The World Below Surface
Chapter 34: Called Shadow

Upon leaving the apartment, Lu Yan caught a whiff of the overpowering, sickly—sweet scent. Descending the stairs and stepping outside the residential building, he glanced back to replace a black cat perched atop a balcony, peering down at him with green, deeply expressive eyes that betrayed a complex emotion uncommon for an animal. As the old saying goes, cats have nine lives... Lu Yan hesitated for a moment before pivoting on his heel and departing.

"Little Mimi, don't climb up to the balcony," a pair of elderly hands reached out from behind to scoop up the black cat. It meowed softly and snuggled up in the old woman's embrace, revelling in the affectionate strokes.

"Why is my heart always pounding so fiercely? Where could QingQing be? Why hasn't she come home this late?" The old woman murmured as she caressed the cat's sleek fur.

The mounting sense of danger was causing her to feel increasingly agitated, and she hastily entered a small, enigmatic room.

This room was accessible to no one but her. Once, QingQing had ventured inside as a child and received a severe beating from the old woman. Since then, QingQing had learned her lesson and had never dared to set foot in the room again.

She regarded QingQing as her child and felt just as heartbroken as the girl when she cried. But she had already chosen this path and could not let the child follow in her footsteps!

Certain areas were forbidden for humans to touch...

The room was very cramped and incredibly dark, but it was immaculate, without a single speck of dust upon closer inspection. A small shrine was placed in the centre of the wall, upon which a horrifying idol was enshrined.

At first glance, it appeared nothing unusual, like a peaceful lady. But once one's gaze met its eyes, a chill would emanate from the heart, as if... seeing something evil to the extreme. If it were not for the shrine, no one would consider it an idol, perhaps even mistaking it for a terrifying ghost.

As soon as the old woman entered the room, she knelt on the cushion and closed her eyes, whispering in a low voice, too scared to look. Unaware and too afraid to notice, the colour of the small statue turned increasingly crimson as she prayed.

Finally, when she finished praying, the old woman slowly stood up. By then, it was already very late at night, and with no light inside the room, the idol became increasingly blurry. Only the red colour became more and more prominent in the darkness.

With shaking hands, she picked up the incense box and matches placed beneath the shrine and rubbed the match head against the sandpaper side of the matchbox. A flame ignited, but strangely, it immediately went out.

"This... this is..." she stuttered.

Without hesitation, she lit another match. But to her astonishment, the flame flickered and died out as quickly as before.

"No, it can't be..." The old woman's forehead was beaded with sweat. Striking three matches at once, she finally succeeded in lighting the incense. She sighed deeply and promptly placed the three sticks into the censer on the shrine.

'May QingQing be blessed... May she return home safely...' However, in the blink of an eye, all three incense sticks snapped in half!

The eerie idol on the shrine contorted into a grotesque shape and turned a bright red. Its lips curled into an icy smile. Before the old woman could react, the room door slammed shut.

"No..."

**

"Since you are still students, contact your families. Give them any reason; just say you'll return home late tonight. If you take this game seriously, we will send you back safely," Nie Yun Zhen said to the two girls, leading them towards Yin—Yang Road.

Wen Qing's cat dangled from a tree, swaying gently in the wind. Everyone retreated and stood at a safe distance from the tree.

In numerous legends, creatures like black cats and crows are said to be accompanied by ominous signs. There are even rumours that cats have nine lives and black cats bring bad luck. However, it doesn't matter whether it's a black or white cat for those who have been on long—term missions. It could bring bad luck as long as it dies abnormally, so they don't hesitate to avoid it.

"Really?" Wen Qing hesitated to take the phone from Nie Yun Zhen, so Shi Yan took it and placed it in the girl's hand.

She carefully opened the call interface.

"Of course, it's true. But I advise you to be cautious with your words," Shi Yan whispered. Her ability to come this far was due to her strength of character.

Wen Qing was intimidated by the hostility in her eyes and immediately nodded, "As long as you keep your promise."

Only Chu Xiu found something strange about her words.

Her tone wasn't entirely pleading but instead carried a hint of warning. It seemed like she was telling them that failing to send her back would result in dire consequences.

Why would she say that?

