I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 19 We All Come from Taoyuan Village
"They are all...ghosts..."

Lin Xing'an was stunned.

He shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, but he just smiled helplessly, "How is that possible?"

My parents, my classmates... If everyone around me is a ghost, then...

"Yeah, that's the reality. The ratio of humans to gluttons is about one to one hundred thousand."

"...Where's that athlete from earlier? Is he a human?"

Lin Xing'an spread his hands in disbelief.

"Of course he's a ghost. Doesn't he even get hard when he sees how tempting I am? Do you know why?"

"…Because he has a hidden agenda?"

"That's one reason, but the main reason is that ghosts can't reproduce. Humans can only give birth to the next generation with humans."

Teacher Orange said with a smile.

"But you don't have to be too pessimistic. There are different types of ghosts."

"Your parents, the flight attendant just now, those who can release the ghost realm are gluttonous ghosts. The ratio of gluttonous ghosts to humans is only 9:1."

"They see themselves as the masters of this world and humans as livestock and pets."

"The vast majority of other ghosts are ignorant 'confused ghosts' who know nothing, just like the athlete just now. They are actually not dangerous."

"Like the 'confused people', they are just living a normal life in this world."

Teacher Juzi took out some paper and wiped the rain off Lin Xing'an's head.

"Put yourself in your place, little brat."

She looked at her crossed legs, breathed on the car window, and wrote one hundred thousand with her finger.

The huge disparity in numbers was coldly displayed on the car window.

It became blurry under the warm air in the car.

An absurd feeling made Lin Xing'an even a little unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Just like a dream.

It turns out that the Xu Can he met was a glutton, and the flight attendant he met was also a glutton. This was not a coincidence...

This is inevitable.

Because this world itself is a world of gluttons.

"No, Sister Orange, is there a bug?"

"If this world is filled with either gluttons or fools, with so few people..."

"Then what's the point of them pretending to be humans? Don't they already rule the world? Don't they have the power to do whatever they want?"

"Why again... again..."

"Also, if ghosts can't reproduce... then how did all these ghosts come into this world? Could it be that they just appeared out of thin air?"

Lin Xing'an had a lot of questions in his mind, but for a moment he didn't know how to ask them.

"Pfft!"

Teacher Orange stared at him for a few seconds and laughed out loud, "Little brat, you're not that old, but you think a lot."

"But I'm sorry about your question. I don't know, or in some ways, we know almost nothing about ghosts."

"We know ghosts can't reproduce, but we don't know when, where, and how the first ghost came into this world."

"We know there are many ghosts, but we don't know why they disguise themselves as humans."

"We know that humans are a delicious meal for ghosts, but we don't know why they must follow those three fundamental rules."

Teacher Orange said calmly.

"Three fundamental rules?"

"Correct."

Teacher Orange held up three fingers.

"One, you can't eat confused people. Two, if you are discovered, you must kill them."

"Three, you can only eat the 'human animals' you raise on the day of the full moon, the day of the seventh year, and the day of the eighteenth year. Even if the 'human animal' is a fool, if you miss these three times, the gluttonous ghost will not be able to eat it as long as no one finds out."

She spoke word by word.

"By the way, besides train stations, places like train stations, airports, and bus stations, if a captive 'human or animal' attempts to leave without the 'owner's' permission, the gluttonous ghosts inside will assume you know about it and can eat you at any time."

"No wonder……"

Lin Xing'an nodded.

No wonder Brother Xinxin didn't know about the monster. He didn't reveal himself to the flight attendant the first time, and was eaten...

but……

Lin Xing'an still had a lot of questions in his mind.

Where do the rules come from? Who sets them? And why should gluttons follow them?

Looking at Teacher Orange's half-smile, Lin Xing'an knew that the answer he would get after asking was also unknown.

"This world is irrational, isn't it? It's contradictory, isn't it? But it exists."

"Lin Xing'an, welcome to the real world."

Teacher Orange's voice came with the thunder.

"Then... where did humans come from?"

After a long silence, Lin Xing'an put aside the question about ghosts and changed the subject to ask again.

"Since humans can only give birth to offspring with other humans, and there are so few humans in this world, and they are mixed in with so many ghosts..."

"Then logically speaking, humans should have been extinct long ago! There shouldn't be such a constant stream of worshippers!"

"Could it be... that we, the 'Awakened', are the only ones left? Impossible, right? We can barely protect ourselves, living in constant fear. How could we have the time..."

He couldn't help but feel a little dry in the mouth.

The more I think about it, the more unreasonable it becomes! "Taoyuan Village."

Teacher Orange said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Taoyuan Village."

She took a deep breath.

"Taoyuan Village is the hometown of all mankind. We all come from Taoyuan Village."

"Just as you can imagine, since humans have been offering incense continuously, there must be a place with a stable output, and that place is Taoyuan Village. Taoyuan Village is only populated by humans, so there's no need to worry or be afraid."

"It's just that... no one knows where Taoyuan Village is, and no one has ever seen Taoyuan Village."

"Maybe someone in the organization would know, including the issue of ghosts. They might know everything. You can ask them when you join."

Teacher Orange turned up the heater in the car a little more.

"organize?"

"Hmm, it's a human organization. You need to pass a test to join. Okay, get ready to go home. They're here."

Teacher Orange glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Sister Orange, it's raining today, so the photos aren't clear enough. Let's continue tomorrow."

"But the photos turned out surprisingly well despite the rain today. I'll try again tomorrow."

"Ah? Continuing tomorrow? You two, stop being so arrogant!"

The car door suddenly opened.

Three people in black raincoats got into the car carrying two professional cameras.

“What are they filming?”

"Oh, take pictures of the trains going in and out of South City and the shifts of some gluttons."

Teacher Orange turned halfway around.

"The number of ghosts on the platform has doubled recently. They're transporting something in large quantities to South City."

"After I applied to join the organization, the first assessment task the organization gave us was to figure out what they were transporting."

"It would be even better if we could get some more samples."

She reached toward the back seat.

"Sister Orange, this little brother is..."

"It's a person. He wanted to take a car and was almost discovered by a ghost. It's quite impressive. Please introduce yourselves."

Teacher Orange took the camera, waved her hand and said.

"Haha, little brother, my name is Zhang Yunxi. I also wanted to sneak away by train. Luckily, Sister Orange found me in time."

The girl wearing the No. 1 Middle School uniform poked her head out from behind Lin Xing'an and said.

"My name is Fang Dajun. I'm a full-time dad and a part-time cook."

The uncle who was occupying two seats next to her smiled innocently, took out two pieces of White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket and handed them to Lin Xing'an.

"Qiao Qiao, a freelance photographer."

The long-haired girl in the second row of the van pushed her gold-framed glasses and said calmly while looking at the photos in the camera.

"She's also Professor Alcoa of the Photography Department at Nancheng University, and we all call Sister Qiao Qiao Sister JOJO."

"Uh... little brother might not understand this joke, hehe, anyway, Sister Qiao Qiao is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, she's the best."

Zhang Yunxi gave Qiao Qiao two thumbs up.

"My name is Lin Xing'an, and I'm six years old."

Lin Xing'an also turned around and said.

Although this was the first time he met everyone, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.

"Six years old? Hey Uncle Fang, isn't your eldest son also six years old?"

"She's seven years old and will be starting primary school in September. She's a year older than this little brother."

Fang Dajun scratched his head.

"Lin Xing'an, do you remember what time you came out tonight?"

Qiao Qiao suddenly looked up and asked.

"Roar!"

This question also made Zhang Yunxi exclaim as if she suddenly thought of something.

"I...left the house around ten-fifty."

"It's been almost three hours... Are you sure your parents were asleep when you left the house?"

Qiao Qiao looked at Lin Xing'an through his glasses and said seriously, "Could they wake up halfway and find you missing?"

"Yunxi, call Xizi right away and ask him to come back immediately. Let's send the kid home first, and then go back to the store."

Teacher Orange put down the camera in her hand, looked at the time and said.

"Huh? Take me home?"

Lin Xing'an was stunned for a moment, "If I go home now, I..."

"I know, little brat. Of course I know how dangerous your house is."

"I know you managed to escape with great difficulty, but you can't go anywhere now. You have no choice but to go back."

"Because the gluttons that feed you have already left a mark on you, they will be able to locate you."

"No matter where you are, no matter how far away, they will find you, even if you die."

PS: Brothers, if you have any questions about the world view setting, or find that my settings are conflicting, you can post them in this chapter or the book review area. It is best to post them in the book review area so that I can add them to the featured articles.

　Thanks to book friend "Xiao Xiao Jun Jun Zai" for the monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)