parasitisme veille

Chapitre 12

Qin Ge muttered "Tan Guan Tang" to himself, vaguely feeling that it looked familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall its origin. He and Lei Ming hesitated only slightly before going inside.

They looked around, but no one came out. The two walked to the side of the corridor and peered inside. The corridor wasn't long, and all the room doors on both sides were closed.

"Is anyone there?" Qin Ge shouted loudly, "Boss, boss!"

A door opened quickly, but no one came out. Qin Ge and Lei Ming were wondering what was going on when they suddenly heard a woman's voice say, "There's no boss, but there is a landlady. If you two want to stay at the inn, you'd better check how much money you have left."

Lei Ming was still wondering, but Qin Ge had already smiled.

At that moment, a woman with a beaming smile walked out of the open door, her smile revealing an undisguised smugness and the joy of having successfully pulled off a prank.

This person was none other than Dong'er, whom Qin Ge most wanted to see at this moment.

She should have stayed in that eerie little building, so how did she end up here? And what about Huang Tao and the others who were with her? Did they also end up in this hotel?

As if answering Qin Ge and Lei Ming's questions, Huang Tao, Zhang Song, and others appeared in the corridor, followed by Su He and Tong Hao, and then the six young model girls. This group quickly surrounded Qin Ge and Lei Ming.

Qin Ge was eager to know what had happened, but before asking, he first tightly grasped Dong'er's hand from below. He held it so tightly that Dong'er felt a pain. Dong'er could understand Qin Ge's feelings, so she pressed her body tightly against him.

The man knocking on the door was around thirty years old, with fair skin, delicate features, and a tall but slightly slender build. Standing before so many people, he showed no restraint or unease, as if facing a group of longtime friends. His spine was ramrod straight, yet a faint melancholy lingered between his brows, suggesting some unresolved worries deep within him, lending a touch of sorrow to his upright posture.

No matter what, he was a normal person. Although his appearance here was no coincidence, he was at least the most normal person everyone had seen since arriving in the valley.

“If you’re ready, you can come with me now,” he said casually.

Everyone stared at him, speechless.

—Who is he, and why would he knock on the door of the small building in the middle of the night?

Where is he taking everyone?

If the initial fear of the knocking faded when the person appeared, now everyone was filled with suspicion. This seemingly frail man possessed something about him that inspired fear.

Huang Tao glanced at the people around him, composed himself, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

The frail-looking man stared at him, a strange expression appearing on his face: "You don't know who I am? Then you don't know where I'm taking you?"

Huang Tao was both amused and exasperated. The strange expression on the frail man's face didn't seem feigned; he appeared somewhat displeased that these people didn't know who he was or where he was taking them.

“If you could tell us, I think things would be much simpler,” Huang Tao said.

The frail-looking man pondered for a while, clearly hesitant and unable to make up his mind.

“That doesn’t make sense. Everyone I’ve come to pick up must already know everything, yet you don’t?” He shook his head, puzzled. “So, you certainly won’t come with me now?”

"If it were you, in a place like this, late at night, would you follow a complete stranger?"

"I won't."

"So now you know our answer."

The frail-looking man nodded heavily, then turned away immediately without saying another word. Before anyone in the room could react, he was already outside, moving with incredible speed, as if he didn't want to stop for even a moment.

Huang Tao's mind raced at that moment; in just a split second, his palms and soles were drenched in sweat from nervousness. He glanced back at the crowd of people behind him, knowing he couldn't get any advice from them. Suddenly, he stamped his foot, ignoring the people behind him, and rushed out the door, calling out to the man's retreating figure about ten meters away, "Wait!"

"You just followed that person all the way here?" Qin Ge asked.

Huang Tao nodded: "You don't know, when that man turned and left, I was really conflicted. Staying in the small building to wait for you to come back was, of course, safer, but I didn't know when you would be back, or what we could do when you did. The person who secretly planned all of this obviously didn't want to hurt us, otherwise, we would never have come to this valley. The place the man knocking on the door took us to must also be part of the whole plan. If we didn't go, we would lose an opportunity. I think if it were you, you would have done the same thing as me back then."

"Of course, if you hadn't come with him, we wouldn't have met here."

“I called out to the man and told him we could go with him, but we still had two companions who hadn’t returned yet, so we had to wait here for now.”

Asi's Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 49: Sparrow (3)

"That man told you that as long as you go with him, Lei Ming and I will be here soon," Qin Ge said with a wry smile. "The person hiding behind us is truly cunning."

