From Apocalypse To Entertainment Circle (BL)-Chapter 84: Hide And Seek In The Forrest

A Few Hours Ago:

Sian stood still, gazing at the mountains surrounding him from all sides before shifting his focus to the people around him, all of whom wore expressions of disbelief.

"Does the director of this show have some kind of twisted hobbies or something?"

"Shut up unless you want to be banned from this industry."

"Why should I? Don’t you find this whole thing strange and unacceptable? Being summoned to the mountains at this hour of the evening? It’ll be completely dark in a few hours. Does he think he’s shooting a nature documentary or what?"

"The director already mentioned that this is part of a tourism promotion, so we have to cooperate. It was clearly stated in the contract we signed."

Countless murmurs reached Sian’s ears; it was obvious that no one was pleased about this sudden camping trip.

However, when he saw the place fully equipped with the best amenities—chairs, a barbecue grill, a food truck, and even blankets and cushions—his anger subsided slightly.

[Fine. Maybe it won’t be so bad. We’ll only be here for a few hours before heading back. What are the chances of anything happening in such a short time?]

As Sian tried to comfort himself, Song Zijian and his group approached. As usual, they intended to mock him again, but just as they were a few steps away, a pair of eerie black eyes locked onto them.

Those eyes resembled an abyss, and for a moment, they all felt as though their souls were being sucked away.

Song Zijian shuddered. He had always been a cowardly, malicious person—bullying the weak while cowering before the strong.

[That bi*ch found someone to protect him again. It’s always like this. Everyone wants to shield this damn useful piece of trash.]

Swearing under his breath, Song Zijian seethed with rage but did not dare move another step closer. He instead tucked his tail between his legs and ran away in shame, his entourage following closely behind.

They soon settled into groups because there were simply too many people to sit around in one circle. They divided into groups of ten at most.

With the cameras rolling, they didn’t need to do much—just act natural, eat, and chat a little before returning to the villa.

***

The forest loomed above, shrouded in an unpenetrable darkness that seemed alive with malevolence. The gale screamed its passage through crooked branches, interweaving an icy melody that echoed like a ghostly dirge. Moonlight, bright and serene a little while ago, had escaped behind a heavy layer of roiling, ominous clouds, veiling the world in an even darker shade of night. The mountain, a silent sentinel, was a giant peak, stark and lifeless against the black sky, its jagged peaks consumed by the emptiness.

No... not entirely lifeless.

There was one human presence—a trembling, lost soul.

A young girl huddled far within the depths of the hollow of an ancient tree, its gnarled trunk a shield from the unforgiving world outside. She had once been a vision of purity, but her face now resembled a tangle of bedclothes, splattered with smudges of filth, grime, and patches of dried blood. Her shining, expressive eyes, once so full of wonder and warmth, now dull and foggy, expressed a haunting mix of terror and despair, as if the very light in her had been driven out by the shadows surrounding her.

Her dress was in tatters and smeared with dust, exhibiting a disheveled look that bore witness to neglect and privation. A raw, jagged wound marred the flesh around her belly, the edges red and puffy, bearing witness to a fresh and painful injury.

Were Sian present now, he would undoubtedly know her, even though her appearance has been drastically changed. Although her appearance has been drastically changed.

Yes, Sian had met this girl before.

She was none other than Wan Wan—the same girl who had once playfully handed him a soft towel, her bright smile lighting up her face as she affectionately called him "Brother".

Wan Wan pinched her fingers over her mouth futilely trying to muffle them as the muffled sobs she had been holding in were on the point of erupting. Uselessly, hot tears trickled through her face, trembling fingers, and cascaded down her cheeks like a silent audio recording of her overwhelming despair and asphyxiating terror. Each drop seemed to be pulling her pain down as she tried to hide her despair from the world.

Desperate, she had knelt on the cold, unyielding ground, her heart pounding in fear as she prayed with every ounce of strength to every deity she could recall. With trembling hands clasped together, she had implored a sign, a glimmer of hope, and begged each sacred figure to send someone, anyone, to rescue her from the depths of this awful nightmare that enveloped her like a suffocating fog.

