In fact, it's not just Laogu and Zhang Peng who can't hold on anymore. Our people are also reaching their limits.

One reason is that our food and water supply is almost depleted. Without food, we lose the courage to survive.

Another important factor is the psychological stress. Being trapped in one place for a long time without being able to escape can cause a person's mental state to collapse.

Although no one is talking about it now, I know that everyone's nerves have been stretched taut and are fragile. Even a minor incident could snap that nerve.

As night fell, the crickets outside continued to chirp, but in this state of mind, it only brought a sense of irritation.

I dared not sleep, keeping my eyes wide open, patrolling the temple alone.

I am well aware that if it's the work of a monster, no one else has the ability to survive and escape. The hope of getting out can only rely on me.

In other words, the lives of over a dozen people rest on my shoulders. If one dies, we all die.

I held a flashlight and walked around the temple.

Before leaving, I instructed Fatty not to sleep. If he sensed anything unusual, he should shout at the top of his lungs, and I would rush back immediately upon hearing his call.

When it was midnight, the flashlight flickered a few times and gradually dimmed before going out completely.

I tapped on it, but it still didn't turn on. It seemed that the battery was dead.

I turned around and walked towards the Buddha hall, intending to get a torch.

Before I could reach the Buddha hall, I heard a dull thud.

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but because it was late at night and everything was quiet, I caught it keenly.

I stopped in my tracks and looked around, confirming that the sound came from the backyard of the temple. I quickly ran towards the backyard.

In the dim darkness, I vaguely saw someone lying on the ground in the temple's backyard.

That person was face down, resembling a large turtle.

I found it strange and cautiously approached. The person didn't move at all, as if they were sleeping.

When I reached the person, I leaned down and sniffed. There was a strong smell of blood in the air.

I felt something was not right and quickly squatted down to examine. It turned out that the person lying on the ground was Zhang Peng.

What was Zhang Peng doing in the temple's backyard in the middle of the night?

"Zhang Peng! Zhang Peng!"

I turned him over, and my palm became sticky—it was covered in blood.

I was shocked. Had Zhang Peng been attacked?

In the darkness, I couldn't see where Zhang Peng was injured, so I carried him back to the Buddha hall.

The ** in the Buddha hall flickered with the bonfire, and Fatty and the others hadn't slept. In this situation, no one had the intention to sleep.

Carrying Zhang Peng, I felt blood dripping along the way.

When they saw me return, everyone gathered around.

Fatty was astonished and asked what had happened.

I told him I didn't know. I had just found Zhang Peng injured and lying in the temple's backyard, so I quickly brought him back.

I laid Zhang Peng on the ground, and everyone's faces turned pale. They were scared and immediately backed away.

Zhang Peng wasn't just injured—he was dead!

A fatal wound was located in his heart area, a large hole that pierced through his chest and back, leaving his heart missing!

Zhang Peng stared with wide eyes, frozen in a state of terror, as if he had seen something horrifying before his death.

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I clenched my fist tightly, and my heart couldn't help but twitch. Damn it, another one dead! And he died right in front of me. I didn't even catch a glimpse of the killer!

A Long and Xiaoyang died from having their yang energy drained, but tonight, Zhang Peng had his heart ripped out. What exactly was the culprit behind all of this? Was it one creature or two?

It was clear that Zhang Peng's cause of death was not human-made. No one could dig out a person's heart in such a short time, leaving such a clean incision that passed right through where a hand would be.

I gestured, trying to visualize it. It seemed that a hand forcefully dug into Zhang Peng's heart, taking it out in an instant.

Everyone present felt shivers down their spines.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Suddenly, Laogu, sitting on the side, burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the silent Buddha hall, sending chills down everyone's spines.

Laogu laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face, saying between laughs, "Hahaha! Another one dead! Another one dead! It should be my turn next! Finally, I can be free! Finally, I can be free!"

Fatty said that all of his companions were dead, yet he could still laugh so happily. Could he have gone mad?

I sighed. Laogu's appearance indicated that he had mentally collapsed, what we commonly call "losing one's mind." When a person's mind experiences tremendous ** and trauma, they suffer from acute stress disorder.

I was about to go over and comfort Laogu when he suddenly pulled out a can opener from his pocket, the blade flashing directly towards me, and shouted frantically, "Get away! Get away!!"

Luckily, I dodged quickly, and the knife didn't stab me in the chest. However, it left a gash on my arm, which stung, and blood began to flow.

I held my arm and took a step back.

Fatty and the others wanted to rush forward, but I stopped them with my hand.

I told everyone not to approach Laogu because he had gone insane.

Laogu tightly gripped the can opener and swung it wildly in the air, his face full of ferocity. "Kill you all! Kill you all! You're all ghosts! Haha, you're all ghosts!"

Laogu was the oldest one in the group and had the best psychological resilience. No one expected that in just three or four days, a vibrant and energetic university student would turn into a madman.

Laogu and his three friends had experienced the terrifying and mysterious deaths of their companions, causing immense psychological **. Any normal person would go crazy in such circumstances.

For us, a crazed Laogu was like a ticking bomb, potentially exploding at any moment.

Therefore, no matter what, we had to find a way to subdue him. We couldn't let him continue going insane. What if he harmed others?

I tried to speak in a calm tone, using soothing methods to calm Laogu's emotions.

Under my repeated persuasion, Laogu finally calmed down a little, not as restless as before. But he still remained highly vigilant, gesturing with the can opener, not allowing us to get close.

I signaled to Long Shaoye, and he understood. He took out a torch from the bonfire and waved it suddenly in front of Laogu's eyes. Laogu instinctively closed his eyes.

Haofeiji and Juanmao seized the opportunity, picked up wooden sticks from the ground, and ruthlessly struck Laogu's knees.

The sticks broke, and Laogu screamed in agony, falling to the ground.

Xu Wenbo and Liu Qiang rushed forward and held Laogu's arms, taking away the can opener from his hand.

Fatty rummaged through Laogu's backpack and found climbing ropes. Together, we quickly tied Laogu up like a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling).