Green Mountain Wild Man Valley

Kapitel 16

Chapter 43 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 43 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-04-16 16:17:00

I asked her blankly, "What's wrong? Don't be paranoid, I'm a staunch materialist and atheist."

Zhang Liheng considered for a moment and said, "After you left, Lao Gu was still unconscious and motionless. Shen Juan and I were quite bored while waiting, so we discussed going to the cockpit to see if there was anything strange. After all, Lao Gu is a living person, how could he hang himself for no reason? After moving the cabinets and clutter blocking the door, I took the gun and led the way to go in."

"After a thorough search, all I could say was that besides us and Zheng Jian, there were definitely other people who had secretly followed us on the boat. The big bamboo basket smelled of animal excrement, which made Shen Juan and me a little scared. We didn't dare to stay any longer, so I focused on checking the place where Lao Gu hanged himself. It was quite narrow, and it took me a while to move the cabinet up there. There was a small recessed compartment there, and besides some toothbrushes and soap, the most important thing I found was a stack of strange things."

Zhang Liheng's expression showed confusion, a mix of disgust and revulsion.

She saw a stack of shadow puppet props, with people and horses, made very realistically. She reached out and picked them up out of curiosity, only to find that the stack of objects was connected to an ingenious mechanism. With a click, the overhead hatch opened a gap. She wondered if Old Gu had been strangled by someone lurking in the shadows because he opened this gap.

The gap leads directly outside, and you can see the blue sky and white clouds. It should be the top of the cockpit, but it would be easy to ambush someone there.

Zhang Liheng said with lingering fear, "Ever since I fell into that scary cabinet, I've been much more careful. This time, I didn't dare to peek up at it rashly. Besides, those shadow puppet props felt cold and uncomfortable to hold. I thought it would be safer to climb up to the top of the cabin from the outside. Just then, something happened!"

Date: 2008-04-16 17:31:00

Zhang Liheng took a sip of water and continued, "I was about to get down when I noticed that the stack of leather figures and horses I was holding was very strange. It was wriggling around in my hand. I thought I hadn't looked carefully enough and that some small insects were stuck in it, so I put it on the small compartment and shook it gently. Unexpectedly, the top leather figure, as if it were alive, suddenly flew out through the gap at the top. It startled me, and I fell off immediately."

I immediately recalled seeing a similar sight from the skylight, and a chill ran down my spine. Perhaps there was someone with ulterior motives hiding behind me back then. I anxiously asked, "What happened next? Did you climb up to the top of the cabin to check? Are the remaining leather men and horses still there?"

Zhang Liheng said, "Of course I went up to check, but it was empty, not a soul in sight. After that, there was nothing else. Then a military helicopter flew over, and Shen Juan took the remaining shadow puppets back. She said that their museum has experts who specialize in studying this, and they would definitely be able to figure out why Lao Gu fainted. So, I stayed here to wait for you."

I finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chinese culture is truly profound and extensive, with many talented and extraordinary people. Perhaps the ancient legends of summoning wind and rain and turning beans into soldiers had a certain popular basis. Although I am an out-and-out atheist, I have never thought that the wisdom of the ancients over thousands of years is feudal dross. Existence is its own justification. Besides, the shadow puppet with the eyeball of a living person that I saw was definitely not an illusion.

I've seen plenty of stories about paper horses and beans turning into soldiers in books, and I've also witnessed many strange phenomena after people died during my military service. One year, when I was repairing a secret submarine cable in the Fujian Strait, I fell for one of these tricks. The cable was perfectly fine, and I thought it had been damaged by an earthquake, but when I went down to check, that wasn't the case at all.

Chapter 44 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 44 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-04-17 02:09:00

Thinking of this, and seeing that Zhang Liheng still didn't understand what had happened to her, and even seemed a little dazed, I decided to tell her about my own experience in order to ease her mental burden. My purpose was simply to show her contempt for the enemy strategically and to understand the enemy tactically.

Speaking of the strait between Fujian and the other side, the average depth is about 80 meters. Only some coastal areas are relatively shallow, and it is possible to use detection equipment to find the approximate location of submarine cable faults. However, if you go to the deep sea, it is not a problem that can be solved by divers.

Although it was in shallow water, there wasn't much high-tech equipment to detect where the problem was. If it was broken, we just replaced it with a new one. I didn't take it seriously at the time. I just pulled a long section of cable onto the boat and handed it over to the technicians to do. After replacing it with a new cable and connecting the connectors, I went back into the water to use a high-pressure water gun to flush a trench out of the silt on the seabed and put the repaired cable in. It was during this tedious work of flushing the trench that I discovered a new problem.

This submarine cable is military-grade and not very long. When I used a high-pressure water gun to flush down along the previous marks, a crack suddenly appeared on both sides of the bottom of the trench, revealing a thin, white back. After flushing for a while, I realized that things were not so simple. I pressed it lightly with my finger and found that it was soft. I wondered if it was a fish.

