It was dark by the ditch, and the air was both hot and cold. The two extremes mixed together made people feel a little suffocated.
"Aren't we on the same team?" The big-eyed girl glared at Ge Fei in disgust. "You caught a fish named after your teammate. It's such a big deal, why didn't you say it out loud?"
Ge Fei said dryly: "Sorry."
"The person you feel most sorry for cannot even hear your apology." Zhuzhu said angrily, "Just because of an experiment, you directly or indirectly killed two people and a cat."
Ge Fei hunched his back and cried bitterly, not sure whether he was feeling guilty or uneasy.
Chen Yang looked at the young man who was crying and asked: "Where is the cat's body?"
Ge Fei put down his hands that were holding his head, revealing his red eyes. He stared at Chen Yang blankly: "Ah?"
Chen Yang said: "I want to see it, can you take me there?"
Ge Fei said slowly: "...Yes."
"Mr. Chen, I..." He got up, his neck choked and red, "I was just curious about why cats don't eat fish, and what would happen if they ate fish. My mind was full of that question at the time. By the time I reacted, I had already done the experiment. I didn't expect that to happen. I didn't know the cat would die. I didn't mean to harm Brother Wu, and I didn't know he would turn into a cat and harm Teacher Xie. I..."
The fair-skinned young man looked helpless, with tears hanging on his eyelashes. He looked completely harmless. The big-eyed girl's maternal love burst out uncontrollably, and she couldn't help but mutter, "He didn't mean it."
The three views that were straight a moment ago were suddenly distorted.
Chen Yangduo glanced at Ge Fei, who was full of regret: "Let's go, take us to the cat's body."
"They are both pretending, but the literary young man is much more pleasing to the eye, while that boy is cunning." When Xiangdong passed by Chen Yang, his shoulder brushed against his and he said something, the subtext of which was to tell him to be careful.
Chen Yang covered the back of his neck, smeared the mosquito blood on his palm on his pants, and pulled Chao Jian away as if nothing had happened.
Ge Fei brought everyone to the maple forest in the east.
"The cat's body is right there." Ge Fei shone the flashlight on his mobile phone towards a part of the woods.
There is a small white spot there.
It's a white cat.
Qian Han tugged at Ge Fei's clothes, with a hint of disapproval in his tone: "Didn't you bury it? Why did you just leave it there?"
Ge Fei said self-reproachfully: "I was frightened at that time, and I didn't dare to stay any longer, so I ran away."
Chen Yang walked towards the cat's body. Before he got close, Chao Jian's low and dark voice sounded above his head.
"Not dead." Chao Jian said, "He's breathing."
Chen Yang was not surprised by his partner's perception ability. He quickened his pace and squatted down to check the white cat: "It's still breathing."
Several footsteps approached in a chaotic manner.
"It's just dizzy, it's not dead!" said the big-eyed girl happily.
Ge Fei pulled the corner of his mouth open: "That's great."
Qian Han thought about how he had just left Ge Fei without dealing with the cat's body, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared: "Dude, it's a good thing you didn't bury the cat, otherwise..."
"The cat's head wound is very serious. It must be in pain." Zhuzhu interrupted Qian Han and said quietly.
The girl with big eyes took one look and didn't dare to look any further. The cat's face was covered in blood, which was very scary. She said in a panic: "There is a pharmacy in town. Let's take the cat there quickly!"
"Let's go to Yang Erzhu's house." Chen Yang pondered, "After he and his wife died, the house is empty. We can keep the cat there."
As he said that, he glanced towards Xiangdong.
Xiangdong held a cigarette in his mouth, head held high, and strode out of the woods.
As they go through life and death together in the mission world, a certain tacit understanding is established between them.
Before Chen Yang could make the next move, he noticed that his partner's aura became gloomy. He held his breath and cast a questioning look at him.
He sneered at Jian, then turned and left on his crutches.
Chen Yang: “…”
He was about to pick up the cat and chase after him when an arm wrapped in white cloth reached out to him: "Mr. Chen, let me do it."
Zhuzhu held the white cat with a corner of her sun protection jacket and picked it up gently.