The others didn't pay attention. After Wen Qing took the phone, she gave it to Yun Qian to inform her family. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she had to turn on the speaker to put their minds at ease.

Yun Qian's parents didn't care about her, so they didn't pay much attention when they heard that she was going to a classmate's birthday party.

But when it was Wen Qing's turn, there was a problem — no one answered the call.

In a matter of moments, Wen Qing's complexion had turned pallid. She didn't wait for anyone to speak and kept dialling the number repeatedly. Her hand trembled so violently, and her eyes were full of terror. Despite her attempts, the voice on the other end repeated the same message, "The user you're calling is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

How was this possible?

Wen Qing's face went as white as a sheet, and she murmured, "No, I have to go back... I have to go back now! Let me go! I want to go back!"

Nie Yun Zhen and Ye Sheng Ke were nearby and instantly grabbed her. Wen Qing put up a fierce struggle. The two men thought they could easily hold her down. However, they were taken aback when they realized how much strength she possessed.

She yelled out, "Let me go back! I want to go back!"

With a resounding click, the safety was taken off the gun.

Chu Xiu raised his hand, and the muzzle was placed on her forehead.

Wen Qing froze, tears cascading down her face. Regardless of the two men's attempts to restrain her, she knelt in one swift motion and pleaded, "Please, I want to go back... I must go back..."

"The game will end after midnight, and then you can leave." Chu Xiu said in a cold voice.

The gun remained pointed at her forehead without a hint of mercy.

Just then, the phone that had fallen to the ground lit up. The ringing had stopped.

Wen Qing's heart raced as she heard an old woman's hoarse and cold voice, "Hello..."

Ignoring the gun aimed at her head, she rushed to answer, "Grandma! It's me, QingQing."

"Qing...Qing..." Each word was emphasized as if savoured by the old woman.

Wen Qing responded eagerly, her mind regaining rationality, "Grandma, I visiting Xiao Qian's house today. Yun Qian is my friend, so I'll return late. Please go to bed early."

"...Qian...Qian... okay..." The old woman's voice was rough and grating, like the sound of sandpaper, making Wen Qing feel uneasy but also relieved.

At least her grandmother was alright.

She hung up the phone and handed it back to Chu Xiu.

The surroundings grew even colder. The black cat hanging from the tree swayed gently.

"Three hours until midnight; let's wait in the car," Shi Yan suggested.

So, the six of them returned to the SUV. It was spacious enough for everyone to sit comfortably.

Wen Qing and Yun Qian sat in the back, tightly holding hands.

With a stranger among them, the four didn't bring up the mission again and instead turned to talk about games. They could sense that Wen Qing was somewhat different from the other girl, so the other three intentionally tried to pry for information during their conversation.

Only Chu Xiu seemed to be doing nothing, sitting in the passenger seat. However, he was using the rearview mirror to observe everyone.

Everything seemed normal, without any anomalies.

As time passed, the outside grew darker and darker, with only two beams of headlights illuminating the road. Unconsciously, even the temperature dropped. Reluctantly, Nie Yun Zhen turned on the air conditioning, causing the fog to gradually blur the car windows. He then activated the wipers, watching as the two black wipers moved in a semi-circle.

Feeling bored, Yun Qian sighed against the window in the back seat before playfully writing a random word with her finger.

After finishing, she sighed again and heard Shi Yan call out to her. She quickly wiped away the fog with her hand and turned her head. "What? What's wrong?"

But she didn't catch sight of the fleeting pale face outside the window.

Finally, midnight arrived.

The car restarted and slowly drove forward until it stopped less than fifty meters from the intersection.

None of them noticed that the corpse of a black cat, which had been hanging from a tree and swaying in the wind, suddenly fell to the ground!

It was as if someone had cut the rope.

In the car, Nie Yun Zhen spoke, "Let's first decide who goes first. Remember, every step of the game must be done correctly. Any mistake could lead to terrible consequences that nobody can bear."

As soon as he finished his sentence, the temperature in the car dropped even further, and a feeling of indescribable horror spread among everyone.

Unexpectedly, Yun Qian, the timidest of them all, said weakly, "I'll go first. Qing Qing and I will go first, and then you guys make sure we leave quickly."

