The fairyland-like Limbo Prison, under the swing next to the towering ancient trees.
Two young men and women who had been separated for a long time kissed each other heavily, as if they were trying to rub each other into their bodies and merge into an eternal stone sculpture.
Di An, who was not far away, stared at this scene quietly, a trace of emotion flashed in his eyes, and his thoughts returned to the summer more than a year ago.
"Mona and Dean."
"We couldn't stay together in life, but we finally reunited in Limbo after death."
…
"Dean, I've been waiting to meet you, I've been waiting for you." Mona's gentle kisses fell on the man's face like raindrops, and finally touched the tip of his nose lightly, enjoying the tenderness.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting and lonely for so long," Ying's hands hugged her waist a little tighter, "I've always missed you too, every day... I've personally sent that bastard Bob to the hospital. Hell, I avenged you."
Mona's eyes flashed with gratitude and admiration when she heard this, "I have long forgotten my hatred, I only care about you now. Have you been admitted to the University of Arizona? Have you visited the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles?"
"I didn't have time." Ying shook his head regretfully and sighed, "If I have the opportunity in the future, I will realize these wishes."
Ying asked again with concern, "How are you doing here?"
"It's not bad. There's no danger here. You don't need to eat or drink, so there are no worries and worries." Mona's eyes flashed with numbness, and she smiled flatly, "But there are no theaters, shopping malls and other entertainment facilities, so it's a bit boring. Yes. Yes. How did you get here? Are you dead too?"
"We used some special means to enter Limbo, but in the real world we are still alive." Ying said, turning to the two people behind him, "By the way, this is Sheriff Hope, and this is my...brother , you can call him Lu..."
Mona's eyes looked slightly confused between Ying and Dean. The two faces looked very similar, but Dean was more than a year older, so his body was stronger.
"I just met him not long ago, so I haven't told you before." After hearing Dean's urging, Ying stared into Mona's affectionate eyes and said, "Back to the topic, what else can we do when we come in this time? There is another reason for meeting you. The green-eyed goat-man took Lu's girlfriend into Limbo. We want to rescue her, but we can't find the direction. Do you know the habitat of the goat-man?"
The word goatman made Mona startled for a moment, with a hint of fear and worry in her eyes, "I heard from other companions that these abnormal creatures are extremely dangerous and can easily kill ordinary wandering souls like us. I don't think so." I suggest you deliver it to your door.”
"Don't worry, Ms. Mona, we have made adequate preparations in advance." Not far away, Dean waved his hand to an ancient tree next to him that was hugged by one person, and "Shadow" immediately used his telekinesis to uproot it. The mud was pulled out and floated in circles in mid-air, "Speaking of which, we are professional exorcists."
Mona saw a trace of hesitation in her eyes, then glanced at the pleading figure, gritted her teeth and nodded,
"The Goatman's habitat is far away from here. Let me take you there."
"Just tell me the direction and we'll go there by ourselves." Ying dissuaded.
"We've just met and we're going to separate? I want to stay with you!" Mona held onto "Shadow"'s arm with a naive look on her face, and the latter nodded with Dean's agreement.
The original team of three expanded to four people and continued heading east.
The three Deans also kept asking more questions to Mona, an aborigine.
"After the goatman captures a pure soul, he will not devour it immediately. Instead, he will first go through a complicated and long assimilation ceremony. If you arrive before the ceremony is completed, you may be able to save your friends."
Dean was relieved when he heard this and temporarily let go of his tense nerves.
"You entered this place not long ago. Who did you get this information from?" Ying asked,
"There are wandering souls who have lived in Limbo for a long time, are rich in experience, and like to share their knowledge and experiences."
"We didn't see a single wandering spirit along the way."
"This place is too big. Except for the wandering souls who have a deep bond that attract each other, everyone else lives alone and very scattered."
"Are there any animals here?" Hope couldn't help but interjected,
"Human souls will naturally enter Limbo after death... Of course, there are already abnormal and deformed things such as goatmen living here."
"What do you mean by abnormal things and deformed things?" Dean interrupted,
"Different from the wandering spirits, the ancient monsters in Limbo live in the edge areas like the goat-men. But in addition to the goat-men, there are also centaurs, harpies, and lion-men... They all have one thing in common, their appearance. It’s a mixture of human and animal beasts. They can both easily kill wandering spirits.”
It was an eye-opener for Dean.
"Then how do you survive under the threat of these abnormal things?"
"The Wraith Council protects everyone..." A trace of awe flashed in Mona's eyes, "It is composed of dozens of powerful and ancient councilors. The councilors possess unimaginable magical power and drive abnormal things out of the center of the forest. area, as a safe haven for wandering souls.”
"They protect most wandering souls from intrusion, establish laws and regulations prohibiting certain crimes, and are also responsible for adjudicating disputes between wandering souls."
Dean nodded repeatedly after hearing this. This alternative space has its own order just like the earth, and there is no doubt that these dozens of congressmen must have been powerful superpowers during their lifetimes.
