Lakeside Ghost Story 5

At exactly nine o'clock, an enormous moon hung high overhead, looking down upon the entirety of Golden Lake. Even the clouds seemed to have foreseen the danger and hidden somewhere beyond human sight. The whole sky held nothing but that bizarrely huge full moon, shrouded in hazy mist like frosted glass.

Zhuo Yu sat beside the campfire. On a sudden impulse, he looked up at the sky.

For some reason, a strange memory flooded into his mind.

Locally, such a huge, close moon, so immense one could practically make out its craters, was called the Hunter's Moon. On this day, hunters lurking in unknown corners would begin their hunt.

He seemed to have seen a moon like this a long time ago.

Zhuo Yu frowned. He disliked the sensation of being influenced by a role. He was certain that memory just now had come from that "unknown role."

He looked at the veterans. None of them seemed to have noticed anything amiss, and he had no interest in joining Zhou Wu's bragging contest, so he silently pulled a book from the side pocket of his wheelchair.

Zhuo Yu had found this copy of Seven-Day Tales in the nightstand by his bed. It was not the famous French work, but something written by the locals.

This slim volume recorded the stories passed down on their land.

Before the Spanish colonizers had discovered Florida, this had been the homeland of Native Americans. The tales thus carried a strong Incan flavor; rather than a collection of stories, it was more like a book on religion.

Zhuo Yu had already read it cover to cover on the first night, but it had not offered many clues. It only told of a god's seven days of suffering. The god was tortured relentlessly by ignorant people for seven days, then finally died in a spring and became a lake.

Not only were those ignorant people not punished, they discovered that drinking from the spring would grant eternal life and everlasting youth.

That was the story of the Fountain of Youth.

It was not recorded only in this book. In real history, Florida was also renowned for its legend of the "Fountain of Youth."

In 1943, a man named Juan Ponce de Leon followed Columbus to the Americas, becoming the first Spaniard to set foot in the New World. There, he heard many strange tales from the Native Americans. Stories of the Fountain of Youth circulated among all these mysterious tribes, and to de Leon, it was clearly more tempting than gold or silver.

To find the Fountain of Youth, he sought permission from the king of Spain, then drifted at sea for years before finally discovering the treasure that was Florida.

Yet before he could find the Fountain of Youth, he died in a conflict with the natives. Florida became a Spanish colony, and a long war erupted. No one cared anymore about those illusory legends. They simply plundered this fertile land with abandon.

Later, Florida became American territory. Blessed with unrivaled scenery and climate, it became famed as an "earthly Elysium," and under its scorching heat turned into the American capital with the largest population, the most mixed ethnicities, and the worst public safety.

There were sizzling bikinis and intoxicating golden beaches here, but the Fountain of Youth that flowed through the souls of the Native Americans had vanished without a trace.

Zhuo Yu set down Seven-Day Tales and looked toward the rippling lake. Could it be...

Before he could even think the name Golden Lake, the System came online.

[Plot milestone achieved: Four young people from Springwater Town have disregarded Golden Lake's frightening local legends and embarked on a camping trip that might as well be a journey to their deaths. The danger of the first night is right before them, yet no one has noticed anything unusual. Jack is still enjoying a leisurely time here as planned, unaware that on the second night, they will encounter the most unforgettable sight of their lives. After all, Golden Lake hates outsiders.]

The System's mechanical, icy voice rang out. Then it issued its command.

[Prerequisite Quest: Enjoy the delights of the Golden Lake scenic area. Completed.]

[Main Quest updated: Run. Run with all your might! Survive until dawn!]

At the same time, the barrage feed in the entire viewing area boiled over.

[Here it comes!!! Day Two of Seven-Day Tales!!!]

[The boss is coming! The boss!!]

[Damn it, can people who've seen it stop spoiling it? Somebody report this guy!]

[Hahaha, I can't wait to see them get slaughtered.]

[First time watching this movie. Is it scary?]

[Replying to the above: It's an ultra-scary gore film. I was lucky enough to see it once, and it made me throw up. Those drowned revenants are nothing. The boss is the main thing. He's seriously brutal; the way he kills is practically violent aesthetics!]

[LOL, Golden Lake really hates outsiders. At first it didn't take them seriously, so it only sent one drowned revenant. Now it must be furious from humiliation.]

[So why did Zhuo Yu survive? This kid definitely hid his role and skills, didn't he? Pah, what a black-hearted lotus!]

[Who cares? We're all here for the gore~]

The utterly cold-blooded barrage feed kept scrolling, just like Golden Lake as it suddenly heaved with waves.

The instant Zhou Wu saw the quest, the canteen in his hand dropped to the ground in fright. The other players became alert as well, all huddling together back to back. When waves began rolling across the lake, everyone threw aside whatever they were holding. Some ran for the RV, others fled into the cabin, and chaos broke out in an instant.

Zhou Wu rushed for the RV first, only to discover in despair that it would not start. Just like in every horror movie, at the critical moment, transportation always failed.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran for the cabin instead. With his larger build, he shoved Li Mingfeng out of his way, nearly knocking him flat. But Zhou Wu had no time to care. He did not even spare Mu Ying a glance before charging straight through the door.

The others followed him into the cabin, leaving Zhuo Yu alone outside, laboriously turning the wheels of his wheelchair as grass, branches, and stones blocked his way.

With a bang, the front door shut right before Zhuo Yu's eyes.

The veterans looked at Fang Hao, who had closed it. Disapproval showed in their eyes, but no one stopped him.

