Parallel World Episode 11 Recap
> Parallel World Recap
The road into the pass resembled a canyon, with strange beasts roaring on either side of the rocky walls. As they continued driving forward, they encountered a terrifying humanoid creature that climbed onto the car's window. Ye Liuxi didn't hesitate and drove straight through at full throttle, quickly leaving the creature behind until they reached a safe spot.
Outside the car, tranquility reigned, and in the car's headlights, they couldn't see the end of the desert. Everyone took a rare moment to rest, and Ye Liuxi seized the opportunity to teach Fei Tang a technique to increase his courage in three steps, which immediately had an effect, making him braver than before. Chang Dong, witnessing this, couldn't help but smile, as not interfering had become their unspoken understanding.
Once again, they set off in the car, with Chang Dong having a clear destination in mind. The journey went relatively smoothly, and they soon arrived at a desolate village in the desert. However, the atmosphere in the village was eerily quiet, putting Chang Dong, Ye Liuxi, and the others on high alert. Chang Dong held a torch high and led the way into what seemed to be a courtyard with signs of recent activity.
Just as they were about to approach, figures emerged from the haystacks and rooftops. Almost simultaneously, Ye Liuxi and Gao Shen grabbed an elderly man and a young boy, while a young girl began kicking, pinching, and hitting Fei Tang relentlessly, leaving the young man in his early twenties struggling to defend himself.
The girl realized that Ye Liuxi meant no harm and introduced herself along with the names of the elderly man and the boy. The girl was named A He, the boy was called Shu Tiao, and the elderly man made a living as a fortune teller and was named Lao Qian. All three of them were locals from inside the pass, and there were no language barriers when communicating with Chang Dong's group.
Chang Dong had a rough idea and instructed Ye Liuxi to release them, allowing the three to rush out of the door. They quickly returned, and A He opened a trapdoor and led them into a tidy underground chamber, indicating they had been living there for some time. As A He explained, the village had been hit by an epidemic over a decade ago, leading to its abandonment. A He, Shu Tiao, and Lao Qian had sought refuge in the village to escape a calamity. However, they unexpectedly encountered humanoid creatures covered in sand, which they temporarily referred to as "sand people."
Although the sand people appeared lifeless, A He could confirm that these individuals had died not long ago before being transformed into sand by the Golden Ants. These ants, resembling regular ants, were only found near the shifting sands of the Yadan. They crawled into a person's body through the ears and turned the person's body into a sand-like, otherworldly creature.
In addition to this, the sand people had highly sensitive noses and could track scents. Once their sticky secretions touched a person, they would cling to them for days and nights, and if they suffered any harm, they would summon their companions for revenge. Ye Liuxi recalled the sand people they had encountered when driving and discussed with Chang Dong about masking their scent. Ding Liu quickly took out some perfume.
Upon hearing that the sand people were not afraid of pain and could reproduce, Chang Dong's mood suddenly became complex. He walked into the courtyard alone and gazed at the night sky in contemplation. Ye Liuxi followed him and, after everything they had been through, Chang Dong began to question the scientific beliefs he had held. These events were difficult to explain with science, and the inside and outside of the pass seemed like two parallel worlds. If Kong Yang and his team were inside the pass, they were highly likely to have turned into sand people.
Seeing Chang Dong's inner turmoil, Ye Liuxi offered to intervene and resolve the situation if needed, reassuring him that she wouldn't want to appear as a sand person in front of her boyfriend either. After a moment of hesitation, Chang Dong decided to entrust Kong Yang to Ye Liuxi if she were to encounter him before him.
Hearing Chang Dong's decision, Ye Liuxi readily agreed. The two returned to the underground chamber, and everyone prepared to rest. A He offered her sleeping space, letting everyone arrange themselves. She adjusted the cotton wick on the kerosene lamp to keep just enough light not to hinder sleep. The sleeping spaces were arranged in pairs, with two straw mats placed side by side—one against the wall and the other on the outside. Ye Liuxi and Chang Dong both found themselves in the corner, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. At the same time, a large number of Golden Ants crawled out of the shifting sands, and the female corpse lying nearby gradually transformed into sand, slowly crawling to its feet.
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