So far, four incidents have been mentioned in De's notebook, namely: Kelly's disappearance in 1982, the murder of five teenagers in 1992, a couple's camping trip in 2002, a forest fire in 2012, and the appearance of a foreigner suspected to be Qi Tian.
Among them, Kelly and one of the lovers were believed to have been attacked by wild beasts and died accidentally. However, the case in 1992 was too bizarre and strange, and the truth has not been found out to this day.
At that time, De was the sheriff of Twilight Town, and he selected three suspects.
The first one was a drug addict who lived in a trailer, was also involved in the business, and often hung out with prostitutes. The ladies who knew him said that he was a ruthless man who would stab people at the slightest provocation, and had a long history of bad deeds.
On the day of the crime, he worked for a gangster boss, who was arrested and gave him up, clearing him of suspicion. Of course, the gangster didn't have a good ending, and died at the hands of his accomplices six months later.
The second one is a freak who lives in a house on the edge of town all year round and rarely socializes with others. He was seen interacting with Theresa, and he said he stayed at home on the nights when several people disappeared, but there is no proof of his presence.
The police searched his home and found that he was ill and had severe fainting spells, making him unable to complete a series of complicated rituals.
He moved out of Huanghun Town half a year after the incident.
The third and most suspicious person is Frank. He reclaimed a farm on the edge of the woods and raised pigs, cattle, sheep and other livestock. He once had a wife, but later his wife couldn't stand his temper and ran away with the children.
The man was strong and violent, and only had a gun, so he had no problem subduing the five teenagers. But the police searched their farm and found no clues. They also found Frank's affair partner, who confirmed that the two were in the motel on the night the children disappeared.
The hotel owner also indirectly confirmed this point.
However, although the evidence pointed to Frank as the murderer, Deed still conducted extensive research on him and even bought an expensive camera to take pictures of the farm - which later became the source of inspiration for his grandson Robert's creation.
Jian Jing only had a quick look at Robert's farm and already felt the atmosphere was very nice, but when she arrived at the real place, she immediately realized that fake is fake.
No matter how ingenious the fake farm mechanism is, it can only be one-tenth as strange as the real one.
Frank's farm is more than thirty years old. The house is dilapidated, the roof is leaking, the walls are covered with mold, and the wood smells rotten.
Old William and Old Frank knew each other, and after explaining the reason, the host agreed to let them stay to shelter from the rain.
"Only if it's William, I won't let outsiders into my place." Old Frank said gruffly. He was very old, with gray hair, cloudy eyes, and wrinkled skin that hung on his body, looking weird.
"Dad, what do you say?" The complete opposite of him was little Frank.
He looked more like an Indian than a white man, and was very introverted. He glanced at Jian Jing and looked away: "I'll make you some hot tea, and sandwiches. Do you want any?"
Jian Jing glanced at Jiang Baiyan.
He understood immediately and said, "Don't bother, hot tea will be fine."
Little Frank quickly brought a pot of hot tea, poured them some hot tea, and said worriedly, "Uncle William, I'm afraid the rain will stop today."
Old William seemed to feel that his prestige had been damaged, and said angrily: "The weather here changes at any time. The TV clearly said it was sunny."
Little Frank smiled and sat quietly aside.
After a while, he seemed to feel bored and started to get close to Jiang Baiyan: "My father has always lived in town and doesn't like people from outside. You should take his words to heart."
Who is Jiang Baiyan? Actor.
He got into the role quickly and immediately created a character for himself who spoke English very well but was very cheerful and talkative. He quickly replied, "It's okay. We are the ones who disturbed you. I wanted to have a good day of hunting, but who knew it would rain heavily."
Little Frank asked curiously: "What did you catch today?"
Jiang Baiyan spread his hands: "Nothing."
Little Frank smiled and suddenly said to William, "It's late now, you guys should stay for dinner. I'll make chicken risotto and vegetable soup."
Jian Jing immediately raised her head: "Food?"
Old William looked at her, then looked at the big raindrops outside the window, and nodded in agreement.
Little Frank opened a bag of rice, poured it into the pot, added water and simmered it until it was almost cooked. He then poured in the semi-finished curry and cooked chicken, mixed them together, and the hot chicken rice was ready.
Jian Jing responded with high praise.
Little Frank was even happier and took out some beer for them.
Jiang Baiyan accepted it, but Jian Jing refused his kindness on the grounds that she had been drinking.
Little Frank was not angry either, he just said: "I have always been curious about China, can you tell me about your country?"
"I'd be happy to." Jiang Baiyan agreed immediately and started talking ramblingly.
As soon as he said that, the sky was naturally dark, and the rain had not stopped. Little Frank patted his forehead and said angrily, "It's all my fault for talking for so long and wasting your time." After a pause, he apologized, "Why don't you stay here for one night."
Heavy rain and strong winds shuttled through the woods, which was safe. Jian Jing and Jiang Baiyan nodded in agreement without much hesitation.
The guest room is on the second floor of the farm. It is a little damp and old, with a strong musty smell, but it is very clean and comes with a bathroom.
Jian Jing turned on the X-ray machine and walked around the room to make sure there were no secret passages or hidden doors. Then she said with confidence, "What do you think about the situation between the father and son?"
As for chatting, of course, it was probably just them talking. Little Frank also briefly introduced his family situation: Old Frank had been ill for a long time, and whenever Old William came, he would show up in person, and even ate dinner alone in the room.
