HBWnovel Chapter 9 The Darkest Hour
Chapter 9 The Darkest Hour
Quickly put on the blindfold, and the world is plunged into a soft darkness.
He tried to relax his body, leaned back in his chair, and adjusted his breathing.
The cabin was eerily silent.
But he could sense that almost everyone was "awake" like him, and fear enveloped everyone like an invisible net.
Heavy, suppressed breathing sounds rose and fell.
"Thump..."
"Thump..."
"Thump..."
Heavy, sticky footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor.
It didn't sound like the sound of a human wearing shoes, nor like the sound of bare feet. It sounded more like the slow, rhythmic thud of a heavy, slippery object hitting and rubbing against the floor, carrying a chilling sense of oppression as it approached.
The live stream was so dark that almost nothing could be seen; only some blurry, distorted moving shadows could be captured.
A roughly discernible, extremely bloated, inhuman silhouette was slowly moving through the middle of the passageway, leaving a wet trail in its wake.
Immediately afterwards, a huge, bellows-like breathing sound arose, mixed with a clear, almost drooling "slurp" sound, as if greedily sniffing and savoring the scent of fear that permeated the air.
An indescribable stench, a mixture of thick blood, rotting entrails, and some kind of rusty metal, filled the air, making one want to vomit.
Then, a strange tone, as if countless voices were mixed together, began to hum an eerie ballad:
"Commanding troops, preparing for battle on horseback..."
"Whoever's name is called, give me... a taste..."
"Chew the bones to pieces, drink all the blood..."
"The eyeballs remained, gleaming..."
The slow footsteps and humming echoed in the ears of every passenger, like a countdown to death.
Lin Feng felt that the sound and the nauseating stench lingered around him for an unusually long time.
The cold, inquisitive breath almost hit his cheek, and he could feel a sticky gaze even through his blindfold.
His muscles were tense, but he remembered Xia Ning's warning and rules, desperately maintaining a steady breathing rhythm, and remained motionless.
However, not everyone can withstand this extreme psychological torment.
Across the aisle, Carlos, the chosen one of the Bullfighting Kingdom, was overwhelmed by extreme fear, which robbed him of his remaining rationality.
He abruptly ripped off the blindfold from his face, trying to see the source of the horror.
The next second, through the reflection of his eyes, wide and bulging with extreme fear, the blurry camera in the live stream barely caught a glimpse of him:
It wasn't a humanoid creature at all, but an indescribable monster that was constantly writhing and made up of countless pale limbs, scarlet tentacles, and broken facial features!
One of its tentacles, covered in sticky suckers and pale with bluish-black veins, shot out instantly and wrapped tightly around Carlos!
"Ugh!" Carlos's cry of surprise was cut off in his throat by the tightening tendrils.
The tentacle suddenly lifted him from his seat, like rolling up a doll, and swiftly dragged him towards the indescribable shadowy entity deep in the aisle!
Carlos struggled in vain, kicking his limbs wildly, but could not budge the restraints even slightly.
The next second, he was shoved directly into a huge mouth full of layers of spiraling teeth that suddenly opened in the shadows!
"Crunch...crunch...crunch..."
The slow, powerful chewing sounds echoed clearly in the deathly silent cabin.
The being in the darkness seemed to be eating rather "refined" food.
A few drops of warm, rusty liquid splashed from the direction of chewing, dripping onto the arms and cheeks of nearby passengers, causing them to tremble violently, yet they bit their lips tightly, afraid to make a sound.
Several seconds later, the chewing sound stopped.
"Commanding the troops..." the monster continued humming that eerie tune as it moved about, as if it were merely enjoying a trivial appetizer.
But then, yet another chosen one collapsed!
Tentacles sprang out, lifting him up and dragging him into the giant mouth.
"Snap! Crack! Squeak—"
That chilling chewing sound rang out again.
The series of horrific executions turned the cabin into a true hell.
Lin Feng heard the sound of the Maple Leaf Country's chosen one's teeth chattering coming from the seat behind him, along with a strong stench of urine.
He was so scared he lost control of his bladder!
………………
The chat in the Dragon Kingdom's live stream room has gone crazy:
"I'm gonna explode! What the hell is this?! Did Cthulhu give us candy?!"
"The visual impact isn't as strong as 'smashing the skull,' but the psychological pressure is a million times stronger! I'm suffocating!"
"Take off the blindfold and you'll die! The rules are absolute! You have to endure it!"
"Brother Feng is awesome!! That mental fortitude! Truly as steady as a rock!"
"Hang in there! Please, please, turn the lights back on!"
"I dare not watch... but I can't help but watch... it's too exciting..."
........................
It felt like an eternity before the eerie humming and sticky footsteps finally faded away and disappeared completely from the cabin.
The oppressive feeling subsided slightly, and in the deathly silence, only heavy, suppressed breathing, like someone who had survived a catastrophe, could be heard.
Many people were almost exhausted, but they still remembered the rules and dared not take off their blindfolds.
"Is it... over?" a barely audible voice asked, trembling with sobs.
No one answered.
A few minutes later, after confirming that there was no more sound, the chosen one of Cocoa Kingdom—
A young man.
He very carefully, bit by bit, lifted his blindfold a tiny crack, trying to sneak a peek to check if the cabin lights were on—
Because that signifies safety.
Just as his eyes peered through the slit, before they could even catch a glimpse of light...
"Whoosh—Pfft!"
A scarlet shadow shot out from the darkness like lightning and precisely wrapped around his neck!
"Ugh!" The Chosen One of Coco Kingdom let out a scream.
He was suddenly dragged off his seat by a tremendous force. He flailed his arms and legs in vain, slamming his head against the seat back with a dull thud. The next second, he was mercilessly dragged across the aisle and quickly disappeared into the shadows at the rear of the cabin.
Everyone who heard this felt their hearts tighten with a chilling fear once again.
Lin Feng heard all of this, and the last shred of hope in his heart vanished completely.
The rules are absolute.
Without a clear "safety notice" from the flight attendant, the danger in the dark never truly leaves.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
"Since you're here, make the best of it and go to sleep."
He began mechanically counting sheep in his mind, "One sheep, two sheep, three sheep..."
Perhaps due to extreme exhaustion, or perhaps due to mental depletion, in this eerie environment and surrounded by the smell of blood, he gradually lost consciousness and fell into a restless but real sleep.
........................
After an unknown amount of time, a soft melody began to play.
Then came Xia Ning's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, sweet but devoid of emotion:
"Good morning, passengers. It is now 7:00 AM."
"The weather outside is fine. Wishing you a day full of energy and a pleasant journey."
"You can remove your blindfold now and begin the activity."