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I was stunned.The middle-aged man in front of me held me back and wouldn't let me move a step further.
I never expected that this middle-aged man with graying temples would have such strength in his arms.
"What's going on?This isn't a bandit's den,is it?I don't have any money."
I quickly raised my hands.I could barely afford to eat,and I didn't have much money left.
"You silly boy,why would I rob you?I'm here to send off an old brother.What are you doing here?"
The middle-aged man spoke with a strong local accent.After letting go of me,he looked at me with a wary expression.
I was even more confused.The middle-aged man in front of me neither drove a car nor brought anyone with him.
Then how was he going to send off the old brother he mentioned?
"Uncle,what old brother are you talking about?Do you have old comrades or brothers here?You don't have a car either...Don't you live here?"
"Pfft,you kid,you can't say anything nice.Who would live here!I'm here to send him off—"
The middle-aged man gave me a disdainful look and then,with a solemn expression,slowly took out a black box from his black plastic bag.
"Damn it!!"
I exclaimed.The square black box in front of me had a black-and-white photo on it.What else could it be but an urn?
"See,this is my old brother.He lived here many years ago.Now that he's passed away,I'm bringing him back to his hometown."
The middle-aged man didn't find my reaction strange.He put the urn back into the plastic bag.And I had already seen the paper ingots and hell banknotes under the urn.
"Little kid,you're not possessed,are you?Wandering around here during the day.Be careful of being haunted by ghosts."
The middle-aged man warned me sternly.Seeing my face gradually turn pale,he asked with a serious expression,"Don't you know what District C is for?"
I stiffly shook my head,and in my mind,the memories of that night kept flashing by again and again.
The first time I came to District C,I met the Weasel Spirit when delivering the first order.It was a kind of spirit that was only commonly seen in the wilderness.
And the young man's ambiguous smile still made my scalp tingle now.
"Uncle...Well...What exactly is District C...?"
I moved my lips,as if I had guessed the answer but still couldn't believe it.I asked with a trembling voice.
"Sigh,District C.The ones living here are all these kinds of things."
The middle-aged man slowly let out a sigh,picked up the black bag,and explained everything to me.
At that moment,looking at the black plastic bag and these long-abandoned low buildings,I stood there as if struck by lightning.
District C was like a towering tomb that had been deeply engraved in my heart,cold and terrifying.