Nie Yun Zhen saw that Chu Xiu had no objections, so he nodded in agreement. Wen Qing insisted on accompanying Yun Qian and didn't want to wait in the car. She got out and stood by the car window, watching as Yun Qian trembled and took one step at a time.

The air grew colder, and her legs shook. She didn't know why she was the first to agree.

'Never mind, whether you stick your neck out or keep it in is all the same. The sooner it's done, the better.'

'Nothing will happen... nothing will happen...' Yun Qian silently repeated these words, slowly walking forward while stepping on her shadow.

Speaking of which, the weather tonight wasn't suitable for playing this game. There was no moon, and only a few stars were visible. The road had no streetlights, and once the trees cast shadows, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. If it weren't for the car headlights, you wouldn't even see a hint of a shadow.

When she was seven or eight meters from the crossroads, Yun Qian forced herself to endure the fear in her heart and whispered her name according to the rules they had told her.

"Yun Qian," she stepped forward, treading on her shadow.

"Yun Qian," she took another step.

"Yun Qian," one more step.

She counted to thirteen as she took each step. She became like a startled bird when she arrived at the thirteenth step. Every muscle in her body tensed with fear. She didn't dare to look at her shadow on the ground to see if anything had changed. If she could, she would have fled back to the car immediately, but she couldn't.

Those people had threatened her with Qing Qing.

She had to complete the steps.

Yun Qian didn't dare utter a sound. She stood stiffly in place, slowly lowering her head.

Looking down at the ground, her whole body felt like it had been plunged into an icehouse. Her hands and feet became cold instantly.

Her... her shadow had become two!

There was another shadow. Whose was it?

Whose?!

Her breath became rapid, but she remembered the instructions from those people.

Under no circumstances should she make a sound. She had to listen to what the other person would say.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded in her ear. It was impossible to distinguish whether it belonged to a man or a woman, young or old. At the same time, an icy breath came from behind her, as if... that thing was pressing against her back!

"Find... for me..." the voice trailed off.

Find what?

She remained frozen in place.

She would have noticed a pale figure pressed tightly against her back if she had turned her head.

The voice trailed off, "Find...replace my..." Despite her efforts, Yun Qian couldn't hear clearly. She didn't dare ask any questions.

After those two sentences were spoken, the cold sensation behind her suddenly disappeared, and the shadow on the ground returned to its original form.

Yun Qian couldn't resist any more and ran. She covered her mouth while sprinting back. She remembered not to utter a sound; otherwise, that thing would bring her unbearable consequences.

"What happened in the end?" Wen Qing embraced her, feeling her shivering in her arms.

She shook her head, too afraid to speak. Looking at Yun Qian, they all knew she must have encountered something paranormal. This outcome left everyone feeling uneasy.

"Let's get in the car first." Sitting in the middle, Shi Yan opened the car door and carefully helped Yun Qian get in. Wen Qing held her. They didn't notice that the colour of the shadow under Yun Qian's feet had slightly darkened. "Yun Qian, what did you see just now?" Shi Yan inquired.

Wen Qing and Shi Yan's attempts to extract information proved fruitless. Yun Qian could only shake her head vigorously, tears streaming down her face, and when she tried to speak, no sound came out.

Her intense fear and psychological pressure left her unable to communicate!

"Hey, you..." Ye Sheng Ke began to speak, but his words were cut short when Yun Qian suddenly fainted.

Nie Yun Zhen rolled down the car window. A blast of cold air rushed in, clearing his restless mind. "Brother Chu, what should we do now? Should we still continue?"

"Of course, we should." Chu Xiu hadn't spoken yet, but Shi Yan spoke up, turning to Wen Qing and saying, "It's your turn now."

Wen Qing pursed her lips and nodded. "Don't touch her."

"As long as you take this seriously, we won't harm her."

Wen Qing carefully grasped Yun Qian's cold hand and retrieved the amulet she had lent her.

She began to walk slowly forward, one step at a time.

The temperature outside the car had dropped even further, almost as cold as midwinter. Wen Qing wrapped her school uniform tightly around herself and approached where Yun Qian had just been.

"Wen Qing, Wen Qing, Wen Qing..."

She recited her name with each step, stepping on her own shadow. When she reached the thirteenth step, Wen Qing faintly heard a cat meow.