—wait until dawn, and we'll follow them out!" Zhang Li spoke with certainty, though his eyes were bulging, the red veins distinct.

He swallowed his saliva and looked at the oil lamp.
The bright flame made him heave a slight sigh of relief.

But then, a strange sight occurred.
The oil lamp flickered!
With that sway, the lamp oil was about to spill over.
This lamp belonged to the Mountain God Temple; it was three or four times larger than a normal one and contained more oil, but having burned for two full days, less than half remained—otherwise, it would have already overflowed.

"Ah!" Zhu Qianqian shrieked in terror, "They're pushing the car! They're shaking it! Oh god, Zhang Li, it's over, we're done for!"

Zhang Li was paralyzed.
The dozen spirits surrounding the Santana were smiling, leaning against the car, and pushing it violently!
The car was heavy, but in front of a dozen people, how heavy could it really be?
If they truly applied themselves, a group of normal people could lift it.

"Don't be afraid! It's okay... it's okay... I'm holding the lamp," Zhang Li stammered.

*Clang!*
The spirits had lifted the car slightly and slammed it back down.
The massive shock caused the oil to jump, and the flame nearly went out.
Zhang Li scrambled to hold the lamp with both hands, but the oil spilled out, soaking his palms and sleeves!

Zhu Qianqian began to cry, screaming hysterically, "I told you! We should have gotten out of the car! What would have happened if we went into the house? We could have just gotten through today! Even if the villagers found out, we still could have left! You just didn't want to go in, you were just afraid! You're going to get us all killed!"

"Shut up!" Zhang Li’s veins bulged. He held the lamp tight with one hand, the flame still flickering.
Then, he gripped the steering wheel with his other hand and slammed on the gas. Amidst the roaring of the engine, the car shot forward, hitting several spirits and sending them flying, even crushing one under the wheels as it sped away into the distance!

"They know now that their ideas were naive," Luo Feng said from inside the house, his expression unchanging as he watched the car drive away.

Luo Bin said nothing, remaining silent. His clenched fists slowly relaxed, only to clench tight again!
The evil spirits were chasing after the car! Even those hit by the vehicle climbed up as if they were completely uninjured, taking quick, small steps in pursuit.

"That is the fastest they can move," Luo Feng added.
Luo Bin knew that Luo Feng was feeding him information about the village.

As time passed, the other villagers in the room relaxed significantly, gossiping about how these outsiders would die. Some remarked that it was a pity for the two women to die, as they were quite pretty.
Luo Bin’s head throbbed, his mind even more agitated.

Just then, blinding high-beam lights suddenly appeared from the distance again.
As the car drove toward the village entrance, Luo Bin noticed that there was no longer any oil lamp inside the windshield.

The car stopped abruptly on the road in front of the archway, positioned exactly opposite the house where they were hiding!
Zhu Qianqian scrambled out from the back seat, running toward the front door like a madwoman.
Zhang Li hurried out of the car, dragging Gu Yiren—who was tied up like a dumpling—out of the back seat and running after Zhu Qianqian!

Zhu Qianqian reached the door first, pounding on it wildly.
"Open the door! Help! Help!" she screamed.
Zhang Li shrieked in terror, "Open the door! The spirits can lift the car! The lamp went out, let us in!"

This scene happened too suddenly.
Yet, the villagers inside were, without exception, filled with cold indifference.
They stared through the windows, their eyes fixed on Zhang Li and the others as if looking at dead men.
Old Kong remained unmoved, and Luo Feng showed no reaction at all.

"Open the door... Luo Shan... save us, open the door! The spirits are catching up!" Zhang Li glanced back at the village, roaring in utter horror, "You can't just stand by and watch us die!"