Urban Oddities: Soul Contract

Chapter 28 The Shadow of the Deserted Village

Miao Miao and Lucy slept on the back of the big spider, covered with a blanket made of spider silk, and enjoyed as much as they wanted, while the rest of the men squeezed bitterly in the next room. After a day of trekking, they were sleepy and tired, There was a sound of grunting, but Zheng Chuanchuan was the only one who looked through the documents one by one energetically. The thick documents were piled up into a hill, all of which he moved out of the cabinet. Yan Shi and Du Jiajun accompanied him to read. Classifying the files, Huo Minghai leaned over to watch, his eyelids twitching.

"Go to sleep for a while?" Du Jiajun pushed him.

"I'm not sleepy." Pushing open his eyelids, Huo Minghai ordered himself not to sleep.

Time passed bit by bit, Du Jiajun suddenly felt his shoulders sink, turned his head to look, it turned out that Huo Minghai was defeated by the sleepy bug, and fell asleep on his shoulder...

There was something missing around him, and he didn't sleep well this time. When Huo Minghai woke up, the room was snoring loudly, and his phone showed 02:30 in the morning. He was covered with Du Jiajun's coat, but Du Jiajun was not there.

The surrounding team members looked like cicada chrysalis, they were all indented into sleeping bags, and it was impossible to tell who was who, except for the sleeping bags glued together in the corner, one could tell at a glance that they belonged to Da Mao and Er Mao.

General Chu Gan used a sleeping bag as a pillow, and some unlucky person was in the sleeping bag, and General Chu Gan groaned under the pressure.

Huo Minghai rubbed his eyes, thinking that he woke up anyway, so he might as well go to the bathroom.

In the dark corridor, there was a faint light, and someone was talking in a low voice. Huo Minghai leaned against the door and listened carefully. The voices turned out to be Du Jiajun and Zheng Chuanchuan!

"What are they doing?" Huo Minghai looked in through the crack of the door.

The room was large, with a turbid smell of incense piercing the nose. There was a tapestry hanging on the wall, and incense candles and incense burners were placed on the three-story altar. The fruits and food on the plate had long since rotted and turned into a black mass.

"It's really strange. It's so rotten that there are no flies." Zheng Chuanchuan slowly shone the flashlight upwards. On the top of the altar was an empty red box, about the size of a book. A standard Y-shaped.

"There should be something in this box that has been enshrined all the year round, but someone took it away for some reason." Zheng Chuanchuan stretched out his palm and gestured towards the Y-shaped depression.

"What do you think it is?" Du Jiajun sat on the ground, reading a document.

"The branches of the sacred tree." Zheng Chuanchuan shone the flashlight on the tapestry. When Huo Minghai's eyes fell on the pattern on it, he couldn't move away. The picture on the tapestry was very simple, it was a big green tree , There are no leaves on the tree, and the bare branches occupy most of the picture. The place near the root of the tree is almost covered with red lines, and the bones are floating, like a hell in a pool of blood.

As the light moved, it illuminated the sculpture next to the altar. It was also painted an ominous dark red, but it was much larger than the one in the hall. The tree was surrounded by villains, and the number of bones on the base was even more astonishing.

Huo Minghai wanted to see more clearly, but Zheng Chuanchuan removed the flashlight, and the sculpture fell into darkness again.

At this moment, a strict voice sounded in the room.

"So, you think, this matter has something to do with your sister?"

Huo Minghai turned his angle, and finally saw Yan Shi standing on the other side. Yan Shi took the red box and drew a Y-shaped groove with his palm.

Zheng Chuanchuan sighed, and slowly said something unknown.

Zheng Chuanchuan has an older sister who was born mentally handicapped. Her family didn’t like her, and even the children in the village always bullied her. Zheng Chuanchuan was the only one who protected her. Until one year, her sister suddenly disappeared from home. When Zheng Chuanchuan asked, Dad Tell him that my sister was picked up and went to live a good life in the city.

