My Demon Friends-Chapter 674 - 635: The Adventures of Baozi

"How come there are only fourteen people? We're missing one."

"Who did we leave behind?"

"Ji Ran? Where did Ji Ran go? Xiao Song, weren't you looking after Sister Ji Ran?"

"She might be taking photos at the back…"

"I'll go check."

A group of people chatted noisily. A few uncles wiped their sweat and stood up, ready to go back and look for her.

Just as they turned around, they saw a petite figure emerge from the winding path below, concealed by grass and trees. She wore a fisherman's hat, had a fair face, and her hands were clasped on the straps of her backpack. She took small but steady steps as she calmly approached them.

The youngest boy, Xiao Song, asked loudly, "Sister Ji Ran, how did you fall behind?"

Baozi looked up but didn't speak.

It's too far; they won't hear me if I speak softly, and I don't have the energy to shout. I'll apologize when I get closer.

However, before she could get close, a group of middle-aged men who doted on her like a niece spoke up, "It must be because the bag is too heavy, and that thermos is so large. You shouldn't carry so much weight up the mountain."

"That thermos is even bigger than mine."

"Xiao Song, why don't you go and help Sister Ji Ran with her load? You're completely empty-handed."

"No wonder you can't find a girlfriend, Xiao Song; you're not gentle at all."

This bunch of crafty old men found the steep mountain road difficult. They didn't want to tire Xiao Jiran, nor did they want to carry the load themselves, so they foisted it onto the young man.

Xiao Song was honest and grumbled, "The reason I can't find a girlfriend is because you guys tricked me into buying lenses, so I go out to take photos every day," while he walked towards Baozi, saying cheerfully, "Sister Ji Ran, let me carry your bag for you; it doesn't look heavy."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Xiao Song said as he took the bag. "It's heavier than I thought. What's inside?"

"A drone, remote control, four batteries, two lenses, a thermos, a cup of milk tea, and a compressed biscuit," Baozi said, feeling much lighter after unloading her bag.

"The milk tea wasn't necessary, was it?"

"Well…"

Baozi nodded in agreement. She'd still bring it next time.

After a brief rest and a chat, seeing that the sky was growing overcast and fog was starting to rise in the mountains, they hurriedly set off.

The light on overcast days wasn't so good, but getting great shots didn't always require bright lighting. Sometimes, misty, foggy weather was even better for capturing the scenery of mountain villages. Sheltering eaves with trickling water, vine leaves washed clean, trumpet flowers beaded with droplets, or mist drifting above roof tiles—all could evoke memories and longing for village life.

With someone helping to carry her bag, Baozi didn't fall behind again. Of course, the main reason was that everyone had moved her to the front of the group to match her pace.

They were out for fun; whether they walked fast or slow didn't make much of a difference.

Gradually, they began to see the village.

Baozi squinted into the distance. It was almost like what she had imagined: a settlement abandoned by humanity, a civilization swallowed by nature.

The slightly plump uncle who organized the activity laughed and said, "Those who film ghost movies probably look for places like this."

Xiao Song, panting, took a closer look. It really did look the part.

"Don't talk about that stuff; it's scary."

"You're scared? Even Ji Ran isn't."

"Sister Ji Ran has a poker face; you can't tell if she's scared from her expression," Xiao Song defended. "Maybe she's already starting to feel frightened inside, right, Sister Ji Ran?"

"I'm not scared."

"…"

The stone path entering the village was covered in moss, with weeds sprouting from the cracks, and was a mess from people having stepped on it before.

The slightly plump uncle moved to the front of the group, stood on a millstone, and surveyed everyone. "Let's split up and do our own thing. Find a spot to shoot, and call out if you find a good view. However, at the very least, move in groups of a few; don't go alone. This place has been deserted for a long time, and I'm worried about wild dogs, wild boars, or snakes, insects, rodents, and ants. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Let me count the people again."

The slightly overweight uncle extended his finger and began counting, only to realize something was even more off—

Why were there still only fourteen people?

