paranoianovel Chapter 103 Entering the Back Mountain
Chapter 103 Entering the Back Mountain
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from the depths of the thick fog in front of them, rapidly approaching their direction.
Evelyn's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately drew her peach wood stick with a "whoosh," holding it horizontally in front of her in a standard defensive stance.
At the same time, he shielded Anna behind him and whispered, "Something's coming, be careful!"
Anna quickly pulled out her peach wood stick and nervously swallowed.
The footsteps grew closer, and the thick fog was slowly parted like a curtain, gradually revealing the figures.
The first man was tall and burly, it was Vassim, he carried a peach wood stick in his arms and his eyes were scanning the surroundings warily.
Lin Feng followed closely behind, with an orange cat lazily perched on his shoulder.
The orange cat's amber eyes gleamed in the mist, sweeping over with a nonchalant scrutiny.
"It's Lin Feng and Vassim!" Anna visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Evelyn, however, did not immediately lower her guard. Her peachwood staff remained firmly pointed forward as she suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:
"Where was I in the tug-of-war competition during PE class this morning?"
Lin Feng was taken aback by the question, but then realized that it was a verification of his identity.
He blurted out almost without thinking: "The third position."
The answer is completely correct.
Evelyn's cold expression melted away. She slowly put away the peach wood stick and asked with some doubt:
"How did you find us?"
Lin Feng pointed in the direction they came from and explained, "We heard the fire alarm on the way, probably coming from your girls' dormitory, so we guessed it was probably you guys making a commotion by coming out."
"Considering the strange fog and the ease with which one could get lost, we rushed over to provide assistance immediately."
"Yes," Evelyn nodded with lingering fear, "We just encountered a maze. We were walking in a straight line, but somehow we ended up back where we started."
"That's normal. This fog is rather malevolent; it can interfere with perception," Lin Feng said, his tone carrying a hint of relief as he glanced at the orange cat on his shoulder.
"Thanks to Orange for acting as our personal 'cat-shaped GPS' here."
Upon hearing this, the orange cat raised its chin slightly, and a very human-like smug look appeared in its squinting cat eyes, while the tip of its tail twitched gently twice.
Lin Feng patted the orange cat's head and said seriously, "This place is not safe to stay in for long, Brother Orange, which direction should we go next?"
The orange cat casually pointed in a certain direction with its paw, then readjusted its posture, rested its head on its crossed front paws, and closed its eyes, as if leading the way was such a trivial matter that it wasn't worth its time.
Following the direction indicated by the orange cat, the four carefully disappeared into the thick, impenetrable fog once again.
........................
The closer we got to the back of the mountain, the thicker the fog seemed to become.
It felt thicker and stickier, as if each step forward was tearing apart an invisible, wet spider web.
The air was so heavy it was almost suffocating. The invisible resistance grew stronger and stronger, not only slowing their steps but also trying to penetrate their mouths and noses, entangle their minds, and bring waves of nausea and dizziness.
"Something's wrong," Vassim gasped, brandishing his peachwood staff. "This fog... it's deliberately blocking our way!"
Evelyn and Anna also found it difficult to walk, with Anna even needing to hold tightly to Evelyn's arm to keep her balance.
The sticky mist seemed to transform into countless cold hands, pulling at them.
Just when everyone felt the pressure mounting and it was almost impossible to move forward—
"Meow—!!!"
A roar filled with authority and rage exploded on Lin Feng's back!
A beam of orange light burst forth from Lin Feng's shoulder.
The orange cat leaped into the air like lightning, and its body expanded rapidly during the leap, transforming in an instant from the size of a house cat into a giant beast with muscles bulging, almost the size of a tiger!
It emanated a faint golden halo, forcing the suffocating, viscous fog around it back several feet, and its amber pupils seemed to be burning with golden flames.
"You ignorant fool, how dare you block my path!"
The orange cat raised its right front paw, which resembled a small fan, high, its sharp claws gleaming with a cold light and wrapped with visible golden rays. It then swung it down fiercely at the thick wall of mist in front of it!
"Sizzle—!"
A strange sound, like cloth being forcibly torn, rang out!
The seemingly ethereal mist was actually ripped open with three huge gashes by the orange cat's sharp claws!
The torn "wound" did not disappear; instead, a dark red, viscous liquid, like dirty blood, gushed out, and a strong smell of blood and decay instantly filled the air.
"Ugh—!"
From the depths of the fog, a painful wail seemed to echo.
With that mournful cry, the sticky resistance receded as quickly as the tide.
Although the surrounding fog density did not decrease significantly, the malicious sense of obstruction disappeared, and everyone immediately felt lighter and their breathing became much easier.
........................
Studio:
"Holy crap! The Orange Cat Emperor has revealed his true form! Is this some kind of orange tiger descended to earth?!"
"666666! One swipe and even the mist bled!"
"Just because the tiger isn't roaring doesn't mean it's a sick cat! The ancients were right!"
"Our orange cat is tough and doesn't talk much!"
"Fog: I've cracked, literally cracked..."
"Long live the Cat Emperor! From now on, I'm the most loyal servant of the Orange Cat Emperor (cloud)!"
........................
The golden light around the orange cat gradually faded, and its body shrank back to that of a house cat.
Lin Feng bent down, picked it up, and placed it back on his shoulder.
The four continued on their way and soon arrived at the rather hidden "dog hole" under the fence.
Evelyn did not hesitate at all when she was sent to the front lines.
She deftly bent down, quickly used her flashlight to check the situation inside the cave, and then used both hands and feet to nimbly crawl inside, her figure disappearing into the darkness on the other side.
Wasim followed closely behind.
His burly body seemed to struggle a bit as he passed through, but he cleverly tightened his muscles and managed to squeeze through without any serious injury, though he inevitably brought down a lot of loose soil.
As a ballet dancer, Anna possessed exceptional flexibility, making the course the easiest for her.
Lin Feng, who was responsible for covering the rear, patted the orange cat on his shoulder and whispered, "Brother Orange, it's your turn."
"Meow~" the orange cat responded, its body moving like an orange lightning bolt as it darted into the hole in a flash.
Lin Feng then bent down and quickly passed through the dog hole.
Relying on her memories of the previous exploration, Evelyn struggled to find her way through the thick fog, leading the three of them quickly along the overgrown, crooked mountain path.
The fog here seemed a little thinner than outside, but visibility was still extremely low, barely enough to see the ground beneath one's feet and the environment a few meters ahead.
Before long, a dark shadow, like the remains of a giant beast, gradually emerged from the hazy mist—
That was their destination: the abandoned school building.