Chapter 56
The Forest That Makes People Disappear
"Yun Jun, why does your complexion look worse and worse?"
Seeing Yunyu coming to hand over her shift, her colleague Uesugi frowned and couldn't help but ask her with concern.
At this moment, Yun Yu's face was deathly pale, his lips were almost bloodless, and he looked extremely weak. As he skillfully changed into his convenience store uniform, he weakly and casually explained:
"It's nothing, I just have a slight cold recently."
"I see. It really is flu season lately, but if you have a cold, I think you'd better take a day off and rest." Uesugi didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a common illness, and offered this kind advice.
After saying that, he suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes instantly became mysterious, and he quietly leaned close to Yun Yu's ear and lowered his voice.
"By the way, I have something to tell you."
You know that really popular natural scenic spot near our city, right? Something's happened there recently, it's on the news every day, people keep disappearing inexplicably.
The rumors online are really spooky; many people say that place is cursed by ghosts and monsters, and you absolutely, positively shouldn't go there recently.
Upon hearing these words, Yun Yu stopped straightening his clothes instantly, raised his head, and looked at Uesugi beside him.
"Do people frequently disappear in natural scenic areas?"
"Yes, that's right." Uesugi nodded emphatically and continued, "There are all sorts of theories. Some say there's a big black bear hiding in the mountains and tourists accidentally got killed there. Others say the mountains are haunted. And some even more outrageous ones say there's a monster hiding there."
Yun Yu nodded in agreement, feigning composure, and said, "That is indeed quite frightening."
He spoke casually, but his nerves were already on edge. In the Ultraman world, once there were urban legends about many people having met with misfortune, they were practically indistinguishable from the truth.
After a brief handover of work, Uesugi chatted with Yunyu for a few last words before packing up and leaving for the day.
The convenience store fell silent instantly, leaving only Yun Yu. He could no longer maintain his forced composure and slumped weakly into a chair.
My whole body felt sore and weak, my limbs felt light and airy, and I felt a faint, stabbing pain in my chest.
The root of all this is because I got too caught up in practicing my skills in space.
He was immersed in the joy of awakening his new power and focused on practicing his skills like crazy. By the time he had practiced for a long time and finally came back to his senses, the energy in his body was almost completely depleted.
When Tiga had injected enough energy, the pain in his body was suppressed. But now that his energy was depleted, the injuries left over from the battle suddenly resurfaced.
Next time, no matter how excited I am, I absolutely cannot be so reckless and squander my energy so carelessly.
No matter how frustrated he was, he couldn't abandon his work. He forced himself to stand up, enduring the churning pain in his chest, and carefully rearranged all the scattered goods on the shelves and cleaned the store thoroughly.
After finishing all his work, he sat back down in his chair and spaced out.
With nothing to do, he subconsciously touched his pocket and suddenly remembered that he had given his phone to Xiao Mian a long time ago. Now, he didn't even have anything to pass the time with. He would have to buy a new phone and get a new SIM card.
Just thinking about spending money again made Yun Yu feel a pang of heartache. He didn't have much savings to begin with, and this whole ordeal would shrink it even further.
But then he thought about it again, and realized that the phone was a gift to Xiao Mian as a bond between him and Xiao Mian, so Yun Yu felt it was worth it.
Just as he was about to open the little website in his mind to kill time, the automatic door at the convenience store suddenly rang with a "ding".
The cold night wind blew in through the crack in the door, carrying a chill. Yun Yu looked up and saw Su Mo walk in.
In stark contrast to her sophisticated and polished appearance during the daytime interview, Su Mo now had heavy dark circles under her eyes, slightly disheveled hair, and a tired look on her face.
She didn't speak or buy anything. She walked skillfully to the chair in the rest area, slumped down, and looked completely listless, almost exactly like Yun Yu, who was now in a daze.
Inside the cramped convenience store, the two remained quiet, neither of them uttering a word.
The silence lasted for a long time, but finally, exhausted Su Mo broke the silence by admitting defeat first:
"Could you... make me a cup of coffee?" Her voice was hoarse and weak, full of weariness.
Yun Yu was also feeling unwell, and he barely had the strength to speak. However, he still silently stood up, walked to the counter, skillfully took out the coffee that Su Mo often drank, poured hot water into it, brewed it, and brought it to her.
Su Mo took the coffee, tilted her head back and took a big gulp. The cold coffee, with a hint of bitterness, slid down her throat. She let out a long sigh of relief, and her face finally regained some vitality.
"I'm finally alive."
She stretched her body, briefly regained her strength, then irritably scratched her hair. The next second, she buried her head in the table, her tone full of despair.
"But the thought of having to go to a nature park tomorrow makes me want to die."
Yun Yu, who had been resting listlessly with his head down, suddenly raised his head. He looked at the troubled Su Mo and softly asked to confirm:
"Are you going to that nature park tomorrow where people have been going missing lately?"
"Yeah!" Su Mo nodded sullenly, her tone full of helplessness and despair: "I'm a reporter. For such a high-profile and suspicious missing person case, I have to investigate and report on it on-site. The industry competition is too fierce. If I don't go, my competitors will immediately rush to do it."
They don't give anyone a chance to rest at all!
Listening to her complaints, Yun Yu didn't offer any words of comfort. His mind raced, considering all the possibilities of her disappearance at the scenic area. After a few seconds, Yun Yu pursed his lips, his eyes serious, and with a hint of hesitation, slowly spoke:
"Then... could you take me with you?"