After nearly two maddening hours of frantic escape, she had discovered nothing but the towering, rugged heights of the vast, forested mountain range that closed in upon her. The scent of wet soil and pine was heavy in the air, and shadows danced among the ancient trees, their gnarled branches stretching like arthritic fingers toward the gray sky. Regardless of her desperate efforts, all that could be heard were the sound of leaves crunching and the distant wail of a bird, increasing her sense of solitude in this apparently stunning but merciless wilderness.

Her hope was dwindling like the thinning light of the sun dipping below the edge, crushing her heart with the looming darkness.

She had reached a point of hopelessness so deep that she began to entertain the unthinkable—an escape from the pain that was a burden weighing on her chest, a task to breathe. The thoughts stormed in her brain like black clouds, stifling and oppressive, as she fought with the foreboding notion that there must be no refuge from her unhappiness.

Dying by her own hands would be far better than being caught by him.

[Why? Why do I have to suffer like this? My God, I’ve never done anything truly evil in my life. Even if I wasn’t the best person, I wasn’t bad either. So why must I endure this nightmare?]

Her thoughts spiraled endlessly.

The human mind is a complicated thing.

When tragedy befalls someone, fear mixes with memories of the past and anxieties about the future—one they may never live to see. And in the face of such despair, the mind desperately searches for an explanation.

Had she wronged someone, and this was karma?

Had someone cursed her out of spite, condemning her to this fate?

Or was it simply... bad luck?

Countless questions, countless theories.

Suddenly, a voice called out gently, curiously—like a friend or a family member searching for a loved one.

"Wan Wan! Where are you?"

But the girl in the tree stiffened.

Her body shook even more violently as if she had just heard the devil himself call her name.

Because in truth, she had.

That voice confirmed her fate.

It marked the end of her desperate attempts to escape.

The end of her struggle to hold on to life.

The voice spoke again, its tone affectionate yet eerie:

"My dear Wan Wan, where are you hiding? Are you playing hide-and-seek with your brother?"

Silence followed, and then suddenly, the voice began to hum before breaking into song: freewebnøvel.com

"Ding-dong, I know you can hear me

Step into the clearing, I only want to play a little~"

The first two lines were sung sweetly, melodically.

But then, the voice wavered.

It turned harsh and grating, like wood scraping against wood—deep, guttural, and spine-chilling.

The singing continued, louder, as though the singer fancied himself a famous performer:

"I see you through the branches

Our eyes are locked together

I can sense your horror

Though I’d like to see it closer~"

With every word, Wan Wan’s terror intensified.

Her heartbeat pounded erratically, each thud hammering against her ribs.

She realized, with growing dread, that when the song ended... he would find her.

She had once loved this song.

Now, it was the most horrifying melody in existence.

And unfortunately, she knew the lyrics by heart.

Her mind unwillingly replayed the final verses—the ones she did not want to hear.

Trembling, sweating, her heart racing faster than ever, she suddenly noticed something.

The voice...

It was moving away.

The footsteps were receding.

Then, faintly, the last lines of the song reached her ears:

"Ding-dong, where is it you’ve gone to?

Do you think you’ve won?

Our game of hide-and-seek has just begun~"

Then... silence.

Not true silence, for the sounds of insects and nocturnal creatures, still filled the air.

But Wan Wan didn’t care.

As long as it wasn’t his voice... anything else was bearable.

She slowly let go of her mouth and listened carefully.

Nothing.

Her body finally relaxed, and her frantic heartbeat began to steady.

***

Suddenly—

A face emerged from the darkness, mere inches from hers.

Soulless black eyes, emptier than the void itself.

A grin more terrifying than the Joker’s.

Distorted, grotesque facial features filled with malice.

Cracked lips parted, and a whisper slithered between yellowed teeth:

"Ding-dong, finally found you, dear~"

"Ding-dong, looks like I have won."

"Ding-dong, pay the consequence~"*

Then—

" HAHAHAHAHAHAH..."

Laughter.

Horrible, maniacal, bone-chilling laughter.

...To be continued