Chapter 227: The Town Where Memories Are Forbidden

Chapter 227: The Town Where Memories Are Forbidden

Snake.

—But in this town, is there any rule or attraction that corresponds to the snake-like monster?

The "snake" seems to be an... alien species, independent of the town’s rules.

A terrifying guess began to form in his mind, and Rat Eye felt a tingling sensation, like an electric shock, spreading down his spine. His fingers trembled, and he dropped the earphone, which was still emitting a buzzing sound, and quickly flipped open the notebook in his pocket.

Many of his fallen comrades had lost their earphones in various corners of the town, but fortunately, Rat Eye, being cautious and suspicious by nature, always kept records.

He opened the palm-sized notebook, where row after row detailed the causes of his comrades' deaths.

Rat Eye turned to the last few pages, focusing on the recent death records:

"Day 10, Deaths: 0"

"Day 11, Deaths: 0"

"Day 12, Deaths: 1"

Victim No. 8 — Violated Rule Six, went out at night, has been missing for over three days, presumed dead.

"Day 13, Deaths: 0"

"Day 14, Deaths: 3"

Victim No. 9 — Attraction “Hide-and-Seek Paradise,” eyes pierced by nails, intracranial infection, died within 12 hours of leaving the attraction.

Victim No. 10 —— Suspected to have died due to Rule 7, heard "music."

Victim No. 11 —— ??? (Suspicion: Only bloodstains and headphones at the scene)

"Day 15, 2 deaths"

Victim No. 12 —— Attraction "The Hungry Rocking Chair," consumed by the seat.

Victim No. 13 —— ??? (Same as No. 11, only bloodstains and drag marks at the scene)

"Day 16, 1 death"

Victim No. 14 —— ??? (Disappeared after going out during the day, whereabouts unknown)

Rat Eye carefully examined these death records and suddenly realized: starting from Day 14, the number of deaths showed a subtle increase—from an average of 0 to 1 person per day to an average of two deaths or disappearances.

Moreover, every day, one person's cause of death was marked as "???", indicating they neither died in an attraction nor showed any signs of violating town rules, and even before the incident, they exhibited no abnormal behavior.

Just like the owner of those headphones.

They simply stayed in the town as usual, perhaps separating from their companions for a moment, and when they were seen again, only chilling bloodstains remained at the spot...

Rat Eye felt a twinge of regret for not noticing the unusual death toll in recent days sooner.

But it couldn't be helped.

Because the town prohibited recall, forcing everyone to clear their minds. Over time, their brains became like rusty machines left idle for too long, making their thoughts slower than usual.

Furthermore, in the unique and dangerous environment of the Shadow Realm, Rat Eye and others pushed one companion after another into attractions, coldly watching as their friends turned into black lines in the death records, becoming numb to death. Thus, it was difficult to notice the change immediately...

Perhaps, a new source of danger has emerged.

Like an immense black cloud, by the time people on the ground slowly realize its presence, it has already overshadowed everyone's head.

Based on the records, Rat Eye deduced that "the Snake" seemed to kill only one person each day—

It was as if a courteous and skilled assassin, maintaining a regular and steady hunting habit, never overindulging nor failing.

Heart pounding, Rat Eye glanced around, his eyes flickering over Scarface and the short man, quietly clenching his fists.

He thought, today is the 17th day.

There were only three members of the Burning Pure Land left in town: himself, Scarface, and the short man...

Today, it would be one of their turns.

Should he tell someone about this pattern?

Rat Eye pondered for just a second before immediately making up his mind to secretly keep the secret.

Given his understanding of Scarface, the man, relying on his superior strength, would certainly force them to face death to save himself!

Rat Eye did not want such an end, even if it meant just one more day; he wanted to be the last to die.

"What were you looking at just now? So engrossed," Scarface, after scolding the short man and venting his anger, feeling better, turned his attention to Rat Eye with a playful tone, "Didn't you find some new clue or something?"

Ha, once the temper is spent, intelligence regains its high ground.

Rat Eye sneered inwardly twice, casually closing his notebook and shaking his head.

"Nothing, just some trivial matters."

Something that might expedite the demise of this bullying brute before him.

He added silently in his mind.

…

"Attraction Two [The Peeping Tom's Hut] —— We've arrived, welcome interested children to disembark and experience."

Lena hopped off the train again, looking around at the attraction.

Unlike its unique name, the appearance of this attraction was rather ordinary, just a narrow little house that Lena estimated probably had only one room inside.

Next to the hut stood a signboard with the attraction’s introduction and rules written on it.

"Welcome to the Peeping Tom's Hut!"

"Since 672, the Peeping Tom has built this magical house to satisfy his voyeuristic desires towards all the town's residents."

"During the day, he would hide in the hut, his eyes peering through small holes in the walls, observing every passerby's actions and words; when night fell, he would use the enchanted cat-eye on the door to constantly spy on every household, every room, scanning each sleeping face with an invisible gaze... until his death, the secret of the hut was discovered by other residents and preserved as a unique attraction."

"Now, why don't you give it a try?"

"Try what?"

Lena couldn't help but mutter softly, "Is this encouraging children to emulate a peeping tom?"

I wonder if the 'fairy tale' of this fairy tale city is really proper.

Lena continued reading, taking in the instructions for visiting the Peeping House.

"1. Close the door and put your eye to the peephole, and you will see a wondrous sight."

"2. Turn the two knobs beside the door; the blue knob adjusts the location of your peeping, while the red knob changes the time period."

