One Piece: Starting to read the file from the dragon-footed man

As we all know, in terms of pretending to be gods and ghosts, if the flower-planting rabbits want to do something, then basically no one else will do anything.

--Inscription

After experiencing the so-called "ghosting" incident in the first half of the night, the soldiers responsible for patrolling and standing guard in the barracks in the second half of the night have been replaced by another wave of soldiers who were originally on rest.

Although such an order caused some soldiers—that is, those soldiers who were on rest—to issue complaints full of complaints.

However, since the duty of soldiers is to "obey orders and obey commands", those soldiers complained, but they could only accept their fate and accept all the tasks assigned by their superiors, such as now.

——will be responsible for the patrol work in the camp, and move the soldiers who "drunk" outside before the patrol to their own dormitories. After they "sober up", the captains of their respective teams will impose specific penalties.

The soldiers felt that this was fair. Although it was not to the point of expressing their approval, at least there were fewer complaints in their mouths.

The moon was covered by thick dark clouds, with no trace of light showing through. Bright torches burned in the dark night, dispelling the cold while also illuminating the dark night.

It's just that when the breeze blows occasionally, the ambiguity between light and darkness is swaying, making the black shadow constantly changing like some living creatures. From certain angles, it looks lifelike and more ferocious.

The patrolling mission has been halfway through, but the patrolling soldiers don't know if this is because they were affected by the "nonsense" of the "drunkards" before, so the psychological effect produced, they always feel vaguely that today In the late camp, there were indeed some violations that they hadn't noticed.

"To be honest... I always feel that the camp tonight looks a little strange." Soldier A looked around, trying to find disturbing clues or things in this camp she was familiar with.

But after the chaos in the first half of the night, the camp was quiet at this time, except for the footsteps of the soldiers as they advanced, there was no movement.

"But we haven't encountered any special things so far...or things?" Soldier B said in a low voice, "Well...except that some facilities in the barracks look a little too old, I haven't had any problems. See what's not right."

"Some of the facilities look too old?" Soldier A looked at Soldier B with a puzzled expression, "Can't you? I remember that Chief Ute specially funded the refurbishment of the barracks last winter. Most of the facilities were shared by the big guys." How can there be old ones for the new ones that have been moved in..."

Soldier A followed Soldier B's line of sight, but before he finished speaking, he became silent after realizing it.

It was strange to listen to the gossip around. Although he didn't participate in the topic between the two, he was still driven by curiosity and couldn't help but turned his head to look in the same direction.

The camp was still the same camp as before, whether it was the style of painting or the layout, it was the same as they were familiar with in the past. If you just took a look at it, there was nothing worth paying attention to.

But if you look carefully, you will find that in the corner of the wall, in the shadow that the torch cannot illuminate, there is a weapon rack that was placed here at an unknown time.

The shelf is made of wood, and the red paint on it is mottled. With the visible decay of the wood, it looks like it has been around for a certain period of time.

There are not many types of long pole weapons scattered on it, but apart from the more common spears, the spear heads of the other pole weapons are not what they are familiar with.

A soldier leaned over to check curiously, and found that brown rust had grown on the ironware at the tip of the guns, and there was a faint smell of blood, telling about the killing and cruelty they had experienced.

"This weapon rack... looks like an old thing from a long, long time ago." Some older veterans looked at the weapon rack in front of them, and couldn't help expressing emotion, "But why did it appear here?"

"Maybe it's something left over from the previous barracks?"

Soldier B blinked his eyes. He was a recruit who just joined the army this year, so although he found it strange, he didn't think it was a violation of the appearance of this weapon rack in the barracks, and the reason why he noticed its existence was that It was only because the shelf looked too old that I looked at it for a while.

"Well, probably not." The veteran shook his head and vetoed the conjecture of soldier A, "As we mentioned, this camp just underwent renovation last year, and those old facilities have basically been sold or sold. Destroy... So logically speaking, there shouldn't be any omissions."

"But you also said that it's just basically?" Soldier B stretched out a finger to touch the weapon rack, rubbing the dust with his finger, "Maybe there is a fish that slipped through the net?"

"...It's not impossible."

