Chapter 54: Two Conclusions

Morning sunlight was gradually climbing higher, and at this moment, three people were gazing upward through the gaps between towering leaves, peering toward the treetops.

The final selection of those who stayed in the expedition was quite unexpected.

For among the three—besides Zhang Shuping and the so-called “devoted follower” Xu Hui—even Li Dong, who had always seemed cautious and reserved, chose to remain.

All the others had left.

Zhang Shuping and Xu Hui had known each other for five or six years; their friendship was strong, and Zhang Shuping’s generous nature and affluent family made him the object of Xu Hui’s admiration.

It’s the old saying: those who receive favors cannot refuse. That’s just how it is.

As for Li Dong, he had originally intended to leave, but poverty held him back.

His family struggled, he had achieved little, and he never held a job for more than a year. Nearly thirty, he still hadn’t saved enough to marry.

That was why, despite his fear, he chose to stay and risk everything.

As the three entered the ginkgo-dominated forest corridor, they felt as if they had stepped into a wonderland.

The ginkgo trees towered above them, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze, and the blossoms atop the branches infused the corridor with a fragrance that seemed to nurture the forest.

Walking beneath the canopy along the broad avenue, the three couldn’t help but feel refreshed and invigorated.

“This is truly a paradise! Look at these ginkgo trees and the waist-high grass below—such a layout, so reminiscent of human design, is a rare sight indeed.”

Zhang Shuping sighed in admiration, yet suspicion never crossed his mind.

If this place were truly man-made, the ground would not be so uneven and rugged.

Still, the ordered arrangement of ginkgo trees and the tall grass on either side of the corridor did appear almost intentional.

While Zhang Shuping marveled aloud, Li Dong maintained his habitual caution and spoke thoughtfully.

“Brother Zhang, since you mention this place seems man-made, I’ve thought of another possibility for the existence of this forest corridor.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it,” Zhang Shuping replied with interest, and Xu Hui beside him also appeared intrigued.

“I think this could be an experimental site—a biological experiment. The soldiers patrolling the forest’s edge might be there to conceal what’s inside.”

“But there’s one thing I can’t figure out—if this is a military testing ground, why aren’t there soldiers standing guard inside?”

“If it’s not man-made, things get complicated.”

At this, Li Dong frowned, hesitating.

“A vast stretch of incredible, towering trees appeared so suddenly, and the soldiers outside are so vigilant—do you think they would ignore what happens inside? Surely, regular aerial surveillance is routine.”

“If we follow this line of reasoning, two conclusions emerge.”

“One: this forest appeared so abruptly that it coincided with a gap in official surveillance.”

“Two: this forest cannot be destroyed. Even if it were, it would reappear swiftly. But that doesn’t explain why the authorities don’t station troops for research. So the real conclusion of the second hypothesis is: this forest possesses a terror that even the authorities cannot confront.”

“This terror could be inherent to the forest itself, or it could be something unimaginably powerful living within—a creature that, for reasons unknown, never leaves. Thus the military enforces a blockade from a safe distance.”

When Li Dong reached this second conclusion, he frightened himself.

He was not alone; both Zhang Shuping and Xu Hui were unsettled by his reasoning.

“Impossible! What could exist in this world that humanity cannot handle? We have nuclear weapons! It’s not possible, not possible!”

“Li Dong, you’ve read too many horror stories. How could such an exaggerated creature exist?” Xu Hui’s voice trembled with fear.

Zhang Shuping didn’t trust the second conclusion either, but joined Xu Hui in suppressing his own anxiety.

“Xu Hui said exactly what I was thinking. I prefer your first conclusion, Li Dong. The second is too far-fetched.”

“Indestructible forest, terrifying creatures—really, you’ve watched too many films and read too many novels.”

For the first time, Li Dong did not retort.

Not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t want to.

After all, the appearance of the Violet Moon three years ago had already upended reality—so what other terrifying and incomprehensible events might happen? Nothing is impossible.

As for why Li Dong remained silent?

It was simply that they were already in the forest. If his second conclusion were true, then the three of them…

Thus, Li Dong neither wished nor dared to believe his own second conclusion.

Sometimes, humans are creatures who love to deceive themselves, aren’t they?

Li Dong fell silent.

Zhang Shuping and Xu Hui were silent as well.

For a long time.

Finally, Zhang Shuping pinched his own arm hard, conquered his fear, and spoke.

“To hell with it! Whatever happens, even if your second conclusion is right, Li Dong, we’re already here—what can we do? We can’t just turn back, can we? Wouldn’t that give those waiting to laugh at us a field day?”

“As they say, the timid starve while the bold feast. Let’s keep walking through this forest. I refuse to believe that, under such clear skies, we’ll stumble into something straight out of a horror story.”

“And even if we do, experiencing such miraculous events firsthand wouldn’t make half a lifetime wasted!”

“If I’m not afraid, why should you two—who have nothing to lose—be scared?”

This time, Zhang Shuping’s words went unanswered; even Xu Hui said nothing.

He merely nodded uncertainly, and Li Dong, too, nodded with a sigh.

There was no other way—since they had come, they needed some reward, or else their risk would be in vain.

It was as Zhang Shuping implied: having come this far, what use was worrying about those frightening possibilities? If the forest was harmful, and the fragrance they breathed was poison, then if they were already poisoned, there was no turning back.

Rather than fretting over terrifying thoughts, it was better to forge ahead, come what may—fortune or disaster, all left to fate.

If luck favored them, their humble bikes would turn to motorcycles. If not—well, that’s life.

Thus, the three pressed on, though much of their earlier courage had ebbed away.

Fearing, worrying, each with their own thoughts, they continued slowly.

However, their progress halted abruptly when, at a bend five meters ahead in the forest corridor, a massive head appeared silently.