Miss Qiao, who had been silent all the way, chuckled: "Sister Zhuzhu likes cats."
"Yes, I like it." Zhuzhu admitted frankly.
The big-eyed girl warned, "Zhuzhu, be careful when holding the cat. The blood on the cat's face and head will all get on your clothes."
Ge Fei wanted to come over and say "sorry" to the cat, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, Zhu Zhu carried the cat and walked past him out of the woods.
The girl with big eyes whispered to him, "Those who like cats and those who don't like cats don't get along. Zhuzhu won't treat you well. Besides, you are fully responsible for this matter. The cat is lucky and is still alive, but Teacher Xie and Brother Wu are dead."
Ge Fei opened his mouth with a gloomy look.
Qian Han wanted to say a few words of comfort, but he felt that Ge Fei's behavior was not much different from the townspeople's snatching of life.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ge Fei had two lives on his hands.
Qian Han's small Adam's apple moved, and he hung his head and thought, his brother said that one should always be on guard against others, he must remember this, always remember this.
Yang Erzhu's house was still the same as before, with the overturned garbage still spread out beside the trash can, with a circle of small flies swirling around it.
Chen Yang didn't have to wait long before Xiangdong came over with a bag. He threw the bag on the table and said, "Take everything you can. Damn, it's so hot."
He looked around the room east for something to fan himself.
Chen Yang pushed the things in the bag and said, "Xiangdong, take care of the cat's wound."
"How can I do that?" Xiangdong waved the rough lotus round fan vigorously. "It's so small. I'm afraid I won't be able to control the strength well and crush it to death."
Chen Yang had no intention of persuading Xiangdong at all, he accepted Xiangdong's statement completely.
Xiangdong really can't do this job.
Then who will come
Chen Yang glanced at the people in the room. The girl with big eyes didn't dare to look directly at the cat's wound. Zhuzhu's teeth were deeply sunken between her lips. Her ten fingers were clenched around the phone. Her eyes were full of worry when she looked at the cat. She wanted to help, but she was powerless.
The painter stood far away, Miss Qiao was lighting a cigarette, Ge Fei didn't like cats, and Qian Han was afraid of cats.
Chen Yang's mouth corners pressed down. He neither loved nor rejected cats and dogs. He could get close to them and he was also capable of cleaning wounds, but he didn't know how to suture them.
All that was left in the house was...
Chen Yang stole a glance at the young man, who was tapping the ground with his cane, his movements mechanical but restrained.
He held his forehead with his hand, scratched his head with his fingertips, and tried to find a way to get the doctor in town...
A wisp of fresh smoke rushed into Chen Yang's nose, and his thoughts were washed away. He turned his head and looked at the woman who was examining the cat's wound. A thought popped into his mind: "Miss Qiao, you..."
Miss Qiao had her back to everyone. She was bent at the waist, with the lines of her hips and legs mature and seductive. Her posture was like a vulgar seduction, but her tone was concise and almost bland: "I need a basin of clean water, a pair of scissors, and some dry cloths."
Chen Yang stood up suddenly, and the movement woke up the stunned people.
Soon, all the items Miss Qiao wanted were available.
Miss Qiao rolled up her long wavy hair and used her nimble fingers to curl it into a bun. Her always rosy and plump lips held a slender cigarette butt, and her hands moved in an orderly manner.
Cut the cat's hair, clean the wound, suture, bandage...
Miss Qiao treated the wound very skillfully and her expression was gentle, which was completely different from her usual seductive and frivolous self.
The room was filled with the smell of blood and medicine.
Except for Chao Jian, who was tapping his cane with his eyes closed, and Chen Yang, who was mentally prepared, the way everyone else looked at Miss Qiao had changed greatly.
The big-eyed girl whispered, "It turns out she doesn't just sleep with men."
Zhuzhu stared at the cat's injuries.
Seeing that she was quite nervous, the girl with big eyes shut her mouth tactfully.
Miss Qiao crushed the pill, put one hand along the cat's back, and with the other hand pinched the cat's jaw, pushing the almost crushed tablet into the cat.
No one noticed how she did it, and she had already fed it to the cat.
