During her summer vacation, Xia Shu's mother signed her up for a tour group to help her unwind. The resort was vast, divided into three sections: a summer retreat, a primitive forest adventure zone, and a romantic rendezvous area. Her parents had chosen the summer retreat for her.
Just as Xia Shu stepped out of the hotel, she heard someone shouting in the distance, urgently calling for a doctor. A man, accompanied by a doctor and a nurse, dashed toward the primitive forest adventure zone. Hesitating for a moment, Xia Shu decided to follow them.
As she ventured deeper into the forest, her initial enthusiasm began to wane, and doubts crept in. She was a medical student, but she hadn’t graduated yet and had never actually treated a patient. That’s why she had impulsively followed them. Now, surrounded by towering trees and dense undergrowth along the uneven, winding path, she wondered if her presence was even necessary, especially with so many doctors and nurses already there.
A sense of unease settled over her as she glanced back and realized she could no longer see the exit. Too afraid to walk back alone, she gritted her teeth and pressed on.
When she finally reached the scene, she saw two men lying on the ground, apparently injured—one with a fractured leg, the other covered in abrasions. The medical team was already tending to them. Xia Shu sighed, feeling useless as she touched the backpack slung over her shoulder. It seemed there was nothing for her to do here.
Just then, a clear, youthful voice rang out, “Run! It’s dangerous!” Startled, Xia Shu froze, her body seemingly paralyzed. What was that voice?
“Get out of here! It’s not safe!” the boy’s voice called again.
Xia Shu bit her lip, scanning the dense forest for the source of the voice. The thick foliage made her feel vulnerable, but there was no child in sight. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
Panic surged through her as she looked up and saw a blinding streak of light hurtling toward her at an impossible speed. Before she could react, a wave of heat washed over her, and everything went black.
In the darkness, she felt the temperature around her fluctuate wildly—scorching heat one moment, bone-chilling cold the next. The rapid shifts made her feel as though she were being drained of all moisture, like a dried-up fish left to bake in the desert sun.
She felt herself slammed hard onto the ground, her muscles numb and unresponsive. The impact left her gasping for air, though the pain was dulled by the shock of the fall.
As she lay there, eyes closed, trying to catch her breath, the boy’s voice echoed once more, “Danger! Run… get out of the clearing. I might not be able to save you this time…”
Unlike the previous sounds, this one was alarmingly feeble.
Xia Shu's blood ran cold upon hearing it. She opened her eyes to find the group sprawled on the grassy forest floor.
Without a moment's hesitation, she shouted hoarsely, "Run! Danger! Trust me, there's danger here! Run forward!"
Her parched throat burned with pain, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. But she had no time to dwell on it. She scrambled to her feet and bolted forward.
The others, seeing the sheer terror on her face and her frantic sprint, were too stunned to think. Instinctively, they all jumped up and started running wildly.
The man with injured legs, writhing in pain, clutched his legs and screamed hysterically, "Help me! Don't leave me! Don't run!"
By then, Xia Shu had already cleared the grassy area. She glanced back and saw the man closest to the injured one hesitate, as if considering going back to help. But then he noticed the ground beneath him had inexplicably turned soft. With a panicked yell, he dashed forward without looking back.
The man with scrapes, however, resolutely turned back. He hoisted the injured man onto his back and started running forward again. Xia Shu, trembling with fear and uncertainty, clenched her teeth and charged ahead.
Another man ran alongside her. Fortunately, the injured man had fallen on a patch of grass not far from solid ground. Together, they dragged and pulled him to safety.
The man with scrapes laid the injured man down and collapsed beside him, gasping for breath.
Xia Shu kept running, her feet pounding the ground, but the soft, squishy sensation seemed to cling to her no matter how fast she moved. Drenched in cold sweat, she finally collapsed to her knees, shaking uncontrollably.
She couldn't fathom where she had found the strength to run like that.
The man who had helped her approached, offering her a bottle of water with a smile. "What's your name? You're really brave."
The others sitting nearby turned their attention to them, eyeing the bottle of water in his hand with keen interest.
Xia Shu, her face pale, forced a weak smile. "I'm Xia Shu," she said, her voice trembling at the end.
"Here, have some water. You look dehydrated. My name is Zeng, Zeng Jiahai."
Her throat felt as if it were on fire, and she instinctively reached out for the bottle. However, her fingers trembled uncontrollably from the recent shock, making it impossible to hold the bottle steady.
Xia Shu glanced awkwardly at Zeng Jiahai, who remained composed, as if he hadn’t noticed her struggle. His calm demeanor eased her embarrassment.
After gulping down half the bottle, Xia Shu couldn’t drink anymore. Her stomach felt bloated, as if she were pregnant, yet her throat remained parched.
Clutching the bottle, she looked up to thank him, but her eyes widened in shock. The ground beneath the lawn had turned into a swamp, bubbling ominously. The grass seemed to come alive, writhing and stretching like tentacles.
The scent of blood from the man with the broken leg seemed to attract the grass. It stretched toward him, wrapping around his body and dragging him into the swamp.
The man screamed in agony, thrashing desperately. His eyes bulged, bloodshot, as the grass tightened its grip. In moments, he was swallowed by the murky depths.
The man with the scrapes sat frozen, his eyes wide with terror as the grass began to stretch toward him. A nurse-like girl shouted, "Run! Run now!"
Snapping out of his daze, the man scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward the group in a panic.
Xia Shu’s body went numb. She bent over, gasping for breath, her heart racing once again. Everyone backed away in fear, but no one dared to run blindly.
She looked around, disoriented and lost. Where on earth were they?
The group stood in terrified silence, too afraid to sit down. The pain from the fall still lingered, and now this series of horrifying events had left them utterly exhausted.
Xia Shu’s gaze fell on the man with the scrapes. He was young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, his pale face drenched in sweat, his expression weary.
She looked down at the half-empty bottle in her hand, then turned to gaze at the endless forest stretching before them. With a heavy sigh, she wondered how long it would take to find a way out.