The old soldier looked at Soldier B wiping the dust with Soldier A's clothes speechlessly, and as expected, was hit by Soldier A on the head and stuck out his tongue. After thinking for a while, he said, "Anyway... let's continue patrolling, after the patrol is over Just report this situation to the captain, I think the captain will make arrangements for this after he knows."

Everyone had no objection, although they were still curious, but under the reminder of the veteran, none of the soldiers objected to this, but continued their unfinished task - patrolling.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and when the figure of the soldier disappeared completely at the corner of the road, the street returned to its original silent appearance, leaving only the flickering fire and the sound of the breeze blowing over the weapons. "Sasha" sound.

A little rust fell with the wind, abruptly and silently peeling off a small piece of iron with a cold light, silently revealing its fierceness and strangeness.

Although during the next patrol, the soldiers still saw some old facilities in some corners of the barracks, such as:
——When it comes to dilapidated weapon racks, partial flags, leaking leather drums, incomplete armor and armor, I will no longer make a fuss, but I feel more and more that these "antiques" that have been around for a long time are probably a certain officer The collection is only temporarily placed in the barracks, and will be moved away sooner or later.

It's just a little strange, since that's the case, why don't these "antiques" be piled up together, but scattered in every corner of the barracks, and...

"It looks like a toy for a child."

Soldier B picked up a rattle from the ground. After the patrol just now, he has picked up many small objects like this on the ground, such as spinning tops, paper kites, pottery rattles, cloth tigers, Luban locks and many other toys.

Although he hadn't seen anything like it on the market or in books before, after a little fiddling with it, it wasn't hard to guess that these items were all toys for children to play and enlighten.

It's just that they are all dirty and broken, and they feel like "old antiques" that are not young.

"What do you think this will be used for?" Even though Soldier B was holding a bunch of toys, he could draw out a hand and point to something like a "stone mill", "Although it looks like I The thing used to grind flour in my hometown, but...is it a bit too big?"

"Yeah, this thing looks bigger than you?" Soldier A nodded in agreement, "Not only is it tall, it's also very long."

The veteran frowned: "I think... we may have thought things too simply. Although I don't know the specific purpose of these things, I think the reason why these things appear here should have some significance." yes……"

After all, the more places they patrol, the more they can find things that seem to be abandoned in the corners of the barracks.

Not only toys and common facilities in military camps, but also some tools that seem to be used for farming or other work.

For some of them, the soldiers were able to guess the purpose of their manufacture based on their appearance, but for some, because their appearance was too obscure, the soldiers could not figure out the purpose of their manufacture. .

What's more, some things are still stained with blood. Although the blood doesn't look fresh, it has been there for a long time so it looks a little dry, but it still vaguely gives people a bad feeling.

"Jingle Bell……"

A hydrangea covered with bells suddenly rolled out from the corner in front, with crisp and cheerful bells, it rolled all the way from the center of the road to the soles of soldier B, and then slowly fell to the ground because it hit an obstacle. It stopped, and even the crisp bell sound came to an abrupt end.

Soldier B didn't think too much, and bent down subconsciously to pick up the hydrangea. During this period, he felt that Soldier A pulled him, but he didn't pull it because he moved too fast. After picking up the hydrangea, he looked at soldier A suspiciously, only to find that the latter looked back at him with an indescribable expression.

Soldier B: "...?"

Soldier B didn't understand, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Soldier A opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but before he could make a sound, he heard a girl's inquiry from the end of the road.

"This little brother—"

The girl's voice sounded crisp, and the small long sound at the end of the words sounded very cute.

It's just because the barracks at night was too quiet and too empty, the sound echoed faintly as it spread out in the air, as if the source of the sound didn't come from the girl herself, but from the barracks In all directions.

But at this time, no one had the heart to notice that, but all eyes were on the talking girl at the end of the road.

She doesn't look very old, with a pair of small buns tied on her head, she looks about five or six years old.

Wearing a very simple but delicate enough linen clothes, stepping on a pair of bright red small cloth shoes, standing in the shadow that the firelight can't shine, revealing a childish and lovely face vaguely. is only one step away.

Soldier B: "..."

