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*****
"That's the third one this month..."
The man's voice, laced with a trace of fear, caught the attention of Gwen and her group.
The young ones unconsciously slowed down their eating, pricking up their ears to listen closely.
Clink, clank!
Slurp!
Munch, munch!
Seeing Little Lamb furiously shoveling food into his mouth, Gwen and the others shot him angry glares.
"Shh!"
Seeing their serious expressions, Little Lamb blinked, nodded, and reluctantly slowed down his eating speed.
Gwen and the others immediately focused their attention back on the two men conversing nearby.
"The third one? And they all went to Silent Hill?"
A portly man with a shiny bald head asked in astonishment.
"Shh! Don't say that name out loud!"
His friend, a man with a mustache, hurriedly made a silencing gesture.
"What's the big deal? It's just a name," the bald man said nonchalantly.
The mustached man's eyebrows shot up in anger. "Damn it, if you want to die, go die alone. Don't drag me into it!"
"Hah? You're way too cowardly!" The bald man mocked his companion.
"Me? Cowardly? Do you know how many people have gone missing in total over the last few years?"
A look of fear flashed through the mustached man's eyes. He swallowed hard and said, "Only half the month has passed, and the number of missing people this month is actually considered low."
Hearing this, the bald man quietly tried to calculate the numbers. When he realized the sum exceeded his mental arithmetic capabilities, he was startled.
"That many?"
Looking at individual cases didn't seem like much, but when added all together, the number was terrifying.
"Exactly! So be careful. That place is extremely wicked."
"If it's so wicked, why are you telling me about it?" The bald man looked at the other speechlessly.
" isn't it uncomfortable to keep it bottled up inside?"
The mustached man chuckled. Seeing that his friend wanted to say more, he hurriedly raised his beer and shouted loudly, "Drink up!"
Gwen and the others stopped paying attention to the pair. They looked at each other, their faces filled with eager excitement.
This place sounded eerie—perfect for an adventure.
"Hurry up and eat. Once we're done, we'll go look up information on that place," Gwen said.
The group sped up their movements.
A few minutes later, they hurriedly left the restaurant and rushed back to their RV.
They gathered around the computer, watching as Peter operated the device to search for information regarding Silent Hill.
"Let me see too!"
Little Lamb was blocked by the others and couldn't even see a corner of the screen. He shouted anxiously from behind Gwen and the rest.
Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he gave a soft hmph. His eyes flashed, and his vision penetrated directly through the group to look at the computer screen.
Silent Hill.
Originally a prosperous and peaceful small town, a massive fire had swept through it for unknown reasons, burning it clean. To this day, hardly anyone lived there.
Aside from this seemingly normal information, most of the results were missing person notices.
These missing people shared one commonality: they all disappeared in Silent Hill.
Looking at the black-and-white photos representing the missing population, Gwen and the others suddenly felt a chill.
A few seconds later, Gwen spoke up. "Well? Should we go take a look?"
"Go? Why wouldn't we?"
"Yeah, who knows, maybe we can even find those missing people," Luke and Harry said excitedly.
Mary Jane hesitated. "But is this real?"
Seeing the others looking at her in confusion, she clarified, "I mean, could the story of Silent Hill just be made up?"
"That seems unlikely."
Peter pointed at the computer. "I looked at the dates these missing person notices were posted online. They aren't from just this month or this year, but span back over ten years. And their addresses are all different."
"Could it be a mass-participatory event or prank?" Gwen asked, puzzled.
"That can't be confirmed." Peter pushed up his glasses and smiled slightly. "But if a single person could maintain this lie for over ten years, then the person spreading it is truly remarkable."
"Won't we know if we just go look?"
Little Lamb muttered from behind them. Seeing everyone turn to look at him, he grinned mischievously. "Anyway, you guys have already decided to go. Once we get there, we'll know if it's real or fake."
"Ouch!" Gwen patted Little Lamb on the head. "You're right. We'll go see for ourselves tomorrow."
If it was fake, they would treat it as a vacation. If it was real, it would be an incredible adventure.
The next day.
Gwen and the group got up early. After eating breakfast, they set up the navigation and drove toward Silent Hill.