In fact, Zheng Chuanchuan didn't believe it, who would marry a mentally handicapped person?

That's why he agreed to follow his friends to explore the sacrificial pit.

It's a pity that the adventure trip didn't yield anything. Instead, the parents became furious when they found out, and caught them spanking.

Many years later, Zheng Chuanchuan saw his sister's name on a list.

Sacrifice: Zheng Lingling.

In the signature column, the names of Bu Qiankun and Zheng Chuanchuan's father were signed.

Zheng Chuanchuan turned the document forward, and there were a few large characters printed on it: worship God with your body, and enjoy eternal life.

Zheng Lingling devoted herself to God, and of course her family received a huge income, which is commonly known as a gift from God, which means a little gift from God in order to thank everyone.

The transaction of this gift was also written in the document.

As for the method of worshiping the gods, of course there is no record in the document.

Zheng Chuanchuan looked at the tapestries in the darkness, and murmured as if dreaming: "My sister was eaten by the sacred tree."

Huo Minghai felt chills all over when he heard it, he finally understood the strange feeling in his heart, no matter it was a sculpture or a mural, what appeared with the sacred tree were blood and bones, it was more like feeding the sacred tree with people than a sacrifice!

Yan Shi and Du Jiajun looked at each other, unable to say a word. What Zheng Chuanchuan said was too ridiculous. Can a tree that eats people really be called a tree?

"It's really scary, this is not a god, it's an evil god!" Yan Shi clicked his tongue.

"Serve God with your body and enjoy eternal life. If you exchange your life for your life through some method, it is not an exaggeration to compare a tree to a god."

After Du Jiajun finished speaking, the room fell into silence for a while, before Yan Shi asked, "What do you mean?"

Du Jiajun erected two documents, grafting one onto the other.

"Exchange one person's life for another person?" After Yan Shi finished speaking, he laughed first, "It's really ridiculous, if it is really possible to exchange life for life, wouldn't that person live for thousands of years ?”

"It's not easy to be successful." Du Jiajun's tone was light.

Zheng Chuanchuan heard something, stared at Du Jiajun, and asked, "Have you ever seen Changing Life?" When Du Jiajun nodded, Zheng Chuanchuan's face suddenly changed, and his strict reaction was bigger than Zheng Chuanchuan's, as if he had been electrocuted. With a jerk, he grabbed Du Jiajun's shoulders with both hands, and was about to ask something, when suddenly, there were thumping sounds from the surrounding doors and windows.

The shock only lasted for a few seconds, Yan Shi rushed out of the room first, Chu Ganjiang had already run out of the room at this time, met Du Jiajun's eyes, and the two rushed up the stairs following Yan Shi, Zheng Chuanchuan ran behind holding a stack of documents, waiting After they all went up, Huo Minghai, who was hiding in the dark, followed them secretly...

On the rooftop, Yan Shi held the binoculars, Dou Da's sweat slid down the side of his face.

Not far from the entrance of the village, a section of track protruded from the ground, and at the end, a section of green and faint things emerged!

"We also encountered this kind of vibration at the side of the creek, so it turns out that the trajectory is this thing!" The matter gradually became clear, and Yan Shi seemed particularly excited. Just as he turned around, he was stopped by Chu Gan.

"I'll go, you wait here."

"Remember, don't touch that thing!" In the voice of Zheng Chuanchuan's warning, Chu Ganjiang climbed over the railing and jumped directly from the rooftop.

The thing protruded from the ground more than three meters high, and there was a faint green light flowing all over its body. Chu Gan picked up a branch and scratched the raised part of the soil, revealing a green crystal. This crystal seemed to be alive. , Winding to the entrance of the village, for some reason, it seemed to be hindered, and it broke out of the ground.

Chu Ganjiang took a few steps back and took pictures with his mobile phone. He didn't dare to stand too close. His subconscious mind told him that this crystal was very scary.