Twenty people had signed up for the event a few days ago. Six had dropped out at the last minute, and Xiao Jiran had joined this morning on a whim. There should have been fifteen. They had checked both names and numbers before boarding, and it had been fifteen. Even during the rest halfway up the mountain, the count was double-checked; there was no mistake.

The slightly overweight uncle paused and said, "Don't move, you're making me lose count."

After counting again, it was still fourteen.

"Eh? How strange..."

The slightly overweight uncle murmured to himself while the group below began to stir.

"Everyone, check the people around you."

"Who's missing?"

"It seems like Chief Zhang isn't here."

"It is Chief Zhang!"

"Old Zhang..." the slightly overweight uncle said, a headache coming on. "All seasoned comrades, yet he's dropping the ball without so much as a word."

"Let's call him."

"Okay."

The slightly overweight uncle took out his cell phone.

The call went through, but no one answered.

He called a second time, but the ringing was cut off halfway, and then the call wouldn't connect at all.

"Damn fool!"

The slightly overweight uncle muttered under his breath, though quietly.

Their group was originally a circle of acquaintances, all public servants from the stress-free offices of Wuhua, with ample time and shared interests, which led them to gather. However, they didn't keep their circle completely closed off, so occasionally some young people searching for photography-related group names would join. They didn't mind, believing it to be fate, and nurtured these new members with care.

Despite being acquaintances, they were all civil servants, and cursing wasn't really appropriate.

Everyone waited a while, but when Old Zhang didn't show, they started to grow anxious. Some worried he had lost his way, others feared he had fallen, and some even worried he had been bitten by a snake...

"Heh heh, there's a ghost at play..."

"I don't believe ghosts would appear in broad daylight..."

The first two people spoke in a teasing tone.

The third person coughed. "COUGH, COUGH. You can never tell, though, even though we're all atheists here. But the strange and peculiar events around Chunming in the past couple of years have been quite numerous."

"Don't scare us now."

"A big guy like him can't just disappear without a sound, right? Chief Zhang weighs over 200 pounds; you'd hear a THUMP if he fell."

"Cut it out. Let's go back and look for him. Maybe he's off relieving himself somewhere."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go back and look."

"No need for everyone to go back, though..."

"That's true."

"I'll go look for him!"

"I'll go too!"

"We don't need that many people..."

After a flurry of volunteers, only four people managed to get the chance to go back and search for Old Zhang. They left their backpacks and tripods with those who stayed behind.

Baozi, being a young girl, was naturally forced to stay.

She stood with her back against a stone mill, her feet aching. She looked down and massaged her legs, oblivious to anything amiss.

Another girl, who had just graduated this year, moved next to her and whispered, "I don't know why, but I'm feeling a little scared. This place—desolate mountains, an abandoned village, and now Uncle Zhang suddenly missing. It feels like the start of a horror movie... I didn't feel this way before."

"Mm."

Baozi nodded, her expression completely unchanging.

A middle-aged woman with a silk scarf tied around her neck turned around, smiling as she advised, "Don't be superstitious. I think Chief Zhang is just off taking a dump somewhere."

"But he didn't tell us."

"Who knows what he's up to."

"And he's not answering his phone."

"Don't overthink it..."

"Oh, okay."

The girl nodded her head in agreement, looking perfectly fine, but then she turned to Baozi and whispered softly, "Lately, there have been a lot of strange rumors—online, among people we know... I've heard them all..."

Baozi still nodded calmly while massaging her leg, her gaze flickering as she surveyed the village ahead.

The fronts of the houses were mostly overgrown with weeds and yellow thorn bushes, which bore small blue-purple flowers. Vines climbed the walls, and flowers sprouted from the roofs. Fallen leaves and moss stained the tiles, and even one house's chimney had a small tree growing out of it. They heard it had only been unoccupied for a few years.

Normally, she might have viewed all this through the eyes of a photographer. But as the girl beside her prattled on, even though Baozi hadn't been scared, she felt herself being influenced by the other's fear.

Thus, the houses hidden by the grass began to seem deep and ominous.

Baozi decided not to look and started playing with her phone instead.