"Forget that cripple. Staying alive is what matters. There really are monsters in that lake, aren't there?!" Fang Hao was like a bow drawn taut; one more bit of force and his nerves would snap.

At that moment, Zhou Wu no longer mocked Fang Hao for being unable to handle pressure. If it had been him, he would have done the same.

He pulled out his pistol. It was an extremely old-fashioned revolver with only six bullets. He had run off in such a hurry that he had not had time to grab the boxed ammunition from the RV, and the thought vexed him terribly.

He had no idea whether a pistol would work on creatures from a horror movie.

Besides Zhou Wu, everyone else was gasping for breath, their scalps prickling as though they might explode. Like quail, they stared wide-eyed and did not dare make a sound.

Yet one minute passed... Then two minutes... and there was still no movement outside.

Having calmed down, the actors exchanged looks. No one dared go out to check.

Three knocks made Fang Hao nearly jump out of his skin. Before he could turn and run, Zhuo Yu's voice came from outside.

"It's me. There's nothing outside. Let me in."

Everyone hesitated suspiciously for a while before finally opening the door a narrow crack, barely wide enough to let Zhuo Yu enter.

Zhou Wu let out a breath. With great effort, he shoved two couches against the door, barricading it tightly. This time, no matter who told him to open it, he would not.

There was no expression on Zhuo Yu's face, much less any resentment at having been abandoned. He merely shook out his aching wrist and calmly said to Fang Hao, "Want to take a look? There really is nothing out there."

Fang Hao stood trembling by the window. At Zhuo Yu's words, he actually leaned over to look.

The moment he did, his heart nearly stopped.

Outside the window were densely packed, swollen, corpse-pale human figures. Some had their chests split open, their organs spilled across the ground. Others were missing arms or legs, wriggling continuously over the earth. The drowned revenants spotted Fang Hao's shocked face through the crack in the window. They screamed and wailed, their cries brimming with the excitement of having found prey, and all of them twisted toward the cabin and crawled forward.

"Monsters! The monsters are coming!"

Before the words had even fallen, every monster abruptly froze. Like a flock of sheep scared witless by a higher predator, they fled madly in every direction.

Then an enormous crocodile suddenly appeared outside the window. Its head gave off the scent of tanned leather; it had plainly been dead for a long time. Only its deep-lake eyes remained, staring directly into Fang Hao's.

At once, a teammate's shout and the sound of shattering glass rang out together!

"Get away from the window!" Zhou Wu's eyes were wide with rage.

Too late.

The crocodile abruptly rose to its feet. Beneath that animal head was the sturdy body of a man. A knotted, muscular arm burst through the window, spraying glass and wood chips everywhere, and before Fang Hao could react, it seized him by the throat.

The intruder was the water-demon evil spirit the townspeople had spoken of.

At the sight, Zhou Wu shouted and drew his pistol, firing at once. But the bullets did not affect the monster in the slightest; they did not even make its body sway. He immediately put away the gun and dragged Mu Ying toward the second floor.

With a crack, Fang Hao's blood-engorged face turned purple. Blood gushed from his mouth. His throat bones had been crushed.

On the stairs, Zhou Wu felt as though his heart were about to leap from his chest. If he had retained any confidence before, now it shattered completely. The size and strength he had once taken pride in were laughable compared with this monster.

He was six feet one, while the crocodile-headed man looked to be over six and a half feet. The monster's freakishly powerful body was overwhelmingly terrifying. One glance was enough to leave a person without hope.

He would not last three seconds against it.

The monster released its grip, and Fang Hao immediately collapsed to the floor, convulsing. Heavy footsteps sounded from the front entrance.

With one kick, the two overlapping couches barricading the door were sent flying aside. Cold wind poured in through the wide-open door.

"Run!"

Zhou Wu seized Mu Ying's hand and continued toward the attic window. Extreme terror left him unable to spare a thought for Zhuo Yu, who was closest to the monster. He climbed the stairs at the fastest speed of his life, and a sliver of relief even surfaced in his heart.

Zhuo Yu would probably be next. He felt sorry about it, but he still hoped Zhuo Yu's death could buy him a few minutes.

The crocodile-headed man bent down and entered the cabin, blocking the howling wind as he stood in the doorway. He held a huge ax that gleamed with chilling light.

Whether it was a final burst of strength or whether he had truly held on, Fang Hao, clutching his throat, had survived. He had soiled himself, but the will to live in his eyes only surged stronger. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he forced himself to his feet. Instead of running, the first thing he did was shove Zhuo Yu toward the monster to buy himself time.

A huge force knocked Zhuo Yu to the ground. His wheelchair toppled beside him, its wheels spinning uselessly, and he was only a few steps away from the strange man.

Fang Hao had spent the last of his strength. He, too, collapsed onto the wooden floor as though drained dry, writhing like a maggot as he coughed blood and tried to escape.

Just a little farther...

Just a little farther...

Someone else would be killed, not him! He was only a freshman, still so young. He could not die like this!

Fang Hao's eyes were bloodshot, as though he had gone mad.

In an instant, a sharpened fork pierced his wrist, pinning him directly to the floor.

"--Hhk, hhk!!!"

Fang Hao wanted to scream, but no sound came from his ruined throat. He could only gasp like a broken bellows. Struggling, he raised his head and saw Zhuo Yu flash him a wicked smile.

"Darling, where do you think you're running off to?"

And Zhuo Yu's hand still gripped the fork's handle.