Su Mo: "?"
Seeing Yunyu coming to hand over her shift, her colleague Uesugi frowned and couldn't help but ask her with concern.
At this moment, Yun Yu's face was deathly pale, his lips were almost bloodless, and he looked extremely weak. As he skillfully changed into his convenience store uniform, he weakly and casually explained:
"It's nothing, I just have a slight cold recently."
"I see. It really is flu season lately, but if you have a cold, I think you'd better take a day off and rest." Uesugi didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a common illness, and offered this kind advice.
After saying that, he suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes instantly became mysterious, and he quietly leaned close to Yun Yu's ear and lowered his voice.
"By the way, I have something to tell you."
You know that really popular natural scenic spot near our city, right? Something's happened there recently, it's on the news every day, people keep disappearing inexplicably.
The rumors online are really spooky; many people say that place is cursed by ghosts and monsters, and you absolutely, positively shouldn't go there recently.
Upon hearing these words, Yun Yu stopped straightening his clothes instantly, raised his head, and looked at Uesugi beside him.
"Do people frequently disappear in natural scenic areas?"
"Yes, that's right." Uesugi nodded emphatically and continued, "There are all sorts of theories. Some say there's a big black bear hiding in the mountains and tourists accidentally got killed there. Others say the mountains are haunted. And some even more outrageous ones say there's a monster hiding there."
Yun Yu nodded in agreement, feigning composure, and said, "That is indeed quite frightening."
He spoke casually, but his nerves were already on edge. In the Ultraman world, once there were urban legends about many people having met with misfortune, they were practically indistinguishable from the truth.
After a brief handover of work, Uesugi chatted with Yunyu for a few last words before packing up and leaving for the day.
The convenience store fell silent instantly, leaving only Yun Yu. He could no longer maintain his forced composure and slumped weakly into a chair.
My whole body felt sore and weak, my limbs felt light and airy, and I felt a faint, stabbing pain in my chest.
The root of all this is because I got too caught up in practicing my skills in space.
He was immersed in the joy of awakening his new power and focused on practicing his skills like crazy. By the time he had practiced for a long time and finally came back to his senses, the energy in his body was almost completely depleted.
When Tiga had injected enough energy, the pain in his body was suppressed. But now that his energy was depleted, the injuries left over from the battle suddenly resurfaced.
Next time, no matter how excited I am, I absolutely cannot be so reckless and squander my energy so carelessly.
No matter how frustrated he was, he couldn't abandon his work. He forced himself to stand up, enduring the churning pain in his chest, and carefully rearranged all the scattered goods on the shelves and cleaned the store thoroughly.
After finishing all his work, he sat back down in his chair and spaced out.
With nothing to do, he subconsciously touched his pocket and suddenly remembered that he had given his phone to Xiao Mian a long time ago. Now, he didn't even have anything to pass the time with. He would have to buy a new phone and get a new SIM card.
Just thinking about spending money again made Yun Yu feel a pang of heartache. He didn't have much savings to begin with, and this whole ordeal would shrink it even further.
But then he thought about it again, and realized that the phone was a gift to Xiao Mian as a bond between him and Xiao Mian, so Yun Yu felt it was worth it.
Just as he was about to open the little website in his mind to kill time, the automatic door at the convenience store suddenly rang with a "ding".
The cold night wind blew in through the crack in the door, carrying a chill. Yun Yu looked up and saw Su Mo walk in.
In stark contrast to her sophisticated and polished appearance during the daytime interview, Su Mo now had heavy dark circles under her eyes, slightly disheveled hair, and a tired look on her face.
She didn't speak or buy anything. She walked skillfully to the chair in the rest area, slumped down, and looked completely listless, almost exactly like Yun Yu, who was now in a daze.
Inside the cramped convenience store, the two remained quiet, neither of them uttering a word.
The silence lasted for a long time, but finally, exhausted Su Mo broke the silence by admitting defeat first:
"Could you... make me a cup of coffee?" Her voice was hoarse and weak, full of weariness.
Yun Yu was also feeling unwell, and he barely had the strength to speak. However, he still silently stood up, walked to the counter, skillfully took out the coffee that Su Mo often drank, poured hot water into it, brewed it, and brought it to her.
Su Mo took the coffee, tilted her head back and took a big gulp. The cold coffee, with a hint of bitterness, slid down her throat. She let out a long sigh of relief, and her face finally regained some vitality.
"I'm finally alive."
She stretched her body, briefly regained her strength, then irritably scratched her hair. The next second, she buried her head in the table, her tone full of despair.
"But the thought of having to go to a nature park tomorrow makes me want to die."
Yun Yu, who had been resting listlessly with his head down, suddenly raised his head. He looked at the troubled Su Mo and softly asked to confirm:
"Are you going to that nature park tomorrow where people have been going missing lately?"
"Yeah!" Su Mo nodded sullenly, her tone full of helplessness and despair: "I'm a reporter. For such a high-profile and suspicious missing person case, I have to investigate and report on it on-site. The industry competition is too fierce. If I don't go, my competitors will immediately rush to do it."
They don't give anyone a chance to rest at all!
Listening to her complaints, Yun Yu didn't offer any words of comfort. His mind raced, considering all the possibilities of her disappearance at the scenic area. After a few seconds, Yun Yu pursed his lips, his eyes serious, and with a hint of hesitation, slowly spoke:
"Then... could you take me with you?"
Su Mo: "?"