"This cat won't die." Miss Qiao let her long hair down and ruffled it casually. She shook out her cigarette and said, "I'm going back first."
Miss Qiao walked over to Xiangdong and caressed his cheek in an ambiguous way: "While I was treating the cat's wound, your eyes were very hot. What's wrong? Can you have sex with a woman?"
"Have some fun." Xiangdong clamped the woman's hand, which felt soft and boneless, but with calluses on the palm of her hand. "If you want to have fun with someone in the team, just find someone else. Why do you have to keep an eye on me?"
Xiangdong shook off the woman's hand, ignoring her gaze wandering around his waist, and motioned for her to look at Chen Yang and Chao Jian: "Why don't you go and provoke those two who are good-looking and have good figures?"
"Because," Miss Qiao whispered in his ear, "I don't want to be a mistress."
Xiangdong: “…”
I'm fucking speechless.
After Miss Qiao left, Chen Yang and his friends did not stay long. They closed the windows, prepared some water and put it aside, and planned to come back tomorrow morning.
On the way back, Chen Yang kept thinking that the townspeople who had no relatives at home would die if they ate the named fish, while those who had relatives would successfully gain longevity after eating the fish, but that would not be the end, and they would face multiple death crises.
For example, if your own fish is caught and eaten, or your loved one's fish is eaten, you will be the only one left and you will still die.
If a cat eats the name fish, it will go crazy but not die.
Why
Do different races have different reactions to eating fish
wrong…
no!
Chen Yang's steps suddenly stopped. People eat voluntarily because they want longevity and are greedy. Cats, however, are forced to do so.
Dimly, Chen Yang felt that he had touched something.
But there is still a barrier.
Chen Yang was lost in thought as he walked, and before he knew it he had returned to the inn. He was the last one walking at the end, with Chao Jian beside him.
Zhuzhu and the others entered through the back door before them.
When the big-eyed girl screamed, Chen Yang had just walked to the door, and he rushed into the yard with a few big strides.
At the door of the innermost room stood a tall figure with a slightly hunched back.
It's someone they know.
"Old Wu?" Chen Yang shone the flashlight on his cell phone over there.
"Hey." The figure at the door greeted the light, "It's me, Mr. Chen, where have you all been?"
The people in front all stepped back, and Chen Yang was pulled to the wall by Chao Jian, so he was not hit by them.
"What's wrong with you?" Old Wu wanted to come over.
Chen Yang quickly shone his eyes with his mobile phone and found nothing unusual.
Soon, the group stood in the courtyard surrounded by dark clouds. Old Wu took the initiative to give a story. He said that when he woke up, he was in a valley and was scared.
As for why he appeared there, Old Wu remembered nothing.
"I only remember myself," Old Wu coughed awkwardly, "I didn't mean to follow Miss Qiao. I was just afraid that she would be bullied. After all, she is a woman."
Old Wu reached into his shoe and scratched the back of his foot. “From the time I followed Miss Qiao past the tofu shop to the time I appeared in the valley, my memory is blank, as if I had blacked out from drinking.”
Chen Yang remembered that the ghost who pretended to be Teacher Xie said, "Cats are very clean," and he said it twice in a row.
However, the middle-aged man in front of him had body odor and a foul breath.
He is Old Wu.
Chen Yang stared into Old Wu's eyes: "Where is the valley?"
"It's late at night, I'm not sure of the exact location," Old Wu said, trying to recall, "probably in the southeast."
He added: "There are rocks all around, all over the valley."
Chen Yang had walked around the town with Chao Jian during the day these days. In his memory, which place matched the description of Old Wu the best? He asked, "Is the valley outside the town?"
"It should be." After Old Wu finished speaking, he remembered something and slapped his thigh, "Yes, yes, it's outside the town!"
Chen Yang planned to go there tomorrow. He lowered his eyelids and sorted out the clues he had. He suddenly said, "Old Wu, there is no moon tonight, and there are few lights in the town. How did you get back?"
Old Wu was stunned.
"There was a lantern." Old Wu showed a frightened expression, "I thought at first there was someone holding a lantern standing not far away, but soon I discovered something."
Chen Yang asked: "What's the matter?"