Huang Tao's expression turned serious, and he looked worried: "Now that you've actually arrived here, and he even knew you would walk into this hotel, it shows how meticulous he is. If he has arranged something for us, I'm afraid we won't have any chance to resist."

This was exactly what Qin Ge was thinking. Having been a policeman for so many years, he had encountered many formidable opponents, including Hua Xiong, the son of a billionaire who had been hiding in Sleeping Valley for years. Hua Xiong had painstakingly managed Sleeping Manor and even obtained a secret wine recipe from a Tujia shaman that could induce latent desires in people, ultimately causing chaos and madness throughout Sleeping Valley; and Yin Zhi, the granddaughter of the Thai sorcerer Nai Chai, who single-handedly infiltrated the Jing family mansion, secretly colluding with a dismembered assassin and the legendary "Big-Headed Doll," throwing the Jing family into chaos (these stories are detailed in *Sleeping Valley* and *The Ghost Child*). But none of those encounters combined were as bizarre as this one, nor was the opponent as powerful. In fact, he didn't even know who his opponent was, what was about to happen, let alone how to defeat him.

His mood immediately plummeted.

Huang Tao shook his head and forced a smile, "No matter what, we're together again now, which should be a happy thing, so let's not look so gloomy." He paused for a moment, then said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? There's some delicious food here. Eat and rest quickly. The man who brought us here will come early tomorrow morning to tell us a lot of things we want to know."

Qin Ge's stomach growled again at just the right moment. He gave an awkward wry smile, but Dong'er beside him had already pulled his hand and led him into the passage: "The food is all inside. If you don't want your stomach to growl anymore, hurry up and fill it up."

The food was indeed delicious. Besides the fragrant rice and several delicate side dishes, there were even a few bottles of beer. The beer brand was a well-known domestic brand, sold in many cities, so Qin Ge couldn't determine which city it came from. He only vaguely remembered that this brand of beer was produced by a Sino-Japanese joint venture.

After filling their stomachs and drinking a bottle of beer, drowsiness inevitably washed over them. Huang Tao had already arranged for the others to go to sleep, leaving only him and Dong'er to keep Qin Ge and Lei Ming company.

"The man who brought us here said that we can use any of the rooms here, but we must have someone to sleep with tonight, and no one can be alone in a room," Huang Tao said. "The six model girls are sleeping in two rooms, and Su He and Liu Qian are sleeping in one room." He then explained, "Liu Qian is the one who fainted this morning. She has taken her medicine and is much better now."

Qin Ge nodded: "You've thought of everything."

Lei Ming had finished eating as well. Huang Tao stood up and smiled at Qin Ge and Dong'er: "Tong Hao shared a room with me and is already asleep. Now, Lei Ming and I should go back to our rooms. As for you two, there are still several empty rooms outside. You can decide how to arrange them."

Qin Ge paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Let me think if we brought our marriage certificate. Otherwise, it would be a very troublesome thing if someone came to check the room at night."

Dong'er giggled and punched Qin Ge on the shoulder, but the punch landed softly and without any force.

That night, everyone slept soundly. The clean beds and soft blankets made the exhausted group forget where they were.

Nothing happened that night. The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Qin Ge and Dong'er woke up. Sunlight streamed through the window like a knife onto the bed, accompanied by the chirping of birds. Qin Ge felt too lazy to move, and his legs, which had been a little sore from the exercise, quickly woke Dong'er up.

"Get up quickly. It's okay if others are late, but if we get up late, people will laugh at us."

Dong'er whimpered and refused to move, so Qin Ge had to drag her up. After washing up, the two went outside and saw Huang Tao and Lei Ming already sitting in the room just inside the entrance. Beside them sat a clean and tidy man, in his thirties, tall and slightly thin; he was clearly the one who had brought everyone here last night.

"My surname is Gao, and my name is Gaoqiao. Welcome to Asi Town."

Just as Qin Ge was about to introduce himself, Gao Qiao interrupted, "I know your name, and I know you're a policeman. You just got married to this Miss Dong'er this summer and are still on your honeymoon."

Qin Ge paused for a moment, then asked Huang Tao, "Did you tell him all of this?"

Huang Tao smiled wryly: "Do you think I'm the kind of person who talks too much?" He hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "It's not just you, this Mr. Takahashi knows all of us inside and out."

Qin Ge was truly stunned this time, and after a long while, he stared at Takahashi and said, "Now, we want to know the reason."

Takahashi smiled faintly, a hint of helplessness in his smile: "You'll find out eventually, but it's not the right time yet. I think I'll show you around this town today."