Silent Hill wasn't far from them; it was only a two-hour drive.
The vehicle drove unimpeded into the small town named Silent Hill.
The RV moved slowly through the town's streets. Gwen and the others stared out the windows, eyes wide, searching for anything unusual.
But... there was nothing.
Aside from the lack of people, they didn't see anything abnormal on the dilapidated streets.
"Nothing?" Harry scratched his head in confusion.
"No, the fact that we can't even see a single person here is already the biggest suspicious point." Gwen shook her head, her eyes flickering with thought.
"But we really don't see anything, do we?" Luke remained skeptical.
Just then, Little Lamb suddenly tugged on Gwen's sleeve.
"What is it?" Gwen looked at Little Lamb with concern.
Little Lamb said confusedly, "Big Sister, I feel something is wrong here. It feels very uncomfortable. It's very dirty here."
"Very dirty?"
Gwen was puzzled, but then her gaze shifted, and two blue flames ignited within her pupils.
Gwen looked around and finally sensed something amiss.
"There seems to be a peculiar space here?" she whispered, a strong interest rising in her heart.
This place was indeed extraordinary.
"A peculiar space?" Peter and the other three were completely bewildered.
Gwen nodded. "Yes, I can feel it, but... I can't see or find the door to enter."
Gwen shook her head in disappointment.
"Then what should we do? Should we go back?" Mary Jane whispered.
After hearing Gwen's words, she inexplicably thought of those missing people and felt a creeping sense of dread.
Peter nodded, his face solemn. "I agree. Do you remember those horror movies?"
"Horror movies?"
"Yeah." Peter nodded, his voice dropping to a gloomy tone. "Exploring forbidden places in the middle of the night. The male and female leads insist on going with their friends, and in the end, not a single one comes back..."
"Hiss!"
The group sucked in a breath of cold air.
Harry patted Peter on the shoulder and forced a smile. "Since when did you have a talent for telling ghost stories?"
Peter said seriously, "I'm just stating facts."
Luke spoke up loudly, "What you say might be correct, but we are different." He paused, then smiled. "We are the Titan Squad!"
"Right! Most importantly, we have Gwen, our secret weapon!" Harry agreed.
"And me!" Little Lamb raised his hand, shouting loudly, "I can do lots of things!"
"Right, and you!" Mary Jane rubbed Little Lamb's head affectionately.
Little Lamb grinned, showing his teeth happily.
"Let's look around a bit more. If we don't find anything, we'll just have to leave." Gwen made the final decision and looked at everyone.
The group nodded, expressing their agreement.
However, even after driving a lap around the small town, they didn't discover the entrance Gwen had mentioned.
With no other choice, they prepared to leave.
But just as they were exiting the town, they saw a girl, a few years older than them, walking toward Silent Hill.
"Someone actually came?" Gwen looked puzzled as she stepped on the brakes, stopping by the roadside.
"Does she not know the legends of Silent Hill?"
"No, look at her expression. She seems to be looking for something. She looks anxious, even fearful."
Hearing Peter's words, the group looked closely and nodded secretly.
It was exactly as Peter described.
"Not bad, Peter! You're getting sharper and sharper!" Harry praised loudly.
Peter couldn't help but smile, but he stole a glance at Gwen.
Of course, he had to make himself exceptional. Only by constantly growing would he have the courage to confess to Gwen.
After all, Gwen's last name was Kent.
"Look! She disappeared!"
Suddenly, Mary Jane cried out.
Gwen's eyes flashed, and blue flames erupted over her body as she instantly transformed into the Spirit of Vengeance.
The blue fire danced on Gwen's form. She tilted her head toward the spot where the girl had vanished, as if sensing something.
A few seconds later...
"Found it!" Gwen shouted, her tone filled with surprise.
The group's spirits lifted, and Little Lamb couldn't help but cheer.
"Wait for me a moment!"
Gwen told the others before rushing into her room in the RV.
Seconds later, Gwen emerged with her chains wrapped around her body. Then, amidst the exclamations of Luke and the others, she pressed her hand onto the RV.
Demonization!
Blue flames raced from Gwen's palm, spreading rapidly across the entire vehicle.
The RV quickly transformed, becoming more menacing and cool in appearance.