"Can I ask the members of the Wandering Council for help?"
"Your matter involves the fringe area where the Goatman is. That place is not under the control of the MPs," Mona said. "And you did not die in reality but entered Limbo. You are considered an accidental intruder. If you are discovered by the MPs, you will be in trouble." The probability is here to stay.”
Stay forever?
Dean and Hope exchanged wary looks and immediately changed the subject.
"Lingbo Hell doesn't need food and water, so wandering souls can live there forever without a lifespan limit?"
"I heard that the eldest among the Councilors has lived for over a thousand years and is like a god."
Mona said,
"Heaven is a place of happiness with God, hell is a place of eternal torture and separation from God, and Limbo is a neutral country where the soul is still blessed, so once the soul enters Limbo, it will not We will grow and grow old, but we will get hurt and disappear... We remain in the most perfect state before we came in, never getting sick, and no memory is clear. This is the state of blessed eternal joy and infinite wisdom."
Eternal joy, infinite wisdom?
Dean suddenly felt a little familiar.
But he imagined it again. In this empty, backward and monotonous forest, immortality would be tantamount to a disaster.
"Then if the wandering soul is tired of staying in Limbo Prison and doesn't want to stay any longer, can it leave?"
A trace of hesitation and longing flashed across Mona's cheerful face, and she nodded.
“There’s a new place to go, but it comes with a certain amount of risk.”
Dean didn't have time to ask specifically.
Their journey came to a transit point.
…
Not far away, a petite figure wearing a white dress and long brown hair shawl appeared in the misty woodland.
Hope shrank his shoulders as if he had been stung by a bee. When he took a clear look at the delicate and thin face, his beard trembled, and a trace of incredible excitement appeared on his weathered face.
"Sarah!"
"dad!"
With exclamations, Sheriff Jim Hope quickly ran towards the little girl.
Dean was stunned, he had never seen the fat Sheriff so fast, like a gust of wind.
Finally, the father and daughter, who had been separated for several years, reunited in this ancient forest.
The Sheriff knelt on the ground, Sarah put her little hands around his neck, her long hair fell on his shoulders,
Ying felt something when he saw this, and hugged Mona into his arms with both arms.
Dean watched from behind with a sense of relief.
"Boohoo... Jim, I miss you so much! They all said you would come. As long as I wait dozens or hundreds of years, I can wait until you and mom... Woohoo... you finally came, you found me!"
"Sarah, my daughter, you haven't changed at all in all these years." Hope wiped the tears on the girl's face incoherently, then turned her body to check again, for fear of seeing any scars, "You have been in here. Are you okay, is anyone bullying you?"
"No, everyone is very friendly and enthusiastic, and they all like me." Sarah spun around in front of the police chief like a happy bird, then innocently grabbed a bunch of long hair, "Look, my hair has grown. , and it doesn’t require treatment or medicine, it doesn’t hurt at all, and I’m happy every day.”
Hearing this, Hope's nose felt sore and her eyes were red, "I'm sorry, it was my father who was incompetent...he couldn't save you, otherwise our family would still be reunited in New York."
"Don't cry, Jim...I'm fine now," Sarah said, holding Hope's head in her arms like an adult and gently patting the back of his head to comfort him.
…
After a long while, after reminiscing about the past, Hope took Sarah's hand and walked up to Dean, solemnly promising,
"Man, I owe you a favor. No matter what I do in the future, I only need a word from you."
"Help me rescue Catherine first." Dean glanced at little Sarah again, and pretendingly reached into his arms and took out a little lion doll from the fantasy space and handed it over. Sarah hugged it in surprise. He picked up the doll and gave Dean a sweet smile.
Hope gritted her teeth and looked at Mona again, "Ms. Mona, can I bring Sarah back to the real world to reunite with her mother?"
Mona shook her head,
"Don't mess around. Limbo is the kingdom of souls. Sarah is already dead in reality and has no body. She will be sent back soon when she gets there. The worst thing is that unpredictable mutations may occur. Leading to a series of terrible consequences."
"Is there no other way?" Hope looked at her daughter with nostalgia and asked reluctantly, "Can't I take Sarah back?"
Mona shook her head apologetically.
Hope closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and put her daughter on her shoulders, "I want to walk with her for a while longer on the road ahead."
The group walking eastward expanded to five people.
Everyone asked Mona more related questions.
"How do you measure time in Limbo?"
Mona looked at a strange big tree not far ahead that looked bare but had a straight branch. "Every hour that passes, the branches of the clock tree will swing thirty degrees clockwise."
Dean nodded, "That's really convenient. Does time pass at the same speed here as on Earth?"
"I don't know this, and I haven't heard anyone say it, so I can't answer it."
…
Dean glanced at Sarah and asked again,
"Children who are younger than Sarah and have underdeveloped minds, or even babies with little self-awareness. After their souls come in, they will live alone in the central area forever like you? And they will never grow up?"
