Set Off to Silent Hill
Early the next morning, Xu Mo drove his second-hand Ford pickup truck toward the school gate.
Five minutes later, he arrived at the meeting point. Two cars were already waiting — a Lexus and a Ferrari.
As Xu Mo pulled up, a man wearing glasses, a little under 1.8 meters tall, stepped out of the Lexus and approached with a smile.
"Hey, Xu, you finally came around. No need to rush into finding a job!"
Xu Mo chuckled lightly at that. Given the sparse furnishings in his apartment and the beat-up Ford he was driving, his financial situation in this world was clearly not good. The body's original owner had apparently planned to skip the graduation trip and go straight to work.
But as the man came closer, Xu Mo's expression shifted. He could sense it — resentment clinging to him. The mark of someone targeted by an evil spirit.
Extending his mental power outward, Xu Mo confirmed that the passengers in both the Lexus and the Ferrari carried the same aura.
Six people, all tainted. Was the world really this overrun with evil spirits?
He recognized the man's voice — Jason, the one who had called him last night.
A few minutes later, the last car arrived: a red Subaru. With everyone present, the convoy finally set off.
Jason chose to ride with Xu Mo, chatting excitedly along the way. It was clear he had no idea what kind of world they were heading into. Through the conversation, Xu Mo pieced together the details of their group:
Xu Mo
Jason
Carl, the Lexus driver
Lina, Carl's younger sister
Dina and her wealthy boyfriend Blake, riding in the Ferrari
Julie, their classmate, in the Subaru
Seven in total.
Hours later, the group stopped at a lonely highway gas station to refuel and buy supplies. Silent Hill was a remote, abandoned town, and since they planned to stay for several days, they needed food and water.
At the supermarket, Xu Mo studied his companions.
Carl, nearly 1.9 meters tall and muscular, looked like a dedicated fitness enthusiast. In stark contrast, his younger sister Lina was slim, barely 1.6 meters, with delicate features. The "beauty and the beast" siblings hardly seemed related.
Dina, fair-skinned and close to 1.8 meters tall, stood beside her boyfriend Blake, who wore his dreadlocks with a scowl. Both looked tense, as if they'd just argued. Blake's gaze lingered on Xu Mo with something more than irritation — hostility. Did they have some prior feud? Xu Mo made a note to ask Jason about it later.
Julie, on the other hand, carried herself with quiet poise. Her long black hair and striking features — especially her full, slightly upturned lips — gave her a unique beauty. Jason told Xu Mo that she was considered the most attractive woman in their class and also one of the top students. Throughout college she'd had countless admirers, though no boyfriend rumors. Judging by Jason's subtle praise, he was clearly one of those admirers, though too reserved to pursue her openly.
Xu Mo summarized the group in his mind: the "beauty and the beast" siblings, the couple, the school beauty, Jason, and himself — a team headed straight for disaster.
As Lina hopped out of the Lexus, she ran up to Xu Mo.
"Xu, why didn't you answer my call yesterday?"
"Uh… I might have been in the shower and didn't hear it," Xu Mo replied smoothly, offering an excuse.
He'd seen the missed call on the phone afterward, but at the time, the body's original owner had been hiding in the neighbor's closet. After Xu Mo's own arrival in this world, he hadn't known who she was — calling back would have been impossible.
Lina didn't look convinced, but before she could press further, Carl cut in.
"Alright, Lina, enough. Go grab what we need. We have to move quickly — we need to reach the last town before Silent Hill by nightfall."
He gave Xu Mo a brief nod before leading his sister inside.
Xu Mo and Jason followed.
Inside, Xu Mo noticed something else: Julie barely spoke to anyone. Even that morning, she had only greeted Carl. Curious, Xu Mo asked Jason, "Did Julie actually volunteer for this trip?"
"Of course," Jason said. "She's always been interested in supernatural adventures."
With that, things became clearer. Carl was also one of Julie's admirers. He had organized this entire Silent Hill expedition just to impress her. Jason's tone held a trace of bitterness — he was competing for the same girl.
Xu Mo almost laughed. Classic. Dragging friends and family into danger for the sake of a girl's attention.
If he hadn't crossed into this world, this team's fate in Silent Hill would likely have been sealed.
But something still bothered him. Resentment. All of them carried it — except Julie. He had even asked casually along the way whether anyone had gone to haunted houses or done reckless dares before, but Jason had said no.
Unable to figure it out, Xu Mo chose another method. A strange light flickered in his eyes for just two seconds. When it faded, the resentment clinging to Jason and Carl had shifted onto him.
Now, he bore the heaviest resentment. The perfect bait.
If evil spirits came hunting, they would come for him first.
Exactly as planned.
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