Old Wu's pupils trembled: "When I walked over, the lantern was still not far away. I kept walking, but the lantern was always some distance away from me."
"It's like..."
He shuddered: "Just light the way for me."
The yard was silent.
Old Wu shivered and said, "He must be a good ghost in this town, specializing in helping lost people find their way home."
As soon as he finished speaking, he knelt down and bowed to the air again and again.
Chen Yang thought about the lantern, and a beautiful girl's face appeared in his mind. Then he heard Old Wu say, "Where is Teacher Xie?"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The big-eyed girl said weakly: "Teacher Xie was killed by you because he turned into a monster."
Old Wu was stunned. "I... I turned into a monster?" He looked at Chen Yang and the others for confirmation, his face full of fear. "I killed Teacher Xie? I don't know anything. How could this happen?"
"The reason you became a monster..."
Zhu Zhu had just started talking when Ge Fei, who was hiding in the dark, stepped forward. He recounted what had happened with his head down the whole time, as if he was too embarrassed to look Old Wu in the face.
Old Wu's face looked extremely ugly. He refused to accept Ge Fei's apology and slapped him twice in anger.
"You are a serial killer. I am lucky to be alive!"
Chen Yangxin said, maybe it’s not your good luck, it’s the cat that saved you.
When Ge Fei forced it to eat fish, it did not have the slightest desire, so it and the owner of the fish managed to save their lives despite encountering strange things.
However, this is just Chen Yang's guess.
There wasn't enough evidence, and he hadn't figured out the connection yet.
After knowing that Teacher Xie died in the room, Old Wu didn't dare to go in. He wanted to stay in someone else's room.
It's definitely not a good idea for a girl's room.
The painter usually stayed at least ten feet away from Old Wu, so he would never let him enter the room, and neither could Chen Yang.
Old Wu had no choice but to go to Ge Fei, the one who killed him. Fortunately, Qian Han was there, which could ease the atmosphere a little.
At around one in the morning, Xiangdong and the painter sneaked into the inn and climbed up to the second floor carefully.
Chen Yang sat in the room, not wanting to sleep at all.
There was a candle lit on the table, half burned out. Chen Yang stared at the orange-yellow flame and thought about something. Xiang Zimu came back at around ten o'clock. At that time, he called her and told her several things that happened tonight.
Xiang Zimu walked into the room without saying anything.
Chen Yang admitted that he was somewhat concerned about her and her music, and he couldn't figure it out at all.
This feeling is just like when I first met Chao Jian at the dock.
Chen Yang turned to self-denial, which was different.
At that time, everyone got on the boat one after another. Chao Jian refused Zhang Yan's help and accepted his approach.
It was he who pulled Chao Jian onto the boat alone, and it was he who helped him off the boat alone.
Looking back now, Chao Jian actually showed some emotions at that time.
Xiang Zimu has not revealed anything so far. She is like a gust of wind, giving him a feeling that is colorless, tasteless, and invisible, yet multi-colored, multi-tasting, and multi-shaped.
Somehow, Chen Yang once again thought of Xiangyue from the rehabilitation center during this mission.
He had a deep memory of the little nurse's smile.
The curve of the mouth looks like it was carved.
Chen Yang glanced at the young man on the bed. He was breathing slowly and sleeping soundly. He withdrew his gaze, stretched out his index finger, and passed it through the candlelight.
After going back and forth three or five times, Chen Yang stood up and walked to the door, paying close attention to what was happening. He didn't know what was going on with Xiangdong and the painter, but he hoped he could escape safely.
There was no light in the inn, and the darkness could make people's inner fear swell to a terrifying level.
Xiangdong felt his way up the stairs, and he had a feeling that he could touch a hand at any time.
The painter walked behind him, his steps even lighter than his.
The two of them stopped in the corridor without communicating with each other, then slowed down and continued to climb up.
After climbing eastward for a while, they gathered their breath and decided to go to the second floor.
Are the stairs that long
"Damn it, it's like a ghost!" Xiangdong's voice was deliberately lowered but filled with anger.
The painter's panting voice came from behind: "I turned on my phone."
"Wait." Xiang Dong scolded, "Don't open it."
