The middle-aged man didn’t show much response to Gao Ming’s choice like he had predicted it. Gao Ming looked in his bag for a long ti. Then, he lifted his head in confusion, “Why is it gone?”
“What are you looking for?” The middle-aged man ca to the couch.
“I…” Gao Ming scratched his head. “It’s sothing very important, but I can’t recall what it is. I should have carried it with !” Gao Ming beca agitated. He turned his school bag upside-down and shook everything out. Stationery and books fell out. The bag was empty, but he still could not find it. “This is bad. I probably left it in that tunnel!” Panic crossed Gao Ming’s eyes. “It must still be there!”
“Alright. Stop worrying. Eat first.” The middle-aged man consoled Gao Ming as he ushered him to the dining table. Luo Dong, who was hiding inside the bathroom, was confused. What was the thing that Gao Ming left in the tunnel?
The sound of at chopping finally ceased. The faucet switched open. Soon, Gao Ming’s mother appeared, wearing an apron. She had an awkward smile as she placed the dishes on the table.
“Your mother was so worried because you ca back so late.” The man placed a lot of food in Gao Ming’s bowl. Gao Ming didn’t eat. He rely smiled. The middle-aged man didn’t mind it. He started eating and praised his wife’s cooking.
“Your mother has gone through a lot to cook these for you. Aren’t you going to eat them?”
“I dread about this on the bus. After I ate dinner, my stomach was taken over by pain. Then, I couldn’t stop vomiting blood before dying at the table.” Gao Ming was shaken after he saw the man eat a bite from every dish.
“What nonsense. Start eating.” The middle-aged man didn’t insist. After a while, Goa Ming picked up his chopsticks and ate a bite of the dish the man had eaten earlier.
The scary scene he dread of didn't happen. Gao Ming shook his head and put down his guard. He appeared hungry. As he chatted with the man, he started to take large bites of the food.
About ten minutes later, Gao Ming started to see double. Energy drained from his limbs. A bad feeling swirled around his heart. Gao Ming whipped his head to look at his father. The middle-aged man was similar to him. His head swayed, and his limbs dangled weakly.
However, to Gao Ming’s consternation, his father, who was normally so stern, was smiling at him gently. He looked at Gao Ming. “You are indeed more careful. That was not a dream but your previous experience.” The middle-aged man almost fell. “The dishes are drugged. But the drugs this ti are not poison. To make you put your guard down, dad ate with you.”
Fear appeared in Gao Ming’s eyes. He struggled to stand up, but his body refused to listen.
A sharp knife cut through the kitchen curtain. The mother appeared at the door with a bloody rope. Gao Ming and the middle-aged man were incapacitated. However, there were others at ho.
Gao Ming’s mother strode out. She knew the child before her was not Gao Ming. However, her heart winced when she saw that familiar face. It was that mont’s carelessness that gave Gao Ming the chance. He stumbled towards the front door.
Luo Dong dashed out when he saw this. He knocked Gao Ming to the ground.
“You’re not Gao Ming. What are you?” Luo Dong didn’t sense any heartbeat resonance from this Gao Ming. The person’s face also started to shift. In a few seconds, it went through several horrifying visages. It was like an artificial human.
“I am Gao Ming! I am…”
The middle-aged woman stuffed Gao Ming’s mouth with cloth. Then, she expertly tied him up. The woman was well-dressed and had no muscle in her arms. However, she tied Gao Ming up as if she worked at the abattoir.
“Co help.” Gao Ming’s mother had Luo Dong hold Gao Ming down as she slipped the man so dicine. The latter quickly recovered.
“We can’t fit them in the kitchen anymore. I haven’t even fully dealt with the previous one.” The middle-aged woman frowned.
“Then, toss him into the bedroom.” The man waved at Luo Dong. “We might need your help.”
“Of course.” Luo Dong felt that sothing was wrong. He worked together with the woman to drag Gao Ming to the inner bedroom. The woman took out the key and opened the wooden door. 𝙧ＡƝò𝔟ЁŠ
Luo Dong looked into the bedroom. His heart stopped at that mont.
“This…”
The small bedroom was stuffed with Gao Mings in school uniforms. Every Gao Ming had a strange expression as if they were not alive but rejected facsimiles.
“The bedroom is almost full too.” The middle-aged man walked over as he held the wall. He explained, “We need to kill the other ghosts before the real Gao Ming cos ho. That way, his ho will always be his ho.”
“Are these all ghosts?”
“Yes.” Gao Ming’s mother nodded numbly. “They beco more and more like Gao Ming. I don’t know where they co from, but one thing is certain. They should know my son’s location.”
“This place is almost filled to the brim. Everything is about to end.” The man opened the dresser, which was filled with Gao Ming’s school bags. “Each bag contains the sa thing. Every Gao Ming would ntion they had left sothing important inside the tunnel. It might be a trap, but we have to check out this tunnel. However…”
“What is it? Is there anything I can do to help?” Luo Dong touched his chest. His heart paced heavily.
“Once we left this place, we’d encounter a new Gao Ming in the corridor. Even if one of us leaves, the sa will happen.” The middle-aged man finally shared his plan. “Therefore, we need you to do sothing for us. Trace these Gao Mings to their source. See where do they co from. Find this tunnel they speak of and figure out what they have lost.”
“This is not easy…” Luo Dong didn’t reject them. He was worried that he might fail.
“Just try your best.” The middle-aged man handed his raincoat to Luo Dong. “This is the raincoat the taxi driver wore when we ca over here. It is haunted by many bad things. It’ll make so ghosts avoid you. I’ll leave with you, and I’ll distract the new Gao Ming.”
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