There are neither Deities nor ghosts in this world. If there were, they would have been written about in biology books... the biology whiz thought, head down.

「Half an hour later.」

Voices were heard coming from the path ahead.

Due to the obstruction of grass and trees, the voices arrived before the people, but they didn't sound optimistic—everyone was complaining about where Old Zhang had gone.

Four people quickly came into view.

But as soon as they arrived in front of the group of ten, the four of them immediately noticed that someone was missing from the ten.

"Where's Zhang Qiong?"

"Huh?"

The young woman was the first to react. She swiftly turned her head to look beside her. "She was just here a moment ago..."

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly widened.

「One minute later.」

Everyone was gripped by fear.

Even Baozi felt scared because the aunt who had advised them not to be superstitious, the very aunt who had been standing next to them, had vanished without a trace.

The young woman beside her had already screamed, and even the men were breaking out in cold sweat.

"What do we do?"

"Leave the mountain first?"

"No! Call the police first!"

"Let's call the police while descending! Quick, let's go! Ladies in the middle! Hold hands!"

"Right, right, I'll call the police... I remember reading somewhere that in situations like this, you shouldn't be afraid; just call the police first!"

What comforted them somewhat was that the signal was still strong, not at all like in horror movies, and the call to the police connected smoothly.

After hearing their account, the operator confirmed it once and then transferred the call. They described everything once more.

Then, the young man on the other end said in a timid voice, "Try not to separate; ensure your safety. If it's safe to do so, you may try descending the mountain. If you're unsure, stay in a safe place, hold hands, and wait for rescue. Xinjie Town is not far; we will arrive quickly."

Lastly, he added, "Don't be overly frightened. Just think of it as a wild animal."

The call was on speakerphone.

After listening, everyone exchanged glances.

The slightly overweight uncle gulped audibly, disregarding his image. "So those things really do exist in this world!"

Baozi began to feel truly afraid.

Yet, she was tougher than others; despite her fear, she still had the presence of mind for other thoughts. The second operator's voice sounds familiar.

Who does it remind me of...

The group, holding hands, stepped out of the village but then involuntarily stopped, fear silently growing within them.

The fog on the mountain rose like the tide, threatening to engulf their small island—when they had entered the village, they could still vaguely see the county road they had taken. Now, they could only see about a hundred meters below at most; beyond that, the fog grew even thicker.

What lay within the fog, nobody knew.

Everyone knew that fog only obscured the view from afar and would thin out upon approach. Yet, no one dared to walk into it.

"What do we do?"

"This is too bizarre."

Someone remembered what the operator had said—to treat it as a wild animal.

"Go! Back to the village!"

"Find a house, make a fire!"

"Then we can huddle together, hold hands, find something to use as a weapon, and wait for rescue. How about that?"

"Right, right..."

At that moment, anyone who spoke would find agreement.

...

Brother Nan fell asleep again.

Huai Xu huffed, feeling duped by Zhou Li, and decided to ignore him, focusing solely on her game.

Zhou Li, on the other hand, was chatting with Yin Le.

Yin Le: Lin Zhong is lying low.

Yin Le: Most of the things he had set up in our human world should have been withdrawn by now. With their withdrawal, a lot of issues have arisen, revealing many of his arrangements. Damn it, only now do we realize how terribly he had infiltrated our country.

Zhou Li: This is good news. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Yin Le: It's good, but it leaves me uneasy. Do you know why he suddenly laid low?

Zhou Li: I have an idea.

Yin Le: Hm?

Yin Le: I knew you would know.

Zhou Li: Roughly.

Zhou Li: It might be because demons found another path, one that doesn't directly conflict with humans.

Yin Le: What do you mean? Elaborate.

Yin Le: Which path?

Yin Le: Turning humans into Demons?

Yin Le: Wait, wait, we'll talk later.

Yin Le: I just got some sudden news. There's a place called Xidian Village with a Demon disturbance, and a lot of people are trapped. I need to handle it.

Zhou Li: ?

Zhou Li: Xidian Village?

Yin Le: What about it?

Zhou Li: I'm coming too.