Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At four in the morning, I drove up the mountain road leading to Changling Village. A thick fog hung like a heavy veil, shrouding the distant peaks in a ghostly haze. I had lost signal half an hour ago and could only rely on the weathered road signs by the roadside to guide me.
Just three kilometers remained until I reached Changling Village. I silently recited the words on the last sign. This was an old, poorly maintained winding road, riddled with cracks, and weeds grew wildly from the crevices. The wheels made unsettling creaking sounds as they rolled over the surface.
Suddenly, a shadow darted out from the bushes by the roadside. I slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded on the slick surface, nearly crashing into the guardrail. When I regained my composure, the shadow had vanished into the fog. In the rearview mirror, I thought I saw a trail of damp footprints on the road, but they were quickly swallowed by the morning mist.
As dawn broke, the outline of Changling Village finally came into view. It was a settlement nestled among three towering mountains, precariously perched against a cliffside. At the entrance stood a three-meter-tall stone tablet covered in strange symbols. I parked to take a closer look and discovered that these symbols were neither Chinese characters nor anything I recognized. The only discernible part was a small inscription at the bottom: Established in the Year of Wuzi.
"You shouldn’t linger here," a hoarse voice suddenly broke through the silence. I turned to see a hunched old man regarding me with murky eyes. He wore a patched gray cotton jacket and held a bamboo cane.
"Are you a local?" I asked, pulling out my badge. "I’m Officer Li Hao from the Criminal Police."
The old man’s eyes flickered for a moment. "A police officer?" He tapped his cane on the ground. "This place doesn’t welcome police."
"I’m here to investigate a missing persons case," I probed cautiously. "Have several children gone missing from this village recently?"
The old man didn’t respond and turned to leave. I hurried after him. "Do you know where the village chief lives? I need to speak with him."
"Just follow this road straight ahead; you’ll see the largest house," he said without looking back. "But if I were you, I wouldn’t disturb the village chief before sunset."
"Why not?"
The old man’s figure faded into the morning mist, leaving behind a cryptic warning: "On a full moon night, those who shouldn’t come must not come."
I stood there, pondering his words. Today was indeed a full moon night, and yet I had chosen this day to arrive. Perhaps it was not wise, but it was too late for regrets now.
Following the direction indicated by the old man, I walked along the dilapidated dirt road lined with scattered farmhouses. The village was unusually quiet in the early morning; not even a bird could be heard chirping. As I passed one house, I noticed several pieces of children's clothing hanging in the yard, yet there was no one inside.
In the distance, faint sounds of chickens crowing reached my ears. Following that sound, I spotted a little girl standing by the roadside, clutching a black cloth doll in her arms. She stared at me for a few seconds before quickly darting into a narrow alleyway beside her. I wanted to chase after her, but when I turned into the alley, it was empty except for scattered wildflowers.
Most of the buildings in the village were made of brick and wood from earlier times; their walls were weathered and covered in moss. Only one three-story building in the center of the village stood out with its red brick walls and iron gate—it looked like a mansion in this impoverished village. That must be where the village chief lived.
As I approached, I noticed that symbols similar to those on the stone tablet adorned the iron gate. The yard had several tall cypress trees under which something resembling a building seemed to be concealed. Just as I intended to take a closer look, an ear-piercing creak announced that the iron gate had swung open.
"You must be Officer Li," said a middle-aged man stepping out from inside with a smile on his face. "I am Village Chief Zhang Shouren. I've been expecting you since receiving word of your visit."
His warm demeanor caught me off guard. According to my records, sixteen years ago, an investigation into another missing persons case had stalled due to obstruction from this very village chief. Why was he so cooperative this time?
"Village Chief Zhang," I nodded respectfully as he gestured for me to enter. "I apologize for intruding."
"Not at all," he replied as he stepped aside to let me in. "As police officers conducting investigations, we have an obligation to cooperate—especially with these recent disappearances weighing heavily on our minds."
Following him into the yard, I noticed that what appeared to be a suspicious building under those cypress trees was likely a cellar. The iron door of that cellar bore an identical symbol to that on the stone tablet.
"Officer Li?" Zhang Shouren's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Shall we discuss this inside?"
I withdrew my gaze and followed him into the house. Behind me, the heavy iron door closed with a resonant finality.
Comment 0 Comment Count