Although... why is there a child in the barracks?
An ominous premonition welled up in his heart. Soldier B didn't speak, but his heart was pounding in his throat following the gradually forming in his mind but not yet fully visualized.

"Can you give us the ball back—"

The sound came from the back of the road this time, prompting the soldiers to turn in fright and panic to look behind them.

Then I suddenly discovered that a boy who was about the same age and dressed as that girl appeared at the end of the other side of the road at some point, and also stepped on a pair of bright red cloth shoes, standing in a place where the firelight could not shine. Looking at them from a distance in the shadows.

Soldier B: "..."

"It can be..."

Soldier B swallowed involuntarily. He carefully glanced at the boy at the end of the road, and then at the girl standing at the end of the road on the other side.

"But... before that, can you tell brother why you are here?"

Soldier B was silent for a moment. Although he felt that the force of Soldier A's pull on his clothes was as strong as tearing his clothes to pieces, he still smiled stiffly and tried his best to let his trembling voice be heard. It can be a little more friendly.

"I mean..."

"Can you give us the ball back, little brother?"

The girl interrupted him with a smile, as if she didn't care about anything other than "Hydrangea", she stretched out her immature little hand, with a completely distorted and weird tone, a word , one word, persistently said——

"This is our ball. Little brother——"

"Can, can, can, hold, ball——"

"Give it back to us—"

……

silence.

Silence as death.

No one spoke, but someone had to break the silence, not to die, but to live.

Soldier B was holding the hydrangea, his hands trembling, he was at a loss: "But, but... if I give it to you..."

You, you really won't do something horrible to him...to him?

Soldier B couldn't utter half of the words in his throat. Because of fear, many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but he stood there stiffly, as if he was thinking or hesitating, but actually There are only the simplest three words on the page-scared.

Soldiers: "..."

Soldier A: "..."

The veteran on the side: "..."

Ugh--

Sighing silently, the veteran took a step forward, but just as he was about to say something, he heard a trembling voice coming from behind him.

"You, how are you going to prove that this ball is yours!"

Soldier A gritted his teeth and grabbed Soldier B's clothes tightly. His mind was also blank, but he had a kind of courage in his heart, which made him yell loudly even though he was extremely frightened——

"Then your names are not written on it!"

Girl: "..."

Boy: "..."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The two children were silent for a moment, but then laughed happily again.

"name?"

The two children chorused together, as if they had heard some funny joke, they clapped their little hands messily, clapped their hands, and asked with smiles.

"You said the name?"

This time, no one answered, only the clear and weird laughter of the children remained, until the melody that seemed to be hummed by a young man suddenly sounded in the weird laughter of the children, and The source of the sound - it was the hydrangea in the hands of soldier B!
Soldier B: "..."

Soldier B: "!!!"

Soldier B gasped instinctively.

His hands trembled violently, and the hydrangea in his hand fell to the ground. Then, as if he had come to life, he jumped towards the boy.

"Jingle bell... Jingle bell..."

The girl smiled—"It's the ball bone that Daddy made for us."

The boy laughed happily - "It's the jersey that my mother sewed for us."

One in front, one in back, one in response.

"The hydrangea spins and spins."

"Hydrangea roll, roll."

"The bells are jingling, like my brother is singing a folk song! Children don't cry!"

The two children clapped their hands to themselves and hummed a short, cheerful song in unison.

"The hydrangea spins and spins."

"Hydrangea roll, roll."

The children's laughter rang like silver bells, hovered, and echoed in the sky of the camp.

"The bells are jingling, like my brother is singing a folk song! Children don't cry!"

At the same time, as the sound of the children humming songs stopped, the dark clouds in the night sky suddenly changed and scattered in all directions, revealing the pale moon that was hidden by the dark clouds in an instant.

The moonlight poured down, illuminating the oppressive darkness in the barracks, and also illuminating the two laughing children who had been hiding in the shadows.

Then, accompanied by the involuntary chattering of teeth in the crowd, the soldiers discovered that although the two children looked human at first glance, when the dark clouds in the sky cleared, their entire bodies were exposed. In the moonlight--

Then what kind of child they imagined!
It is clear that there are two painted and exquisitely crafted...

Paper people, that's all!