Chen Ge was caught in a not-so-good situation; there was a spider-like shadow moving above him, there were echoing footsteps about one meter behind him, and the woman in a red dress was waving at him not far away in front of him. Under such circumstances, he was experiencing an impossible pressure.
Moving forward, Chen Ge continued calling out his name. He calculated the number of steps in his mind, and he slowly walked past the waving woman. He ignored her, and there was no shift in his expression, like he had not even noticed her.
Different from Chen Ge's calmness, the white cat in his arms kept groaning softly, like it was reminding Chen Ge to stop walking into the tunnel. When he made the 30th step, Chen Ge turned his head slightly to look beside him.
The woman who kept her head lowered did not give up. She leaned against the left side of the tunnel and followed him. They moved down the tunnel together. Technically speaking, they each walked their own path, so they should not have been interfering with one another, but Chen Ge felt the distance between them decreasing.
The reason a spirit lingers in this world is because of resentment—just what happened to her before she died? Why would she attack those who wanted to save her? Was she killed by a driver who offered her a ride?
As that thought entered his mind, Chen Ge turned to look at the woman. She was wearing a normal looking red dress, and her legs were covered with cuts and bruises. She was only wearing one white sandal—the other one apparently missing. The skin that was exposed was stuck with pins from some plants.
A Red Specter? Chen Ge was not sure of his speculation. I'm just doing a daily quest. There shouldn't be a Red Specter.
With the title of Specter's Favored, Chen Ge was not really sure of that. I'll just ignore her for now and finish the forty-four steps first. If anything happens, I'll just run.
This tunnel had been abandoned for years already. However, due to Chen Ge's entry, the things inside started to awaken. Pairs of eyes stared at him from the dark. Repeating the same motion made Chen Ge feel like his legs were frozen, and it took great effort to move each step.
"Chen Ge." His voice was low, but somehow, there was an echo. It sounded like there was another Chen Ge standing at the end of the tunnel, calling his name back to him.
That should be the 34th call. Chen Ge kept the number in his mind, and he prepared to call for the 35th time.
Chen Ge raised his foot, and before he opened his lips, a woman's voice appeared in his ear. It was unclear, and it seemed to come from the female ghost!
Freezing on the spot, Chen Ge glanced at the left side of the tunnel from the corner of his eyes. The tussled hair blocked her face, and the woman studied Chen Ge through the curtain of her hair. Her eyes were hidden under the hair like two dark holes. The lips that were bruised opened and closed. It seemed like a wooden pipe had been shoved down the woman's throat because her voice was special, and each time she spoke, it sounded like she was puffing out air. What is she saying?
Chen Ge's tempo was disrupted. He lowered his foot, and when he was about to speak, the woman once again made another noise. This time Chen Ge heard it clearly, the woman was calling his name. "Chen Ge…"
His forehead was covered in cold sweat. If this was just a normal ghost, he would not have been so afraid, but this could be a Red Specter. Chen Ge ignored the woman and continued to move forward. He could sense more things congregating in the darkness. He was like a person dropped into the sea, where many creatures hid in the dark. His heart raced, and Chen Ge did not slow down. His last shred of rationality told him that the black phone would not send him on a mission that he could not survive. Nightmare Missions were hard, but there had to be a way to survive them.
There have been so many car accidents inside this tunnel, so there must be many spirits here. However, other than this woman, none of the other ghosts have shown themselves. This is very weird. Chen Ge glanced at the woman, and as those drivers on the internet said, the woman was slowly catching up to him. According to the drivers, the woman would eventually show up beside the car window, her face stuck to the glass. I'm not in a car, so if I continue to ignore her, will she stick herself to my face?
Chen Ge started to miss the hammer as he wiped the sweat from his palms. The woman slowly moved toward Chen Ge. She maintained the same speed as Chen Ge. When Chen Ge increased in speed, she did too, and when Chen Ge stopped, she stood at the wall, looking at Chen Ge silently. A few more steps, and it'll be over. However, the problem is… how do I leave?
When he first entered the tunnel, Chen Ge could feel the chilliness coming from within. Just ten meters into the tunnel, he had been covered by that chilliness, the flashlight in his hand giving him no sense of security.
The way back is already blocked, and I still have no idea what is following behind me. If I turn around, I might see something scarier.
Rubble occasionally fell from above his head. The large shadow that looked like a spider stretched its limbs. It moved with Chen Ge like it had picked Chen Ge as its prey.
Have Nightmare Missions always been so difficult?
Without any outside help, facing several Specters at once was too difficult for Chen Ge. Have I missed out on something important?
He put his focus back on the woman. He studied her closely, and when he paid attention, the woman's head suddenly crumbled inwards like it had been hit by something blunt and hard. The whole face was misshapen, and her eyes were poking out. Chen Ge resisted the urge to scream and forced himself to ignore the woman, taking the 40th step.
Only four steps left. The woman's body was still changing. Chen Ge did not turn to look, but the sounds kept drilling into his ears. If it is just a simple car accident, she wouldn't have ended up like this. Something horrible must have happened to her.
Chen Ge's hands were shaking, and the pressure mounted.
"I'm here, save me." The woman's voice turned uglier, and the distance between them narrowed. "I'm here, just beside you, I'm here!"
The woman asked Chen Ge for help, but Chen Ge did not dare extend his aid. Helping her would be bad, but not helping her would be worse.