"You said, if you don't sacrifice the tree once every five years, what will be the consequences?"

On the rooftop, Zheng Chuanchuan suddenly said this.

Five years after Zheng Lingling was sent as a sacrifice, another name was included in the list. It was a girl from the same village who happened to be seriously ill and her body was left for more than a month. offering sacrifices to God.

Since then, there has been no new list, because shortly after the tree sacrifice, a plague broke out in the village, and Zheng Chuanchuan fled to the city with his parents.

Everyone in the village said that the corpse was used as a sacrifice to the god, which angered the god and sent retribution.

Zheng Chuanchuan also believed so. It wasn't until he became a doctor that he gradually realized that their illnesses were actually caused by radiation pollution accumulated over time.

It doesn't matter whether you are married to the village or you are out of the village.

No one can escape.

Except Huo Minghai.

"Don't hide, you've seen it all." Zheng Chuanchuan hooked his hands to someone in the corner.

Someone touched his nose, walked to the railing, and looked in the direction of General Chu.

"He doesn't seem quite right?" Yan Shi looked through the binoculars and saw that General Chu seemed to be drunk, taking a step forward.

Suddenly there was a muffled grunt in the ear, and everyone was wondering when they heard another sound from Huo Minghai's belly.

"It's too loud, can it be adjusted to vibrate?" Zheng Chuanchuan said angrily.

"It refuses, and there's nothing I can do about it." Huo Minghai blushed and covered his stomach, he hadn't eaten dinner yet.

Du Jiajun took out a piece of plum candy from his pocket and gave it to him.

Sweet and sour, very appetizing, Huo Minghai ate it, and his stomach rang even louder.

Zheng Chuanchuan: "Can you lower your voice?"

Huo Minghai: "Wait until I practice."

Du Jiajun took out another one.

Huo Minghai: "..."

At this time, Yan Shi shook suddenly. In the telescope, Chu Gan dropped his mobile phone on the ground, but he didn't realize it!

"Not good!" Yan Shi ran to the stairs quickly, but was stopped by Zheng Chuanchuan halfway, and asked him what was going on.

"Chu Gan is in danger! Go and save him!" Yan Shi pushed Zheng Chuanchuan away and ran downstairs.

"What's going on?" Du Jiajun asked while running with Yan Shi.

"That thing is hungry!" Yan Shi was sweating profusely, "It eats once every five years, how many years has it been hungry?! It came out to hunt!"

"But it doesn't move?" After leaving the courtyard, Zheng Chuanchuan saw the green crystal from a distance, quiet and motionless.

"Look at General Chu's state, do you need him to do anything?"

"General Chu seems to have been hypnotized...then if we get close, won't we be hypnotized?" Zheng Chuanchuan's words, like a basin of cold water, woke up Yan Shi.

"It doesn't matter! Save it first!" Yan Shi kept on stepping, but it was too late. He watched Ganjiang Chu's hand touch the crystal, and the change spread from his hand to his whole body. It's a deflated ball, drying out bit by bit.

Suddenly, the ground shook again, and the soil extended a new trace towards the village. When it reached the village entrance, the trace stopped, and as if being hindered, a new crystal emerged obliquely from the ground!

When seeing the crystal, Zheng Chuanchuan felt a kind of longing in his heart, like a person who has been thirsty for a long time in the desert sees a glass of water and wishes to touch it immediately.

"Come back! Don't go there!" Huo Minghai, who was far behind, was terrified. Yan Shi stretched out his arms, pulled Zheng Chuanchuan, and threw him at Du Jiajun as a cannonball. The two fell into a ball on the ground for a while. Can't get up.

Yan Shi still wanted to save General Chu, but it was too late, General Chu had already hugged him up, a faint white mist was rising from his body, within a minute, he would be sucked dry by the crystal!