“We’re not interested in the town; we just want to know who brought us here.”

"I told you you'd find out sooner or later, and it would be very soon, in the next few days," Takahashi said.

"We want to know right now," Qin Ge emphasized.

“Then I have no choice but to leave.” Takahashi said and actually stood up. “I’m only responsible for receiving new members in this town. Everything else is none of my business. Now that you’ve arrived in town safely, my job is done.”

Qin Ge and Huang Tao looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Lei Ming stepped in front of Gao Qiao and said in a deep voice, "You can't leave!"

Gao Qiao turned around to face Qin Ge and Huang Tao, and smiled calmly: "Then, after your companions get up, I'll take you around the town."

Asi's Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 50: Sparrow (4)

The town is called Asi Town, and no one knows the origin of the name. According to Takahashi, the town was already called that when he arrived.

The town is built on a natural flat area in the valley, covering an area of about two kilometers in circumference. Such a small place means that the town's population cannot be too large. Gao Qiao said that the exact population of the town is 296 people. He added that this number does not include Qin Ge and 14 others.

“We won’t be staying here for long, so you don’t need to worry about us,” Lei Ming said coldly.

Takahashi pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Everyone who comes here has the same thoughts as you, and the result is that since we've come here, we have to live here."

Gao Qiao's voice was soft and weak, but his words caused a huge uproar, instantly devastating the group behind him. Qin Ge and Huang Tao exchanged glances, remaining highly alert. Lei Ming beside them subconsciously clenched his fists, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately held back. Zhang Song was speechless, while Tong Hao glanced at Su He subconsciously, a look of delight on his face, as if staying here was something to be very happy about.

The men's reactions were still quite subtle, while the women's were much more overt. The young models were already chattering excitedly, and even the relatively composed Xu Juan couldn't contain herself. Su He remained relatively calm, though his brows were furrowed tightly, while the young woman named Liu Qian was expressionless, seemingly not understanding the meaning behind Gao Qiao's words at all.

Dong'er immediately grabbed Qin Ge's arm, and Qin Ge could sense her fear at that moment.

"You're not just kidding us, are you?" Qin Ge asked tentatively.

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?" Takahashi said sympathetically. "When I first came here, I also thought that staying here for the rest of my life would be torture. But now that I've been here for a while, I think this town is actually not bad. It has almost everything the outside world has. Moreover, life here is very peaceful. You don't have to be busy making a living all day long, nor do you have to rack your brains to interact with people. Here, if you don't want to, no one can bother you. So, I think for those who want a peaceful life, this place can truly be considered a paradise."

“But we don’t want a peaceful life. We have to go back to the outside world.” Dong’er’s voice trembled slightly. If she stayed here for the rest of her life, it would truly be a nightmare for her, a nightmare from which she would never wake up.

“The outside world no longer belongs to you,” Takahashi said meaningfully. “I have received many groups of people like you here, but you are the most special. You don’t know what has happened to you, so I don’t know how to persuade you now.”

He turned around and faced the crowd: "Right now, I'm just introducing this town to you, because it won't be long before you all consider this your home."

The young models protested in unison, and even Su He couldn't help but join in: "How can you force us to stay here? We have our own personal freedom, and you can't force us."

Takahashi looked at Suhe with a very sad expression, as if he was regretting something. He turned around, pointed to the street in front of him and said, "This is the center of the town. The shops here can meet your daily needs. If you feel bored, you can come here to find something to do to pass the time."

Besides shops, the street also had arcades, bars, bathhouses, hair salons, and even a movie theater. Outside the theater, a large poster advertised "House of Flying Daggers," a new film that had just premiered in major cities. It was truly astonishing that this small mountain town could be showing up at the same time as those big cities. But Qin Ge and the others had no time to think about the movie; their primary concern was their own situation.

Takahashi was clearly unwilling to continue the discussion on this issue with the others. He slowly walked forward and said to himself, "To live here, you must first find a job. All jobs are service-oriented, like shop assistants, bartenders, restaurant chefs, or like me, doing some administrative work."

He pointed to a white two-story building not far away and said, "That's the town's administrative center. There are different departments inside that manage the town. I work in the household registration department. In addition, there's the internal affairs department, which is responsible for coordinating the town's internal planning and development; the resources department is responsible for allocating living supplies. You should know that there are no specialized manufacturing enterprises or agricultural cultivation in the town, so all living supplies are allocated by the resources department every month; and the police department, as you all know, is responsible for the town's security."

