Chapter 14: Inside the Backpack

Was it Wiseacre, or was it Zhang Sibo?

A brief moment of doubt stirred within Qian Cangyi.

After Wiseacre finished speaking, Softlight was no longer as frantic as before. Her expression grew desolate, and she gradually calmed down. "I'm sorry."

She whispered, her voice so faint—like the buzzing of a mosquito—that it was barely audible. "It’s all my fault."

"Yan Ruoxuan, think again, please think again! Everything Zhang Sibo said just now was only his speculation. It cannot be taken as absolute truth. We must still have a way out!" Xiao Tian was extremely anxious. As he spoke, he released his grip on Softlight.

Xiao Tian had also broken free?

Qian Cangyi noted this observation.

Softlight slowly sat on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. Her body curled inward, and she buried her face between her legs while shaking her head.

At this moment, Qian Cangyi turned to Wiseacre and said, "Zhang Sibo, think again. Is there really no other way out?"

"You are the smartest among the five of us. You must be able to think of a solution!"

After saying this, he looked at Softlight again. "Yan Ruoxuan, think harder. There must be a way. Perhaps you have simply forgotten. Think about it: why would the Moon God toy with us? If it wanted to kill us, it could have done so instantly. This is a game; we just need to find the way to clear it."

"Think hard. You don't want to die here, do you?"

Anxiety and despair intertwined, wrapping around each of them.

The five were positioned near the tent. Ning Jing knelt on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears. In front of her, Softlight sat curled up, her head buried in her knees. Qian Cangyi and Xiao Tian stood on either side of Softlight with furrowed brows, while Wiseacre crouched not far away, his head lowered as he stared at the ground.

Just then, the blood moon in the sky began to tremble violently, like a reflection in a basin of water being shaken. A few seconds later, it returned to calm.

Qian Cangyi raised his hands and realized he could control his body again. He turned to look at the others.

Ning Jing, Softlight, and Wiseacre stood up almost simultaneously. Xiao Tian remained still.

"That really hurt!" Wiseacre rubbed his left cheek.

An apologetic look appeared on Softlight’s face, but she did not speak.

During the period of the Scarlet Blood Moon, Yan Ruoxuan would never apologize to Zhang Sibo. If she did, it would mean that Yan Ruoxuan’s consciousness had taken control of the body.

Wiseacre waved his hand, understanding what Softlight meant.

"What should we do now?" Ning Jing asked the question that concerned her most.

"I don't know." Xiao Tian sighed.

Qian Cangyi looked down at his shadow. At some point, the cracks in the silhouette had become terrifyingly large. He looked up.

"I don't think we have much time left."

As he spoke, he pointed to his shadow.

At this moment, the connection between the shadow's head and its neck was barely holding on; the head could fall to the ground at any moment. According to Ning Jing, the deadline of the curse was approaching.

"Zhang Sibo, what you said earlier... was it true?" Ning Jing looked at Wiseacre.

"It was just my speculation..." Wiseacre smiled, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "But I have thought of a way to escape, though I cannot tell you directly."

"What way?" Xiao Tian’s eyes lit up.

"If the problem does not lie within the dense forest, then it can only be within us. I hope you can 'leave'." After saying this, Wiseacre winked and gestured wildly, hinting heavily.

"Leaving" here did not mean leaving the forest, but rather the actors handing control back to their characters.

"Hurry." Wiseacre looked at his own shadow.

Qian Cangyi thought for a moment and chose to trust Wiseacre. He shouted the actor's code, intending to disengage immediately, though the code failed to manifest.

"Zhang Sibo, if you have something to say, say it! Why are you being so cryptic? What time do you think it is?" Qian Cangyi's voice rang out.

"Zhang Sibo, spit it out," Softlight chimed in.

"Speak!" Xiao Tian’s tone was steady.

"What is the way?" Ning Jing clenched her right hand into a fist and held it against her chest.

Wiseacre’s gaze swept over them one by one, seemingly trying to confirm if the actors before him had indeed relinquished control.

Then, he began to speak:

"After entering the clearing in the forest, besides the endless loops, we encountered another strange phenomenon: the frequency of our hunger became incredibly high."

"At this rate, our food supplies will be exhausted quickly. So, why is this happening?"

"Perhaps the way to escape the forest has been hidden in our backpacks all along. Open your bags now and see what is at the very bottom."

Inside the backpack?

Qian Cangyi discovered that Mo An, who was controlling his body, had already picked up the bag.

After Mo An opened the bag completely, he began to rummage through it.

There was only a small amount of food and water left at the top, and Mo An took it all out and placed it on the ground.

Throughout the entire process, Qian Cangyi could only observe from a first-person perspective; he could not control his body.

As the food was gradually removed, Mo An's hand touched something like black hair. Then, sensing something, he reached his left hand deep into the bag as well.

Mo An pulled out the object from the bottom of the bag with both hands. However, the moment it emerged, Qian Cangyi felt a chill run through his entire body.

For at the bottom of the backpack was a head—a head that bore his own face. The skin was a deathly pale white, and blood trickled from the corners of its mouth bit by bit.

When Mo An locked eyes with the head, its tightly shut eyes snapped open, and it let out a soul-shattering, bizarre laugh:

"Hahahahahaha!"

The laughter was sharp, piercing, and filled with endless mockery.

Mo An trembled, throwing the head to the ground in terror. However, the head had no intention of leaving; it began to roll toward him.

Seeing this, Mo An’s legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed.

Run! Run faster!

Qian Cangyi roared in his mind, but no matter how hard he yelled, it was useless, for he had no control over his body.

Mo An scrambled with both hands, trying to crawl further away, but his ankle was caught in the grip of the terrifying head.

After that, Mo An lay on the ground. Although he reached his right hand forward, his strength faded, and his eyes gradually closed.

What is happening? Am I dead?

Qian Cangyi felt nothing but darkness.

The darkness was infinite, as if it would never end.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying flat on his back.

"What on earth happened?"

Qian Cangyi felt a splitting headache in his temples. He rubbed them hurriedly and sat up.

Looking around, he saw Xiao Tian and Ning Jing lying not far from him, while Wiseacre sat alone by the tent. What caught his attention even more was that of the original five paths, only two remained.

Then, he looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky was refreshing; the scarlet blood moon had vanished.

Qian Cangyi braced his right hand against the ground and slowly stood up. At this moment, he noticed that the cracks in his shadow were even larger. The curse had not been lifted.

He walked toward Wiseacre and, upon approaching, asked:

"What exactly happened last night?"