pdf-ebookys Chapter 314 The "Prank" of Light
Chapter 314 The "Prank" of Light
The compass needle could not point north at all, swinging irregularly, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly, as if it were being interfered with by some mysterious force.
“A normal compass wouldn’t behave like this,” Li Xiangyang frowned, “unless there’s a strong magnetic field interfering.”
Wang Ergou was puzzled and looked nervous: "A strong magnetic field? Where would a strong magnetic field come from in this desolate wilderness?"
Li Xiangyang did not answer, but instead took out a perfectly intact compass.
Disturbingly, this brand-new compass also malfunctioned in this area, completely losing its directional indication function.
“No wonder those people got lost,” Li Xiangyang said in a deep voice. “Here, compasses simply don’t work.”
Wang Ergou's face instantly turned pale: "Could this be the legendary 'ghost wall'? Are we going to be stuck here too?"
Seeing Wang Ergou's panicked expression, Li Xiangyang gently patted his shoulder: "Don't be afraid. The survey team relies on magnetic fields to orient themselves, which is why they get lost. But we have Xuanmao, Xiaohu, and the little golden eagle; they don't completely rely on magnetic fields for navigation."
This comforting reassurance seemed to work; Wang Ergou's tense shoulders relaxed a little, but his face still showed worry: "You're right, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, the black cat suddenly jumped off Li Xiangyang's shoulder and hissed in a certain direction ahead.
Meanwhile, Little Tiger was also restless, pacing around in circles, sometimes looking up to sniff the air, sometimes lying on the ground whimpering.
The little golden eagle perched on Wang Ergou's shoulder kept flapping its wings, as if it was about to leave.
“They sensed it too,” Li Xiangyang frowned deeply. “Something’s wrong here.”
The two walked forward cautiously, with the black cat clinging tightly to Li Xiangyang's legs, ready to deal with any possible danger.
After walking for about ten minutes, they found a dead fox in a clearing in the woods, its death strange.
Its eyes were wide open, its pupils dilated, as if it had seen something extremely terrifying before it died.
"This is..." Wang Ergou swallowed hard, not daring to approach.
Li Xiangyang crouched down to examine the fox closely but found no injuries on its body.
He wanted to touch the fox's body, but the black cat suddenly jumped onto his arm, stopping him.
“That’s strange,” Li Xiangyang stood up and patted the black cat’s head. “This fox’s death is too unusual.”
As they continued onward, they discovered several dead crows, a squirrel, and even a snake, all of which had died in similar ways.
"Xiangyang, look!" Wang Ergou pointed to a big tree in front of him, where a tattered coat was hanging.
They hurried forward, and around the coat were some personal items: a kettle, a flashlight, and a notebook.
Li Xiangyang opened his notebook, which contained records of the survey team's itinerary and discoveries.
"The magnetic field is unusually strong, and the compasses are completely malfunctioning. Strangely, we've seen migratory birds that shouldn't be here this season... Captain Chen said this is a rare natural phenomenon and told everyone not to panic, to continue heading northwest. However, night..."
The handwriting on the notebook was unusually messy, and it ended abruptly there, with no more content.
Wang Ergou stared at the abruptly stopped writing in the notebook, recalling all the strange sights he had encountered along the way. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he said in a trembling voice, "Xiangyang, this place is very eerie. The survey team may have already suffered some terrible disaster during the night. Maybe we should... stop looking. Saving our lives is the most important thing."
Seeing that he was really scared, Li Xiangyang put his arm around his shoulder and patted him hard: "Ergou, don't be afraid! What storms haven't we brothers weathered? Do you think we'd be scared by something like this? Right now, what we can confirm is that there's something wrong with the magnetic field here, which is why strange things are happening. Doesn't that further prove that it's not some kind of supernatural event at all?"
"Besides, if we just slink back like this, wouldn't we be laughed at for the rest of our lives?"
Li Xiangyang's words had some effect, but fear still lingered in his heart. After hesitating for a while, Wang Ergou gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and suddenly raised his head, shouting, "Okay! Xiangyang, you're right, we brothers can't be cowards! Although I'm still scared, I believe you. Let's continue northwest to find the survey team!"
"That's right, let's go!" Li Xiangyang grinned with satisfaction and took the lead, heading northwest.
The two plunged into the dense forest, where the crisscrossing branches stretched out menacingly, and sharp twigs would occasionally graz their faces, leaving a slight sting.
The footprints on the ground were sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. Based on Li Xiangyang's many years of experience in the mountains, the two followed these clues for about two hours.
As the sun sets in the west, the shadows in the mountains gradually lengthen.
“It’s getting dark,” Li Xiangyang said, looking around and finding a sheltered spot. “Let’s camp here tonight.”
Wang Ergou put down his backpack with a sigh of relief: "Finally, I can rest. This godforsaken place just felt off."
"Indeed, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong. Let's rest first, and be more alert tonight..."
As they talked, the two skillfully set up the tent and cleared an open space to start a fire.
Tiger and Black Cat vigilantly patrolled the area around the camp, while the little golden eagle perched on a nearby branch, occasionally letting out a sharp cry.
As night fell, the surrounding mountains and forests were shrouded in darkness, with only the campfire emitting a warm glow.
The two cooked some simple dry food for dinner and ate it in silence.
"Xiangyang, do you think those people might... already..."
After eating, Wang Ergou once again had second thoughts.
"Don't overthink it. They should all be alive, just lost," Li Xiangyang interrupted him. "Otherwise, how did the other two get out? I'll keep watch, you go to sleep." Seeing this, Li Xiangyang comforted him in a low voice.
Wang Ergou gave an awkward laugh, and without being polite, lay down, trying his best to control his wild thoughts.
Late at night, Li Xiangyang, who was keeping watch by the campfire, suddenly heard a muffled rumble of thunder.
"What kind of weather is this?"
Awakened by the thunder, Wang Ergou groggily opened his eyes and muttered to himself.
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to answer, suddenly, in the flash of lightning, he saw a group of figures on the hillside not far away.
"There are people there!" Li Xiangyang pointed in that direction.
Wang Ergou looked in the direction he was pointing and indeed saw some blurry figures that looked particularly eerie under the light of the lightning.
"Should we go over and take a look?" Wang Ergou asked, his tone hesitant.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "They're probably from the survey team. Take your gun and be careful."
The two quietly left the tent and crept towards the direction where the group of figures were.
As they closed the distance, they were surprised to find that it was not the survey team, but a group of people dressed in ancient costumes, performing some kind of ritual around a stone platform.
Faced with such a bizarre scene, Wang Ergou gripped the gun handle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his breathing becoming rapid and heavy, and his eyes filled with fear and unease.
Li Xiangyang was equally nervous, but his years of experience in the wild allowed him to barely maintain a semblance of composure.
He knew perfectly well that, from a scientific point of view, what he was seeing was nothing more than a "prank" of light.
However, when he witnessed this group of people dressed in ancient costumes surrounding the stone platform, holding a mysterious and highly ritualistic event, a chill still crept up his spine.