Chapter 1229: Chapter 818: Headcount
He didn’t act rashly but hid in a high place to peep. He saw Musa walking step by step to the two corpses behind the tree, observed for a moment, then took off his clothes and covered the faces of the two corpses.
He then took out a strip of cloth from his body, walked a few steps away, and with difficulty, tiptoed to tie the cloth strip to the branch of a small tree next to the big tree by the corpses.
Yang Xiao could guess that Musa was marking the location of the corpses so that he could bring people to collect them at dawn.
The Ghost abandoned the other group tonight and turned to attack them, there must be a reason for this.
He had figured out the Ghost’s method of killing, but the issue of how the Ghost chose its victims remained unclear, and this was very important.
At this time, Yang Xiao was rapidly recalling his experiences during this period. He seemed to have figured out some patterns, but he was not yet sure.
On the slope below, Musa also began to move. He first found a long branch to make a makeshift crutch for himself, then leaned on it to distinguish the direction and slowly walked back the way he came.
Yang Xiao quietly descended the slope, following Musa from a distance.
He was willing to believe that this Musa was human, after all, a Ghost was unlikely to take off its clothes to cover the faces of corpses and leave a mark.
But now he couldn’t understand why Musa came from the direction where the Ghost disappeared by the lake. He was obviously the closest to the Ghost, and there was no reason for the Ghost to purposely avoid him.
Although Yang Xiao was very careful with his footing, this was, after all, a forest with little lighting. He accidentally stepped on a dry branch, the sound immediately alerting the highly vigilant Musa.
The next second, Yang Xiao witnessed an unbelievable scene. Without turning his head, Musa immediately limped forward, running and waving his arms, while making strange cries like "Oh oh oh," excited like a gorilla in a zoo that just got a banana.
"Mr. Musa, it’s me!!" Yang Xiao now confirmed that Musa was indeed human since the Ghost wouldn’t act so eccentrically, "It’s me, Chu Xi!"
After hearing Yang Xiao’s shout, Musa did not respond and ran even faster. Yang Xiao had no choice but to chase after him, tackling him to the ground.
Even when Musa was on the ground, he continued to wave his arms and kick his legs chaotically, but his eyes remained closed, refusing to look at Yang Xiao.
"Musa, it’s me!!" Yang Xiao pinned Musa down, using his hands to pry open his eyelids, "Just look at me, just once!!"
After a brief struggle, Musa finally confirmed that the Yang Xiao in front of him was indeed a real teammate and not one of those Ghosts in disguise. A Ghost who could open eyelids, he had never seen before.
"Why were you following me?" Musa, after all, was also an older man, and being watched through all this made him somewhat embarrassed.
Yang Xiao was also exhausted at this moment, leaning against a tree and breathing heavily. But he kept a keen mind and did not mention he had been watching from a high place.
"There was fog just now, and in my hurry, I ran in the wrong direction, so I looped back. I didn’t go far when I saw someone ahead."
"I didn’t know if it was a person or a Ghost, so I just followed them. I didn’t expect you to notice me."
Yang Xiao’s acting was very convincing, his face remaining calm, but his slightly trembling pupils revealed the panic in his heart at that moment, "How’s everyone else?"
"I don’t know about Adila, Aisha and Shari are dead." Musa sighed, his eyes dimming as well.
"Two?"
"Yes, two, both are dead."
"How could this happen?"
Musa glanced back with lingering fear, "I saw their corpses with my own eyes, there’s no mistake. I marked the scene, so at dawn, the monks can handle it."
Musa then recounted everything he had seen to Yang Xiao. Only then did Yang Xiao learn that Musa was actually not far from Aisha and Shari when they were attacked, and the Ghosts bypassed Musa and went directly after the two women.
"I was unlucky, sprained my foot after only running a few steps and fell behind. I thought... I thought I was dead for sure." Recalling this, Musa took a deep breath, unsure if it was from fear or relief.
"You mean the Ghosts ignored you, bypassed you, and went after Aisha and the two others?" This information was crucial for Yang Xiao, strengthening his judgment.
"That’s right, exactly so." Musa nodded.
Musa’s account was entirely consistent with Yang Xiao’s observations from above, and at this moment, Yang Xiao was convinced of Musa’s identity.
"I know the pattern in which this Ghost chooses its targets now." Yang Xiao’s heart suddenly cleared.
"The numbers." Musa immediately lowered his voice, evidently thinking of the same thing.
Yang Xiao nodded, "Yes, it’s the numbers. This Ghost has been lurking around us since we entered the temple, both day and night."
"But when we split into groups, it would automatically follow the larger group and then appear to kill at the specific opportunity."
"On the first night of the deaths, our group had 5 people, Datou’s had 7. So after nightfall, each went back to their rooms and split up. The Ghost followed them and attacked them during the night, killing Ahmed."
"This is also why Datou’s group going to the Inner Buddha Hall didn’t encounter attacks when they split for the second time, because Datou’s group had 3 people, Ahmed’s had 4. The Ghost followed those 4 to the Outer Buddha Hall."
"On the second night of deaths, our group had 5 people, theirs had 6. After nightfall, the Ghost went with them. They encountered an accident, their group split again into 3 small teams."
