All the way, Jiang Shan only saw villages full of trees, and by the time he reached the hotel entrance, he hadn't even seen a single person.
The bizarre scene made his unease grow.
Also feeling uneasy were the four members of the director's private team; when they first entered the village, Old Zhao, who was driving, had even cursed:
"What a backwater, not even a single person in sight."
But the further they drove toward the village center, the uglier Old Zhao's expression became. He had heard long ago that the wild delicacies from the forests of Chen Family Village were quite famous.
As a relatively well-known tourist village in Dachang City, even the poorest backwater shouldn't have absolutely no one on the streets, right?
The four, having sensed something was wrong, now had only one thought in their minds:
"Get to the hotel, pick up the director who is still alive, kill Jiang Shan to take the Golden Box, and then quickly leave this Ghost Location."
As for the director who got lost in the mountains, whoever wants to look for him can look; the four of them weren't going to bother.
Not long after entering the village, Jiang Shan and the four arrived at the hotel entrance by car.
The entire hotel looked dead, and through the glass doors of the once grand lobby, one could see not a trace of life inside; forget the front desk, even the lobby lights were not on.
After getting out of the car, Jiang Shan noticed that the hotel had six floors, and the exterior walls of the first and second floors were actually covered in saplings, with dark brown trunks growing upward in a strange manner.
"Damn it, what kind of Ghost Thing are these trees, that they can grow like this?" Old Zhao, who had gotten out early, cursed as he looked at the bizarrely growing saplings in front of him.
Since the group set off in the afternoon, it was already close to evening when they reached Chen Family Village. It seemed the roar of the car attracted the attention of some people in the hotel, as Jiang Shan saw lights turn on in the previously dim rooms of the hotel.
Old Zhao also observed this phenomenon, so he shouted loudly toward the hotel:
"Director Guo, Director Li, this is Zhao Leihu, our team is here to pick you up and take you back!"
Zhao Leihu's voice stimulated the man in a room on the third floor, and a sound of hysterical wailing came from the third floor:
"Can't go back! I'm going to die, I don't want to turn into a tree! I don't want to die! Ahhh!"
What was noteworthy was that the man started sobbing uncontrollably after just a few words.
The piercing sound was exceptionally terrifying in the dim, silent evening, as if some strangeness was about to emerge in Chen Family Village, making everyone's scalp tingle.
"Director Li! Director Li! We brought weapons and drove here, hurry up and call Director Guo, we'll drive away tonight," Zhao Leihu shouted, having recognized who was wailing.
"I don't want to turn into a tree! I'm not coming down, I'm not leaving this room, you just want me to die, you dog thing, you bastard! Get lost, get out of here!" The voice of the man on the third floor was already somewhat frantic, shouting with all his might.
Having been publicly scolded, Zhao Leihu's face was as gloomy as if his parents had died, and his hand tightly gripped the handle of his gun.
If anyone dared to curse him like that normally, he would guarantee that person would take a purple pill to teach them how to behave, but now—
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Why did you turn into a tree?"
Jiang Shan, who had been observing for a long time, asked the room from which the wailing was still coming.
"If I go out, I'll turn into a tree, I don't want to turn into a tree, I have money! Yes! I have money! I also have four mistresses, tell them to save me, tell them to save me!"
Judging by the voice, Director Li on the third floor was mentally unstable.
Perhaps seeing the horror of the ghost caused him to become this way.
But none of this mattered now; Jiang Shan needed someone who could provide him with specific information, not a madman.
Just as Jiang Shan fell silent, a familiar voice came from another room on the third floor:
"Jiang Shan, why are you here? This place has been invaded by ghosts, how did you get in?"
"It's Chen Yue's voice, but what did she mean by her last sentence? Can't one enter this village?" Jiang Shan wondered, knowing Chen Yue must have her reasons for asking that.
So Jiang Shan turned his head to look at the road they had come from.
"?"
As his gaze swept over, he couldn't help but frown, because he discovered:
The road,
was gone.
The road they had driven in on moments ago had vanished, replaced now by a dense forest.
Jiang Shan looked around and saw that the hotel was surrounded by eerie trees, which seemed to be growing toward the hotel as if they possessed self-awareness.
At this moment, Chen Yue's voice came again from the third floor:
"Jiang Shan, you must not touch those trees! Everyone who touches them turns into a tree; those trees are ghosts, just like the Ghost Character..."
"Bang!"
Before Chen Yue could finish speaking, a gunshot interrupted her.
It was Zhao Leihu who fired!
Looking at the tree pierced by the shot, Zhao Leihu smiled triumphantly. In his eyes, even a Fierce Ghost would have to kneel and sing a song of surrender if hit by this Golden Bullet.
But he didn't know that Gold could only sever a Fierce Ghost's perception; it couldn't harm a ghost, nor could it even stop a ghost from killing.
Ghosts cannot be killed.
Zhao Leihu, having fired one shot, seemed unsatisfied and fired several more rounds at the sapling in front of him. The already slender trunk was nearly shattered by him.
"What nonsense about turning into a tree if you touch it? I've already ripped it out, so why haven't I turned into a tree? You little brat, keep scaring your grandpa, and I'll go up there and blow you away."
After firing, Zhao Leihu ripped the sapling in front of him out, fiddled with it carelessly for a moment, then threw it on the ground with disdain:
"Even if a ghost comes, it'll die after taking a shot from your grandpa."
With that, Zhao Leihu turned his head and looked provocatively at Jiang Shan.
Jiang Shan looked coldly at Zhao Leihu without speaking. Right now, he was hoping Zhao Leihu would jump around a few more times to help him figure out the Ghost's Killing Pattern.
Seeing Jiang Shan remain silent, Zhao Leihu snorted coldly. His gaze intentionally or unintentionally flickered toward Jiang Shan, and he whispered to the three behind him:
"Let's go, we'll bring Director Li and Director Guo to the car. When we get back, we'll have to slice off a few pieces of flesh from those two, and as for what we need to do next, I don't need to spell it out, right?"
"Understood," the three replied in unison.
Immediately afterward, the three walked into the hotel, stepping over the lobby covered in tree roots, and disappeared from Jiang Shan's sight as they went up the stairs.
Not long after, Jiang Shan heard the sound of a door being violently broken on the third floor, followed by wailing and a burst of hurried footsteps.
Old Zhao came down the stairs carrying an unconscious man on his back, while the remaining three supported a disheveled, fat, and big-eared Middle-aged man, walking down the stairs step by step.
"I don't want to die! I don't want to turn into a tree! Ahhh, I don't want to die!" the fat, big-eared Middle-aged man cried out.
"Director Li, you won't die, look at the four of us, haven't we all survived?"
Even though Director Li wanted to leave, he was held tightly by the three, who could only drag him along.
But just as the four were about to exit the hotel, a sudden change occurred.
The fat, big-eared Director Li suddenly stood still on the spot; no matter how hard the three tried, they could no longer move him an inch.
Old Cao was about to get angry when he heard his companion's trembling voice:
"Director Li's—Director Li's leg has turned into a tree!"
I will write this book with dedication!
Thank you for your help, brothers!