"3. Caution: Be careful not to be detected by your subject! It could lead to dire consequences!"

"4. When you are peeping, ■■■ also ■■■■!"

The last rule seemed to have been maliciously defaced, making it impossible to read.

Lena frowned but decided to go through with the experience.

She had a bold idea:

If the house could help visitors spy on different times, could she set the time back to 678 AD—the year when children frequently went missing?

Perhaps she could witness firsthand what happened in the town back then!

With that, Lena followed the instructions, stepping into the narrow house and closing the door behind her.

As soon as she opened the door, a musty smell of dust hit her face.

Lena looked around and found that the room had no windows or furniture, only a small stool for children to stand on, plain white walls, and a floor.

The interior of the house was long and narrow, oddly shaped, about one meter wide and three meters long, just enough for a few people to stand in a line—truly designed solely for the purpose of peeping.

Lena took out a crumpled piece of paper. Besides her past note, it now included several pieces of information about missing children.

Thanks to the missing person notice, Lena was able to learn the family address of the missing child and the exact time of the incident, and she carefully adjusted the knobs accordingly.

Above each knob was a semicircular dial. Every turn of the knob caused the dial to rotate, with the needle swaying to point at specific information.

The blue dial displayed the names of every street and the numbers of every house in the town; on the red dial, which represented time, were precise markings down to the year, month, day, and hour.

"Year 678, June 5th, Sycamore Street No. 14, Anna's home..."

Standing on a stool, Lena adjusted the knob to the correct time and pressed her eye to the peephole.

On the other side of the peephole, a cozy children's room came into view.

Before long, the room's young occupant, Anna, entered, dragging her feet and looking dejected.

Anna put down her backpack and sat at the desk facing the peephole, taking out several books and notebooks and placing them on the desk.

At times, she seemed to sense an elusive gaze and turned her head sharply a few times, but Lena's reflexes were far quicker than those of an ordinary person, and she managed to avoid detection each time.

Relieved that there was no peeping Tom, Anna began her homework, but she would often drift off into worry after a few strokes on the page. Eventually, she pushed the book away and opened the diary beside her, flipping through the pages.

Lena had excellent dynamic vision and could quickly make out the childish handwriting in the diary from a distance—

"May 24th"

"Today was so much fun. My desk mate, Tom, even sang me a song, it was so beautiful. But when I tried to sing it for Mom at home, she scolded me.

Later that night, Mom suddenly hugged me and cried, telling me not to sing or listen to any music anymore... Mom said music would take me away. Is that true? Where would it take me? To a place with fairies and princesses from bedtime stories?"

"May 25th"

"I listened to Mom and didn't play with Tom anymore. But Tom didn't come to school today. I asked the teacher, and she said Tom wouldn't be coming back.

Why? Was he taken away by the music too?"

Flipping through these two pages, Anna suddenly became agitated, rustling through several more pages before slowly leaning over her diary, her shoulders trembling slightly as she sobbed uneasily.

"June 1st"

"I'm a bit scared.

Several classmates have disappeared recently, their seats empty. Everyone says those who vanished won't return to class. Before they disappeared, they all hummed that song, just like Tom...

Now, that song keeps ringing in my ears. I try to control myself, to forget it, but I can't. The notes chase me... Will I disappear too?"

After crying for a while, Anna lifted her head, revealing red, swollen eyes.

Wiping away her tears hastily, she picked up her pen and wrote today's entry on a new page:

"June 5th"

"It grows louder, closer, and clearer in my dreams... Mom told me not to be afraid; she'll find a way to take me out of Fairyland, to the distant Twelfth City. She says it's a town where all the residents live forever, so I might not be taken away.

I trust Mom. I'm not afraid. We're leaving together tomorrow, and we won't be separated."

Finishing the last sentence, Anna suddenly turned her head, looking in Lena's direction, murmuring:

"Is someone... watching me?"

"..."

Lena crouched behind the door, twisting the knob to set the time a few hours ahead.

Peering through the peephole, the children's room was now shrouded in night, with Anna lying in bed, fast asleep, her eyes tightly closed, and traces of tears still on her face.

The night was tranquil, and Lena could only hear the child's steady breathing, as if it were just another ordinary midnight.

But suddenly, Anna sat up without warning.

Her eyes remained shut, her soft neck bent forward, causing her long hair to part into two strands that fell from either side of her face, obscuring her features.

In this half-dream, half-awake state, Anna slowly climbed out of bed and began to walk backward.

Her steps were unsteady and wobbly, moving in circles at times while she walked backward, and she waved her arms about aimlessly—after watching for a while, Lena realized she was dancing backward.

For a moment, the children's room was filled with the rustling sound of bare feet against the floor, carrying an indescribable rhythm, as if Anna was dancing to some unheard music under the moonlight.

As she moved into a specific pose, the long hair that had been covering Anna’s face parted, revealing a slightly uplifted face with a sweet smile, as if all the most beautiful things in the world had appeared in Anna’s dream.

Anna drew closer and closer to the windowsill, her figure becoming increasingly hazy and translucent.

Her brown hair and eyelashes, her fair skin, her dark blue nightgown—all were penetrated by the moonlight, eventually dissolving completely within it.

Anna disappeared, the night before her family moved away from town.

But what was even more terrifying for Lena was:

Although Anna had vanished—

the sound of her dance steps still lingered…

ringing in Lena’s ears.