Chapter 216 - 216 Seventy-three

Words : 1313 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

216: Seventy-three. True and False 216: Seventy-three. True and False This wasn’t the end of the letter. On the back of the paper, beneath the diary entries of the little boy and Little Rainer, there were a few more lines left by “Anna.” There wasn’t any hidden message meant for Lu Li, just something Anna had remembered she’d forgotten to mention and added afterward. This indeed was Anna’s style. [I’m worried, I know you will definitely come look for me... please don’t. Do you know what I saw during those few hours I was trapped in the Shadow Swamp? Their feast, the face of the Mother of the Marsh, the spirits that haunt the jungle, billions of spider forests, and... and the sacrifices to the Mother of the Marsh... by the residents of Shadow Town] [They actually worship the Mother of the Marsh! I saw them kneeling in the marsh, their skin cracking open to reveal bluish-gray carapace beneath... They are the ones who revealed our whereabouts to the marsh!] [Shadow Town has fallen, and we never escaped the swamp. If you are receiving this letter in Shadow Town, please run away!] [Flee, flee from the Ailen Peninsula, to a place where neither the Mother of the Marsh nor her claw-believers can find you.] [So, don’t come here.] All content stops here. The hasty handwriting linked together, almost bleeding the inner urgency and despair of the writer onto the page. Lu Li’s gaze lingered on the last part for a moment before he lifted his head to look at the bedroom. The bedroom was empty; Anna, who had been lying on the bed reading, was nowhere to be seen. Turning his head to the right, a delicate, semi-transparent cheek peered over his shoulder, very close by. “When did you get here?” Anna tried to peer around to see what Lu Li was doing, completely unaware that Lu Li’s face was only a few centimeters from hers, “When you averted your gaze, what were you looking at?” Anna, ever so curious about everything, showed the same curiosity at this moment. But perhaps because she had seen the letter first, she seemed a bit odd. “A letter signed by you.” Rustle— The paper rustled as Lu Li shook it. Lu Li would think, would question, and these thoughts and questions were always present. However, he did not let these doubts dominate his will. As Lu Li’s Sanity Value test answers, It’s either left or right, there is no middle. When unable to confirm the truth itself, the information received could only serve as a reference, not evidence. This was also why Lu Li rarely offered opinions on matters—by not speaking, he would not be wrong. “Eh? Where?” Anna acted with genuine surprise, floating over to peer at the desk. “You don’t see it?” Lu Li frowned slightly, raising his arm higher. Anna, confused, looked at Lu Li’s hand as if he was holding something, then at Lu Li’s face, “You don’t have anything in your hand...” Could it be... Lu Li thought of a possibility, picked up a box of matches from the corner of the desk, struck one, and placed it under the paper. A distinct sulfur smell spread as the match head emitted a faint flame. The flame did not split in two, nor did the paper inside blacken or burn. An invisible letter. “A new trick of ‘the door’?” “Is it another letter that I can’t see?” Anna guessed. “Yeah.” Lu Li nodded, facing Anna’s curious gaze. “Remember Little Rainer’s diary? The paper is torn from above it.” “Hmm...” Then, Lu Li relayed the entire content on the paper to her. Anna attempted to speak several times, her emotions fluctuating, until after Lu Li recited the last sentence and looked up, she blushed and anxiously defended, “I didn’t write this! Ugh... I mean, I am me!” Folding the letter along its original creases, Lu Li stuffed it back into the envelope and placed it into the back of the drawer, right next to the previous letter. Lu Li looked at Anna and said, “I know you are you.” Anna’s gaze met those deep black eyes, their unchanging calmness infected Anna, and although Lu Li acted no different than usual, Anna could tell he believed her. As her agitated breath gradually steadied, Anna, embarrassed to show her touch, could only mutter discontentedly in a low voice, “What the heck, the door actually used such a disgusting tactic, so despicable!” “But it was effective.” Lu Li closed the drawer. If it were someone else, whether they believed the contents of the letter or not, they would subconsciously prevent Anna from seeing what was written, thus not discovering that it was a letter not meant to be seen by others. The style of the “door” was becoming more and more cunning. After the initial panic and trust in Lu Li, Anna reverted to her usual self, carrying her body and whispering low enough for Lu Li to hear. “I can’t believe I was found out, looks like the plan needs to be moved forward heh heh heh...” “However, one thing concerns me,” Lu Li suddenly spoke. Anna’s attention shifted easily, she turned around with a puzzled look. “Remember the last letter?” Lu Li said. “Those photos?” “Yes. Although I am not the murderer, the content on them was real,” Lu Li narrowed his eyes slightly, his knuckles tapping the desktop unconsciously. “Besides you, what else is real in this letter...” Anna was stunned, recalling the contents of the letter Lu Li described, a bone-deep chill surging in her heart. Ding ding ding— At that moment, the telephone on the desk suddenly rang, startling Anna. “Be careful...” Anna almost instinctively spoke out to warn him. The news that the residents of Shadow Town were followers of the Mother of the Marsh had a terrifying impact. Lu Li didn’t say anything, he grabbed the continuously ringing phone, and held the receiver to his ear. He remained silent; meanwhile, panicked calls for help erupted from the handset. “Help me, save me! It wants to come out! It wants to replace me!” ... Gu-huh—Gu-huh—Gu-huh— Cold, metallically harsh breathing sounds echoed through the withered trees of the Marsh, turned into a watery mire. A bizarrely shaped dark shadow moved between the withered trees, it moved quickly, yet awkwardly heavy. The dark shadow’s face resembled a crow’s beak, disproportionate to its bulky upper body; the shadow’s lower limbs were unusually thin, like an adult-sized crow or... one person carrying another person. The two figures were covered in a thick layer of mud, and even the relentless rain could not wash away the filth. The withered trees around them started to thin, they were nearing the edge of Shadow Swamp. The ankle-deep marsh still existed but was not as pervasive with flesh-devouring mud as in the deeper parts. Distant human structures faintly appeared through the sparse jungle ahead. The figure on the back turned, looking behind excitedly shouted, “They haven’t followed us! Mother of the Marsh’s influence doesn’t reach here; Shadow Town is just ahead! We are safe!” A cold, hoarse, heavy voice sounded by his ear, “Do you think breaking into the home of the Mother of the Marsh is safe?” “Could it be true...” The figure on the back paused, then clenched his teeth, “But we must send that letter as soon as possible, I owe it to Lu Li.” After a few seconds of silence, the hoarse voice spoke up. “Go around Shadow Town, send the letter from another town.” With these words, the jungle returned to deathly silence, only the sound of flowing water and heavy breathing echoed.

Chapter 216 - 216 Seventy-three

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