"General!!!" Yan Shi exclaimed at the same time, and there was an unfamiliar voice.

A black shadow suddenly appeared in the forest, and a sword swung out. The sword exploded and grew into a whip, and hit the root of the crystal like a thunderbolt. There was a dusty piece.

"General!" Chu Moxie embraced his weak younger brother, feeling terrified in his heart, if he came a little later, General Chu would disappear!

There was only one left, Chu Moxie turned his head to look, but saw that Yan Shi was too impatient, he was inattentive, tripped over a stone, and hit the crystal impartially.

Finished!

The thought flashed through Chu Moxie and Huo Minghai's minds at the same time, the two crystals are too far apart, when they go to save people, they will turn into scum!

but……

Yan Shi, who was dizzy, covered his nose with one hand, and stood up holding the crystal with the other.

At the same time, Zheng Chuanchuan and Du Jiajun also stood up.

The two of them staggered, just as they took a step, they were swept away by Huo Minghai, and fell to the ground again.

Chu Moxie also had the desire to touch the crystal, but his younger brother was obviously more important than the crystal. He protected his younger brother with one hand, and shook his other hand vigorously. The whip sword came out again, and the root of the crystal was twisted like a snake...

When Chu Gan woke up, he found himself lying in someone's arms.

"Have you gotten enough sleep?"

A familiar breath breathed out from the tip of his nose.

"elder brother……"

His lips were covered by scorching heat, and Chu Gan felt that something was wrong. He touched his lips and wondered, "It's strange, it seems a little swollen?"

"Kissing for so long, it's no wonder it's not swollen!" Yan Shi, whose nostrils were stuffed with paper balls, spoke in a muffled voice.

Chu Ganjiang turned his head to look, and suddenly got into his brother's arms in shame.

A group of people watched from end to end with bright eyes. Chu Moxie hugged his younger brother back and fed a lot of water mouth to mouth. He still felt that the kiss was not enough. After feeding the water, they continued to kiss. Xiao Miao and Lucy felt that they both watched His eyes were dazzled, otherwise the two people who kissed could still kiss until a faint halo appeared all over their bodies?

"That's the end? Continue?" Ermao hasn't seen enough, and is still looking forward to the special effects of the fireworks.

Da Mao hugged Er Mao into his arms, and kissed him imitatively: "He is very particular about double cultivation, how can he show it to others in public?"

Chu Moxie hummed, and whispered in his younger brother's ear: "It's not convenient here, we'll do it when we get back."

The room was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop, and the two girls even covered their faces with a wow.

"Brother...what are you talking about..." Chu Gan blushed to the base of his neck.

"Speak seriously." Chu Moxie winked at Yan Shi, Yan Shi knew that he had something to say, got up to chase away people, Er Mao who was pushed out of the door reluctantly yelled: "Is the team leader going to double repair inside? Can you take a picture of it?" ?”

"Fix a fart!" Yan Shi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and rewarded him with a chestnut, "Do you know what double cultivation is?"

"Oh, I do not know."

"Ask your brother to explain to you!"

The big spider said that it couldn't look directly at it, and it lay high on the wall and couldn't see it.

The door was closed, and the men in the room looked at each other. They didn't know what to say for a while, but they waved their hands tightly and said in a low voice, "Don't tell them about the crystal." .”

Zheng Chuanchuan nodded, then raised his eyebrows: "I really don't understand, who can explain?"

Huo Minghai raised his hand: "What were you thinking at the time? Keep running towards the crystal?"

"This is a bit strange." Du Jiajun touched his face, "I always feel that I want to touch the crystal."

"If Yan Shi hadn't stopped us, maybe..." Zheng Chuanchuan glanced at Yan Shi, then moved his gaze to Huo Minghai, "Why didn't you respond?"

Huo Minghai looked blank, recalling that he didn't feel anything special at that time.

"The crystal is hungry, and emits a predation magnetic field, and we are just affected." Du Jiajun said.