Maybe when they open their phones, they will see a face in front of them.
Xiangdong wiped his face and said, "Listen to me, crawl in the dark, don't stop or look back, just keep crawling."
The painter didn't hesitate: "Okay."
Xiangdong raised his foot again. The painter had one good point: he didn't talk nonsense. He stepped over a few steps and suddenly stopped.
The painter didn't ask Xiangdong why he stopped, he also stopped.
On the stairs in the dark, both breathing sounds were controlled very lightly, and the heartbeats were almost not accelerated, almost the same as normal times.
After a minute or two, he moved eastward, as if he wanted to avoid something in front of him. He moved to the left and climbed the stairs leaning against the wall.
The painter listened to his movements and followed his lead.
When Xiangdong and the painter stopped, they were already standing on the second floor, and everything in sight was pitch black.
I stood to the east for a while and didn't hear any sound. The merchants were all asleep. There was no snoring, grinding of teeth, or talking in sleep.
"It's too damn dark here. Turn on your cell phone. Let's be careful. If the situation gets bad, we'll retreat." Xiangdong whispered.
The painter fumbled to turn on his phone, and a halo of light suddenly appeared in the corridor.
Xiangdong's cell phone was out of battery. He didn't bring it with him and left it in the room. Now he had to rely on the painter.
There are also six rooms on the second floor, exactly the same as the backyard.
Including the order of room numbers.
This gave them a strange illusion, as if they were also in the room on the second floor.
"There are people living in two rooms." The painter checked the marks on the doors one by one.
Xiangdong's answer was the same as the painter's. He accidentally discovered something and called the other party to the stairs.
There was an object embedded in the wall there.
When they came up just now, they groped their way around and didn't see this thing.
Xiangdong asked the painter to bring the phone closer. He leaned over to take a look and said, "There are only two eyeballs. What is this?"
The painter shook his head.
Xiangdong mocked him mercilessly: "Aren't you a painter? Where is your imagination and artistic talent?"
The painter said, “It’s all wasted.”
He can't even get enough sleep. He is like a dying man, hanging on to his last breath. How can he talk about creating art
Xiangdong stared at the thing, and as if possessed by a ghost, he reached out his hand and covered the two eyeballs.
At that moment, a white light struck him.
Immediately afterwards, a loud rumbling sound was heard outside, and the dark night sky was filled with lightning and thunder.
It's raining.
Xiangdong was terrified. Damn it, it was just raining, and he was almost scared to death.
In the backyard downstairs, Chen Yang was also startled. He suddenly turned around and saw the boy on the bed woke up.
"You were woken up by the thunder. It was raining heavily." Chen Yang said, "You were bored all night. You should have been scared a long time ago."
Chao Jian got out of bed with crutches. Chen Yang was stunned for a moment: "You want to go to the bathroom?"
"No, come here, don't stand at the door." Chao Jian's voice was hoarse from waking up, and there was something else in it, almost urgency.
Chen Yang realized that something was wrong from Chao Jian's words, and he quickly focused on the target and found that there was something wrong with the rain.
Chao Jian sat on the chair, picked up the bottle and drank two sips of water, then pointed to the bed: "Sit there, don't move around, and don't look around."
Chen Yang sat down on the edge of the bed, and outside he could hear the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
Heavy rain. Chen Yang finished thinking about it one second ago, and the next second, he heard a miserable cry outside the window.
Like a cat's meow and a baby's cry.
Chen Yang got goosebumps all over his body. He wanted to go to the window to take a look, and Jian thrust a crutch towards him.
"Sit still." Chao Jian glared at him with a terrifying bloodshot look in his eyes.
Chen Yang's Adam's apple rolled. How come the boy looked like he hadn't slept at all? Was his steady breathing fake
The horrible cries continued. Chen Yang didn't know if it was an auditory hallucination, but he actually heard the sound of rats and the sound of live fish struggling in the frying pan.
And people screaming.
It was a mess and very chaotic. Chen Yang couldn't tell what the sound outside was coming from.
What is the situation outside
The candle flame flickered, and a breeze came in, accompanied by gusts of hot air, which continued to penetrate through the cracks in the wooden windows and doors.