What a horrific punishment.
"No..." A trace of longing flashed in Mona's eyes, "After these underdeveloped young souls arrive, the councilors will personally open the way for them and send them into the 'Gate'."
"What exactly is the 'door'?"
"It is the end of the past and the beginning of the future. Some wandering souls yearn for it, while others fear it. But if you want to get close to the door, you must accept the test."
The end of the past and the beginning of the future.
Dean vaguely caught an inspiration and felt a little unbelievable, "What test?"
Mona looked to the horizon, "This door is in the edge area, near the habitat of the Goatmen. They will tear apart any wandering soul that comes close."
…
The five of them kept walking along the forest glade.
Shadow and Mona walked hand in hand at the front, with Hope in the middle carrying her daughter on her back.
Dean comes to the rear.
Referring to the branches of the clock tree, they walked for at least four days,
I met some wandering spirits along the way, including children, teenagers, and the elderly.
Most of them stood alone in a daze, while a small number gathered in groups of twos and threes to sing, recite poems, and hold story-telling sessions... There were even couples using leaves and moss as blankets to make out in broad daylight.
In addition, their dressing styles span a wide range, including ancient soldiers wearing blue cotton armor, old gentlemen wearing civilized tuxedos, ladies wearing satin silk velvet dresses, handsome men in straight suits, and bright short skirts. Dynamic girl... It's like people spanning hundreds of years have gathered in one time and space.
But without exception, their attitude is relaxed, lazy, and friendly.
There is no competition for survival supplies and no work requirements. Their mission in Limbo is to find ways to have fun and do interesting things every day.
But Dean found it torture.
In addition, after walking for so many days, Dean found that the forest in front of him never changed, and the sky in Limbo was always shrouded in milky white fog, and the brightness was always in a cloudy and dusk state.
The five people in the group did not feel thirsty, hungry or tired at all. This unprecedented and extremely wonderful experience even gave Dean an idea - they were now in a long dream, the so-called spiritual world. The thin prison and the wandering soul forest are just realistic illusions.
He couldn't tell.
…
But finally at a certain moment, Dean stopped.
A red chain appeared in mid-air before his eyes, winding its way into the border of the forest. This was the scent of the tracking bullet on the Goatman that he had been waiting for.
"Mona, are we almost at the border?"
Mona raised her cowboy hat and looked at the clock tree with a hint of solemnity in her eyes, "There's still half a day left."
"It's time to get ready." Dean looked at the Sheriff, "Sarah needs to stop here."
"Child, wait for me here," Hope knelt down and reluctantly touched her daughter's face with her beard.
"Where are you going, Jim?" Sarah grabbed his hand pitifully, tears shining in her big eyes, "Please, don't leave me alone."
"I have something I have to do." Hope comforted the sobbing girl with his forehead, "But I will come back to see you soon, I promise you."
"You also stay and stay with Sarah." Ying hugged his dreaming girlfriend tightly,
"No, I'll go in with you." Mona's eyes flashed with a blazing light, "I want to cross the Goatman's habitat and look at that door. This is the biggest door since I came to Limbo. desire."
"Too dangerous." Ying retorted,
"I'm not afraid at all when I'm with you." Mona just smiled gently.
Ying reluctantly asked Dean for instructions.
Dean nodded.
"Mona, tell me, how much do you know about the Goatmen? How many Goatmen are there in total at the border?"
"The details are unclear, but according to my old predecessors, it usually lives alone in its own territory." Mona pondered, "We must be careful, it is unlikely to attract two goatmen at once."
Dean was relieved after hearing this, and then asked about the goatman's abilities and weaknesses. Mona's answer was consistent with Owen's.
Goatmen are most afraid of fire, and Dean has tested it on the way. There is air in Limbo, and flames can ignite trees and leaves everywhere.
In addition, after entering Limbo Prison, everyone's originally illusory bodies also became solid, just like the real body. They could no longer deform and atomize, and would also be impacted by bullets.
Conventional weapons also have lethality.
Dean took out the MP5 equipped with incendiary bombs from the fantasy space and handed it to Hope, and then handed another M1911A1 pistol with 7 incendiary bombs to Mona.
"Wait, what kind of magic did you become? Where did you take out the gun?" Hope tied the MP5 to his body and stretched his neck to look into Dean's ordinary windbreaker.
"Don't ask," Dean handed over a lighter and a small bucket of gasoline.
Mona lit the lighter and looked at the tiny swinging flame, with a look of huge panic on her face, which was a warning from her soul.
Fire shouldn't be in Limbo!
"Your first goal is to protect yourself and try your best to save Catherine." Dean checked the TAC-50 and reminded, "If the bullet directly penetrates the goatman's body and cannot cause any damage, then shoot the trees around the goatman. , sparking flames…”
…
After a lengthy discussion.
The heavily armed Dean, Shadow, Hope, and Mona stepped over a dead tree lying on the ground, followed the tracking mark, and walked to the edge of the woods.
(End of chapter)