Gwen walked to the door, but after stepping out, she paused, retracted her foot, and turned to the group. "Things here are a bit strange, you guys should..."
"Are you planning to go alone again?"
"Don't forget, we are a squad!"
"We can protect ourselves!"
"If we go, we go together!"
"Yeah, I'll protect them!" Little Lamb shouted loudly.
Gwen looked at them helplessly, then glared at Little Lamb.
Of course, since she currently had no eyeballs and only fire in her sockets, her expression manifested as...
The flames in her eye sockets flickered, and then spewed outward.
"In that case, once you go in, do not leave my side."
Gwen gave her instructions. Seeing everyone nod, she stepped out of the vehicle and walked quickly toward the spot where the woman had disappeared.
One step, two steps...
Gwen recalled the fluctuation she had just felt.
Ever since obtaining a portion of Mephisto's power, not only had her original strength increased, but she had also gained new abilities.
For example...
Gwen reached out and grabbed the chain wrapped around her body. With a forceful swing, a cluster of blue flame rapidly spread along the entire length of the chain. Gwen's arm began to rotate rapidly.
Instantly, the blue chain spun along with Gwen's arm, turning into a blue circle.
Sizzle, sizzle!
It sounded as if the space itself was being scorched by the flames.
After the chain spun for several rounds, Gwen swung it forcefully. The fire on the chain vanished, and it obediently wrapped back around her body. In front of them, a rotating fiery portal, several meters in diameter, appeared.
The door to the world of Silent Hill had been opened by Gwen.
No, more accurately, Gwen had forced a door open into the Silent Hill world herself.
Because she hadn't been invited in, nor had she found the actual door to Silent Hill.
Previously, she could only use this ability to open gates to Hell, but after absorbing Mephisto's power, she could achieve what she just did.
Of course, compared to the Ancient One's portals, this ability had high limitations.
It could only open doors to other spaces; it couldn't simply transport oneself to any desired location like the Ancient One's magic could.
Inside the vehicle, Peter and the others gaped at the rotating fiery gate before them.
Gwen really was getting more and more impressive.
Whew!
Gwen whistled. Behind her, the RV acted like an obedient dog and charged toward her.
Gwen leaped lightly, landing on the roof of the car, and maneuvered the vehicle through the spatial gate.
The next second, the flames dispersed, and the spatial gate vanished.
After the RV rushed through the portal, it immediately came to a stop.
Gwen stood on the roof, frowning as she looked at the world before her.
It looked very similar to the Silent Hill town they had just driven around, but there were no signs of fire here. Surprisingly, it was eerily tidy.
Even more bizarre was the white ash constantly drifting down from the sky, like a never-ending heavy snowfall. It drifted everywhere, obscuring the world.
Yes, it was ash.
At first, Gwen thought it was snow, but after looking closely, she realized it was ash.
Gwen jumped down from the car. She signaled to Peter and the others, who had been watching from inside, telling them not to come out yet. She then looked around to confirm the situation.
A few seconds later, Gwen nodded.
She didn't see anything dangerous for the time being.
She walked toward the RV, the flames on her body gradually fading away. By the time she pulled the door open, she had returned to normal.
"How is it?" Luke asked urgently.
Gwen shook her head. "I didn't see anything dangerous."
"Then let's go down and take a look." Harry was eager to try.
Peter hurriedly said, "Remember, everyone stays together. Under absolutely no circumstances should we separate."
In almost every horror movie, the characters who got killed were the ones who split up and acted alone.
The group nodded.
They stepped out of the RV, startled by the drifting ash.
Looking at the surrounding buildings, Gwen said, "Let's check if there are any people around first. If not, we'll drive to other areas to look."
The group agreed and began to move together.
They hadn't walked far when they suddenly heard a scream.
"Ah!"
As the scream rang out, Little Lamb whooshed and vanished from his spot. Before Gwen and the others could even react, he had returned to his original position.
"Big Sister! It's that girl from before! She's screaming and running this way. There's something chasing her."
"What kind of thing?" Harry asked curiously.
"No need to ask. They're here," Peter said faintly.
When they looked over, everyone suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air.
(End of Chapter)