Chen Yang soon felt like he had entered a sauna. Hot sweat began to seep out of his back. He reached his hand back and scratched the back of his head through his wet clothes.
When it rains heavily after the sweltering summer heat, the ground will smoke, but it will never be this hot.
Chen Yang's pupils shrank in vain: "The rain is hot?"
"Boil water." Chao Jian frowned at the hot air coming in through the crack in the door.
Chen Yang's eyelids were twitching wildly.
Chao Jian rubbed his aching forehead. He turned the chair to the side, leaned his upper body on the back of the chair, rested his head on his arm, and faced Chen Yang with his eyes closed.
“When it rains, the room becomes another space. You can’t open the door or the window, otherwise the barrier will be lost.”
Chen Yang pinched his fingers, just like the tent in the bathing place.
"Rain is boiling water. If you go out, you will be scalded to death. Don't open the doors or windows!" Chen Yang stood up and shouted.
The other rooms connected by the rat holes were dead silent, as if nothing could be heard, and there was no response.
Chen Yang thought it was because of the barrier, and the next moment he heard Old Wu's screams.
The room blocked out his reminders, but it did not block out the screams of pain from others.
"ah-"
“Ahhh!”
"Help! Help..."
Not only Old Wu, but Qian Han and Big Eyed Girl were also shouting.
Chen Yang felt his temples throbbing. Did they open the door or the window
On the second floor of the inn, Xiangdong frowned and asked, "What happened in the backyard?"
The last sound was still on the tip of his tongue when a series of footsteps were heard downstairs, the sound of cloth shoes rubbing against the ground.
It’s Widow Zhou!
Xiangdong then realized that he had been covering the eyeballs with his hands. He quickly put his hands down, carried the painter and hid in an empty room.
Now is not the time to retreat.
The rain has stopped.
The inn was filled with a dead atmosphere inside and outside.
Xiangdong and the painter were right at the door. Their hiding place was not secretive and safe enough, but they could sense the situation outside the door.
Widow Zhou did not go downstairs, nor did she check every room. She seemed to be standing there looking at something, lost in some state, as if in a daze.
Xiangdong suspected that the widow was at the stairs, looking at the two eyeballs.
"Wait a little longer, there will definitely be something exciting later." Xiangdong said in a low voice.
The painter was stiff from head to toe and could not use disinfectant spray. He felt every second was like a year and his life was worse than death.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door downstairs and Widow Zhou came downstairs.
Someone hurried into the inn and was led up to the second floor by her.
Then there was the sound of a room door opening and closing.
Soon, Xiangdong met the painter's gaze in the dark. The widow didn't seem to be in the aisle now. Shall we go out? Shall we gamble
The painter opened the door cautiously and answered Xiangdong with this action. He had to take the gamble. He would rather die than stay in that little corner and get dirty.
The painter opened the door a crack and left the room first.
Xiangdong was not as tall as the painter, but he was much stronger. The gap in the door was not big enough, so he had to widen it a little and hold his breath to get out.
There was a faint light in the corridor, coming from Teacher Xie's room corresponding to the backyard.
There were indistinct voices coming from inside.
Xiangdong waved to the painter, and he went closer, eavesdropped with his ears perked up, and vaguely heard something like "Master Yun" and "Master Zhu".
Why are the heads of the two major families in this town looking for business
Looks like an old acquaintance.
Doing business
Collecting a name fish, collecting a life span
Xiangdong listened attentively. He maintained the same posture without moving. Until his legs became numb, a few words floated into his ears.
"Fish", "Curse", "Sixty Years", "Rock Valley".
There was the sound of a chair falling down in the room, mixed with the crisp sound of teacups being smashed hard, and the people inside were having a fierce argument.
After a while, all the sounds stopped abruptly.
After a moment of unconcealable silence, Xiangdong smelled blood.
Someone is dead inside.
No deal reached
There were footsteps approaching the door, like a duet, and there were also footsteps downstairs. Xiangdong hurriedly jumped out of the second-floor window with the painter.
One runs away as soon as he lands on the ground, and the other is crippled as soon as he lands on the ground.