Qin Ge and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They found Gao Qiao's words utterly absurd, but his extremely serious expression told them it must be true. This small town, spanning only two kilometers, was like an independent kingdom, possessing its own system for survival and development. Though small, it had all the essential organs; to everyone, this little town was truly bizarre.

Takahashi continued, "You must first submit an application. Once the Ministry of Internal Affairs approves it, you can begin working and receive a monthly salary. The salary here is just a relative concept; it serves only to incentivize everyone's enthusiasm for serving the town. Of course, if you don't want to work, you don't need to worry about making a living; the town's welfare benefits are enough to ensure you have enough to eat and wear."

“We won’t work, and we don’t care about the benefits here. We just want to go back,” Qin Ge said firmly.

Takahashi hesitated for a moment, clearly having something on his mind, but these words were crucial, so he considered whether to tell these people in front of him. Finally, he sighed, as if making up his mind, "Don't you understand yet? Now that you've come here, you're all essentially dead. Dead people can only stay in the place of the dead. From now on, you'll never have the chance to enjoy the outside world."

These words were like a bolt from the blue, making everyone feel a deafening roar in their ears. Then, a wave of fear swept over them, almost burying everyone.

—You are all already dead!

—You will never be able to enjoy the wonderful world outside again!

Why is this the case? Everyone can feel their own breath and body temperature, feel tired and in pain; these feelings are certainly unrelated to death. So why does Takahashi say that everyone is already dead?

"Don't ask me how you died, because I don't know either. All I can tell you is that only the dead can come to As Town. You didn't disappear from this world like the other dead, because you have a mission, which is also the mission of all the people of As Town: to wait for the descent of God As."

"As Goddess?" Qin Ge breathed softly, "You sound like a myth to me."

Takahashi's eyes grew even more melancholy. He said, "I know that no matter what I say now, you won't believe me. Fortunately, the time for the awakening of the goddess Asu is not far off. In three days, it will be the grand ceremony for the goddess Asu in Asu Town. The legendary goddess Asu will return to the world on that day. Perhaps, at that time, we who have died will have another chance to return to the outside world."

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 4, Chapter 51: Vertigo (1)

At noon that day, everyone finally met the owner of "Tan Guan Tang".

The innkeeper laughed heartily at the bizarre name of the inn, "Tan Guan Tang," and shook his head at the people filling the room. "You young people probably won't truly understand the meaning of this inn's name for decades to come." Qin Ge was already quite old, and Huang Tao and Zhang Song were even older than him, but since the innkeeper called them young, none of them complained. The innkeeper, while not necessarily very old, was certainly much older than everyone else present. Half of his hair was gray, but his skin was still smooth. His voice was loud and clear, and when he looked at you, you could see a sharpness in his eyes that was completely out of character for his age. If the innkeeper could lose a few dozen pounds, he would certainly be a very dignified man, but instead, he was a large, obese man, especially his belly, which looked like it might fall off at any moment and hit your feet. Now you know why his skin was so smooth—it was because his fat face stretched his skin taut.

It's rare to see such an old fat man, but he's old in a way that's not annoying, and his fatness is actually quite cute.

"Since you're living on my turf, you have to listen to me. You must be exhausted these past two days. Don't think about anything or do anything here. Eat and drink as you please. I'll make sure you're all healthy and energetic. That will make this old man happy." He spoke so warmly, as if an adult were having a casual chat with their children.

Thus, everyone concluded that he wasn't a strange old man; on the contrary, he was quite humorous and approachable. The owner introduced himself as Mr. Dong, whose given name differed from the current Chief Executive of Hong Kong by only one character: Dong Zhihua. He told everyone to just call him Old Man Dong: "That sounds more friendly to me." Old Man Dong was not only humorous but also very cheerful, and talking with this group of young people much younger than himself seemed to be a pleasant experience for him. He said he had arrived here a year ago, and he had no ties to life, so he didn't care where he was. Upon arriving, seeing his advanced age, everyone let him run this small inn. The inn usually didn't have many customers, so he happily wandered around, fishing and playing cards with other elderly people in town, enjoying his time to the fullest.

"I've heard that people who get here never get out," Qin Ge asked tentatively.

Old Dong paused, his smile fading like ripples on water. He coughed a few times, then shook his head and sighed, "I'm so old, and as fat as a pig, it's all the same where I am. This place is beautiful with clear water and fresh air; even if you wanted me to leave, I wouldn't." Qin Ge wanted to ask something more, but the old man chuckled awkwardly, stood up, patted his forehead, and said he'd had a couple of drinks with some old men from West Street at noon, and was now feeling dizzy and going home to sleep.