"The crystal not only eats people, but also..." Chu Moxie didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood that the crystal not only eats people, but also eats spirit bodies!

Suddenly, Huo Minghai had a flash of inspiration. When the Yin soldiers appeared, there was an extra section of green stuff in the creek. Could it be that what was written in the post was actually the crystal eating? !

What Huo Minghai was thinking, Yan Shi also thought about it, but Yan Shi's thinking was far deeper than Huo Minghai's. He estimated the distance, and his face turned pale in an instant.

"I understand! It turns out that the bones in the creek are like this, and the crystal has spread into the creek...cough cough..." Chu Ganjiang coughed uncomfortably after he said a few more words before his body recovered. Chu Moxie followed his back and kissed him, telling him to rest quietly and not talk.

"If it spreads to Luojia Village, it will be over." Yan Shi smoked, pondered for a while, and then pointed the flashlight at the tapestry, "Could the crystal be the sacred tree?"

Chu Moxie peeked at Yan Shi, Yan Shi is an ordinary man, handsome, with blood and body temperature, but why is it that such a person is fine when he meets Crystal?

"I have thick skin, so it doesn't taste good." Yan Shi knew what he was thinking, and explained with a hum.

Zheng Chuanchuan looked at Huo Minghai thoughtfully: "It's also unaffected, so we can infer that maybe the crystal won't eat him either?"

"No!" Du Jiajun stood in front of Huo Minghai and said sharply, "Don't even think about letting him try!"

Huo Minghai is a human being, unlike sword spirits who can transfer energy to each other, human beings will surely die when they encounter crystals.

Du Jiajun didn't dare to take the risk.

But here, there is another place that I don't understand.

The same is the strictness of human beings, why is it all right?

Unless, he's not human either.

Not people, not spirits.

What else could it be?

It was late at night, and Huo Minghai couldn't sleep because of something on his mind. Du Jiajun hugged him tightly, fearing that Zheng Chuanchuan would catch him and make him a guinea pig.

There was a slight movement in my ear, and a person got out of the sleeping bag, opened the door and walked out.

Huo Minghai opened his eyes, eager to take a look.

The arm was pinched, and Du Jiajun whispered: "Go and see?"

The night in the deserted village was very quiet, and the snoring of the young seedlings could be heard in the yard. The man walked out of the gate and walked straight to the entrance of the village. The rest of the green crystal was still buried in the soil. He pushed the soil away. layer, squatting there staring blankly.

Du Jiajun and Huo Minghai hid in the corner. They squatted for as long as the guy had been squatting. Huo Minghai's feet were numb, and there were faint signs of cramps. After waiting for a few minutes, the man finally moved, and took out a The bag, took out a handful of things and spilled on the ground, there was a crackling sound in the ground, and when the sound stopped, the man put away the bag and ran back to the yard sneakily.

The raised soil has become as flat as before. Du Jiajun stepped on the soil, and the strange feeling of being attracted by the crystal did not reappear. He pushed the soil away, revealing a piece of something as black as carbon, which fell off as soon as he touched it.

"This thing was killed by Yan Shi." Chu Moxie stepped forward, picked up a ball of mud and sniffed it.

"There's something wrong with his mud." Zheng Chuanchuan, who had been watching for a long time, stepped out of the shadows, took out a small airtight bag from his pocket, and stuffed the mud into it.

Not to be outdone, Chu Moxie also took out a sealed small bag, grabbed mud and stuffed it in.

"Are you taking it back to grow flowers?" the researcher from the underworld teased.

"How can there be such a good taste, just take it back to grow vegetables." The deputy curator of the museum didn't change his face.

"Do you two want to send a courier?" Du Jiajun asked.

"No need." The two said in unison, stuffing the pouch into their pockets like a treasure.

Just a handful of mud turned the remaining crystals into a carbonized state.

What is the origin of that strictness?

The author has something to say: