Before everything goes out

The group jumped up from the ground in a flash.

Following the sound, they indeed saw Ma Zi's figure among the layers of trees.

It was too far away and too dark to see clearly; all I could see was that it was dragging something forcefully, as if it was being tripped up by something.

"Come and lend a hand, bring your knife, my foot is tangled in a tree root, and so are theirs."

Ma Zi's anxious shouts echoed through the woods and reverberated throughout the camp.

"They're here!"

Gua Tou grabbed a rake, but before he could rush out of the camp, Niu Wenbing stopped him.

"Wait a minute."

Niu Wenbing frowned slightly and shouted in the direction the sound came from:

"Where's the fire? You pockmarked guy, don't you light a fire before you go out?"

"I'd like to light it, but can I even light this damn thing? It extinguished it in two seconds!"

"Where are the others?"

"They're all over here!"

"Why can't I see it?"

"You'll see when you come over!"

Ma Zi's voice became even more hurried.

Getting your foot tangled in a tree is a minor issue; the main problem is the darkness.

Even though there were some firelights on this side of the camp that could shine through the trees, it was still quite dark on the other side. Staying in such darkness for too long would definitely cause problems for anyone.

The group exchanged glances and then looked at Snake Seven.

As the most experienced person here, he didn't say anything, but just squinted and looked at the pockmarked man in the darkness.

silence.

remain silent.

A few seconds passed, and the pockmarked man in the woods was still struggling, but his cries were growing fainter and fainter.

"How can you just stand by and watch someone die?!"

"Fuck you!"

"I might be a bit of a jerk, but I've never actually messed with any of you, have I?"

"Quick, come help me..."

"I feel dizzy..."

You could sense that his condition was deteriorating rapidly because of the darkness.

Of the group, Melon Head looked the worst.

Seeing the way he was clenching his teeth, Li Fei felt that he might rush out at any moment.

"Where are they? Where are the others?"

The moment the thought crossed Li Fei's mind, there was a commotion in the woods.

As several figures appeared at the edge of their field of vision, the expressions of the people in the camp changed.

"It's my second brother!"

Niu San shouted excitedly.

After Niu Wenbing stood on tiptoe to get a clear look, his composure vanished completely.

"It really is Zhiyuan; Zhiyuan is also entangled!"

It's not just these two.

Even Snake Seven, who hadn't said a word before, quickly went to the edge of the camp after seeing something and shouted into the woods:

"Youngest daughter? Is that you, youngest daughter?"

After a brief delay.

A young woman's voice echoed from the woods.

"Father! It's me! Those rings abandoned us here. I never thought the firelight here really was you. My legs hurt so much..."

"Wait here, Dad's coming right now!"

Snake Seven grabbed a torch, lit it over the campfire, and prepared to disappear into the woods.

The Niu brothers and Gua Tou also picked up their weapons and quickly followed.

Just before the group rushed out of the camp, a trembling voice shouted out.

"etc..."

"What the hell are you waiting for! If we wait any longer, my second brother will turn into a monster!"

"No, this isn't right..."

Li Fei swallowed hard.

In my trembling vision, several blurry figures stood in the woods.

There was Ma Zi, Niu Zhiyuan, She Qi's daughter, and several others whose names he couldn't recall.

no problem.

The problem is, among these figures, there is someone he knows all too well.

Not only could he recognize the name, but just a glance at that dim silhouette told him he was absolutely certain he wouldn't mistake it.

"mom..."

"Son, it's so dark here, come help Mom!"

A friendly voice echoed from the woods.

In an instant, Li Fei's throat tightened and his pupils trembled.

How could my mother from my previous life be here?

"No, you're not my mom..."

After shaking his head vigorously twice, he instantly woke up.

This is soul transmigration.

Whatever that thing is, it can't possibly be his mother.

"Watch out! That thing isn't my mom...it's not even a person!"

His shout calmed down the people around him.

Even Niu San, who was about to rush out of the camp, turned around with a bewildered look on his face.

"Your mom?"

"Yes, my mom can't be here."

Li Fei stared intently at the figure in the woods, gripping his knife even tighter.

"Be careful. I don't know what these people are, but this thing can know what we're thinking and who we're thinking about. It can become that person."

"Damn, this is so weird!"

Niu San quickly retreated back to the fire.

After calming down, the others also retreated back to their camp and stopped acting impulsively.

Immediately following.

It seems that his patience had run out, or perhaps it was because Li Fei had exposed him.

The figures in the woods slowly stopped what they were doing, turned around in unison, and stiffly began to walk towards the camp.

When the leader, who was pockmarked, reached the edge of the firelight, the others could finally see clearly.

Ma Zi is still the same Ma Zi.

However, her face, which was originally pockmarked, was now smooth and supple, without a single wrinkle.

It looks like a peeled egg, or like a mannequin in a shopping mall.

"Watch out, he's turned into a zombie..."

Snake Seven whispered a reminder.

The group's gaze shifted downwards. Ma Zi's cotton-padded coat was covered in scratches, and several sections of white intestines dangled from his ruptured stomach.

"This is the trees' revenge on him; he did this to them during the day."

Li Fei instantly understood the logic behind it.

A few steps away, Ma Zi held his intestines in one hand and gently stroked his face with the other, forcing a strange smile at the crowd.

"Hehe, we told you to come, but you didn't, so we had to come instead."

His voice sounded a bit stiffer than before.

It didn't sound like a human making that sound; it was more like something was mimicking a human.

As the others behind him approached, Li Fei realized that these things weren't people at all, but rather tangled clusters of trees...

Wood carving?

Although it's described as a wood carving, it's not actually very fine.

There are no facial features, no clothes, only a rough body shape carved along with the clothes.

I couldn't see it just now because it was too dark and too far away.

"Where is the voice coming from?"

The moment the idea popped into Li Fei's head, his pupils dilated.

Something was coming, right behind the large group of tree-men in front of him.

"It's Grandpa Tree..."

A trembling voice came from beside him.

Only then did everyone realize that these tree-men were not growing from the ground, but rather connected to a huge shadow, the size of a small mountain, in the darkness behind them.

Cha-cha-cha-cha.

This thing is huge, but it doesn't feel heavy when it walks.

The footsteps were strangely light and shuffling, like those of a mouse.

Only after it had completely emerged from the darkness did the group see its true appearance.