"He is very curious about us." Jiang Baiyan held his head up, and several bottles of wine still made him drunk, "But he didn't see anything wrong."
Jian Jing nodded: "I have observed the kitchen and the dining room, and there are indeed signs of only one person eating. There is nothing wrong with cooking potato soup for old Frank alone, but..."
She said slowly: "This place is very right."
Jiang Baiyan lowered his voice and said, "Are we going into the home of a murderer?"
"What if it is?" she retorted.
"You have to trust your intuition. Those in horror movies are all right. But running away will definitely lead to escape, and it will also arouse their vigilance." Jiang Baiyan lived up to his profession and knew the routines like the back of his hand. "Generally speaking, the danger at the beginning is fatal. We should strike first, tie them up, and torture them severely..."
Jian Jing: "Then we were arrested by the FBI and started to perform "The Shawshank Redemption"?"
Jiang Baiyan shook his finger and said mysteriously: "Teacher Jingjing, forget that we are in a free country. As long as we have enough money, we are free."
As he spoke, he opened his arms and made exaggerated movements, which was full of comedy.
"That makes sense." Jian Jing couldn't help laughing, "You can go to a striptease show."
"Okay, I have to maintain my status. I'll try to get a role in your next movie." Jiang Baiyan took the opportunity to show his loyalty, but she rolled her eyes at him. So he immediately said, "What should I do? Wait?"
Jian Jing shook her head. She had considered waiting and watching, but he kept joking about the routine, which really sparked her inspiration: "Art comes from life. Since all stories start with the protagonist acting, why can't we also create one?"
Knowing that there is a tiger in the mountain, going there anyway is also a strategy.
"It's a quarter past eight at night." She looked at her watch and said, "Let's go make our first big move."
The first step in doing something is to take the initiative to find something to do.
Jian Jing found William and told him about the hunting plan for tomorrow. But old William seemed very sharp: "What you said is just one thing."
"Well," she said with concern, imitating the American way of expression, "I want to discuss something with you. This house is very close to the woods and belongs to the forest. If I can stay here, it will be much more convenient to travel."
Old William said coldly: "I think it's a good idea."
"I thought you were so familiar with Frank and his son, and they should be trustworthy." Jian Jing immediately followed up and raised a question, "Could it be that what Frank said is true?"
Old William refused to communicate: "Less asking, more hunting, see you tomorrow."
He slammed the door shut.
Jane Jing returned empty-handed, but she believed that if Frank and his son were really problematic, the few words of conversation in the corridor just now would be enough to make them wary and suspicious, and then take the next step.
The second step is to stroll around.
Jiang Baiyan walked along the corridor, down the stairs, and turned into a dark and secluded place. After twisting and turning, he actually found the back of the first floor. Stepping out, there was a small path with a roof, paved with gravel, leading to the sheepfold at the back of the farm.
There was a light on overhead, but no one was there.
Groups of yellow sheep were either standing or lying, looking at the strange intruders. The strong smell of mutton, mixed with feces and hay, was emitting from their bodies, which was extremely unpleasant.
Jiang Baiyan held his breath and almost turned around and left.
But soon, he felt that someone was watching him.
who
He looked around the sheepfold and suddenly found a pure white lamb among a group of dirty yellow sheep. Its wool was as white as snow, completely different from that of other sheep.
"Mee~~" cry.
The other sheep seemed to be awakened and looked at him together.
Jiang Baiyan took a deep breath and felt goosebumps all over his body.
At this moment, footsteps were heard behind him.
Little Frank came in carrying a bag of feed. When he saw him, he asked in surprise: "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Baiyan pretended to be panicked for a moment, then calmed down: "I was just looking for you, can I borrow the kitchen? I want to prepare some food for tomorrow's hunt."
"Of course." Compared with the "guilty" guest, Little Frank was a hospitable landlord and agreed happily.
Jiang Baiyan bought eggs, bread and pork and prepared to make hamburgers.
Crack the shell, chop the filling, and cut the bread, all in an orderly manner.
Little Frank is gone.
Jiang Baiyan began to check the knives in the kitchen one by one, as if he suspected that they might be the murder weapon. However, he did not find any suspicious items such as bloodstains and hair, but found some strange things.
At the bottom of the cupboard grew a large number of slender roots that looked like hair, entwining and clinging to each other, as if a giant tree nearby had extended its roots to the ground.
But Jiang Baiyan clearly remembered that the area around the farm was very open, with only a few bushes and no strong trees.
Jiang Baiyan squatted down and touched the roots.
Cold, hard and moist, this is the texture of a work of art, it's alive.
Since Teacher Jingjing is the one who is "acting big", of course he doesn't mind being the first "unlucky guy".
Jiang Baiyan picked up the steak knife, weighed it, and cut it decisively.
The roots fell to the ground, like a worm twisting its body, and then fell there stiffly, no different from the dead branches on the roadside.
Jiang Baiyan took a plastic bag, picked up the fish, put them in, rolled them up tightly, and stuffed them into the bag as if nothing had happened.
Then, "dudududu", continue chopping the filling.
The evenly fat and lean pork was rolled into a pancake, sizzling in the pan, and the aroma filled the air. He was busy seasoning and cutting vegetables, and didn't notice that the plastic bag stuffed in his trouser pocket shook slightly.
The black and sticky roots quietly poked out from the top of the tree.