My curiosity was immediately piqued. I put the cable aside for the time being and carefully examined the white spine until I saw a thin iron chain. I cut open the bottom of the chain with a knife and pulled out a pot. It really was a pot, although it was corroded beyond recognition by seawater, but it was definitely a pot, the kind of common steamer.

Date: 2008-04-17 12:45:00

After opening the steamer, all I found inside, besides mud and sand, was a large rock. I thought to myself, who the hell is so bored as to put a large rock in a pot that sank to the bottom of the sea?

At that time, the tension in the struggle between the enemy and ourselves was still very high. The first thought that came to my mind was that the enemy had tampered with the stone and stolen our military secrets. This stone might contain high-tech equipment from enemy spies, and we had to report this matter immediately.

I hastily re-laid the cable, picked up the pot, and floated to the surface. But as soon as I lifted it, the bottom of the pot fell off, probably because it had been soaked in seawater. The big rock also fell down. I searched for a long time on the seabed but couldn't find it. A little discouraged, I thought I should give up. This achievement shouldn't be mine. Just as I was about to give up in dejection, I unexpectedly found the rock again.

But the stone had already cracked in two. I picked it up and looked at it, and oh my god! There was a monster! My hand trembled and I threw the stone away.

A tiny person and a small cat floated up from the water, both made of some kind of leather. This leather had been soaking in the water for who knows how many years, yet it was still lifelike. As soon as it emerged from the stone, it quickly expanded like an inflating balloon, and then with a splash, it rotted into a pile of fragments, scattered in the seawater, and never disappeared again, leaving only two small, dark locks.

As soon as I grabbed the small lock, I immediately floated to the surface as if my life depended on it. This was too strange and illogical. When I got back to shore, I didn't dare to report it. During my leave to visit my family, I took the two small locks back to my hometown to ask what was going on. An old fortune teller told me that I had encountered a very ancient Taoist technique called "Five Ghosts Steaming a Cat".

This Taoist ritual is extremely vicious. It involves steaming a doll with the character "八" (eight) carved on it together with a live cat in a pot. After the cat dies from steaming, the pot and the doll are buried in a place where they are least likely to be discovered. It is said that this allows the soul of the person corresponding to the doll to transfer to the body of the steamed cat, and be guarded by the evil cat for eternity, suffering in the underworld. Moreover, this doll, made of real leather, will plead as if it were alive during the cat-steaming ritual.

However, the specific methods for making the doll and performing the ritual have long been lost. No one would do this unless there is a deep-seated hatred, because it would also cost the caster's life! When I broke the stone, I actually broke the spell and saved the victim, allowing him to leave the talisman's restraints sooner. That's why the old man kept asking me for money, saying that he wanted to perform a ritual to resolve the caster's resentment.

Let's just take these things with a grain of salt; they might not be accurate anyway. Those charlatans from the mountains are just eager to portray themselves as incredibly mysterious. So I immediately refused the old man's request, forbidding him from performing any rituals to ward off misfortune for me. I also threw the two small locks into the stinking ditch and never thought about it again.

Based on what we've both seen so far, this moving shadow puppet is probably related to the puppets I've encountered before, at least in terms of their production methods. So there's no need to be afraid. Just treat it as a show. If we get into trouble, so be it. We're upright and honest, so we're not afraid of ghosts knocking on our door in the middle of the night!

Zhang Liheng listened to my story in a daze, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.

I sighed and said, "Did what I said have a huge impact on your outlook on life and the world? Sigh, I don't mean anything by it. What I really mean is that these kinds of things are perfectly normal. With me here, there's nothing to be afraid of. Ding Gen will be here soon. We'll fill up the gas cylinders and then go back again. Just focus on waiting for the next group of rescuers."

Date: 2008-04-17 15:17:00

Zhang Liheng said, "You two are still going? I can't wait on the boat any longer. I have to go with you no matter what. Didn't you say that with you here, there's nothing to be afraid of? I can dive too, so I won't hold you back."

I was getting a little anxious. There were so many strange things happening underwater, I couldn't be complacent. If something went wrong, I would be in deep trouble. Besides, when Ding Gen and I went into that room, the skylight was strangely locked from the inside. This was definitely not a good sign. It wasn't a matter of diving ability. The enemy was in the dark while we were in the light. If we dragged along a female general, wouldn't Ding Gen and I be courting death?

I nervously approached Zhang Liheng, just about to make up a story to scare her, when Ding Gen came over, carrying a battery and a rubber tube. When he saw Zhang Liheng and me so close, he pursed his lips and said in a strange tone, "Old Ding, you're really busy. Hurry up and get your gas cylinder ready. We can't possibly spend another night on this ship."

I glanced at the sky; it wasn't even noon yet. Seeing Zhang Liheng looking uneasy because of my sudden approach, I felt a surge of joy and thought to myself, "This is promising!"

He took the things Ding Gen brought and muttered to him, "What should we do if the little girl wants to go into the water with us?"

Ding Gen was taken aback: "Haha, Lao Ding, you're quite resourceful. You managed to persuade them with just your words in such a short time? Not bad, not bad at all. I don't have your ability. I admire you."

I was furious and immediately yelled, "What are you thinking? Are we on a sightseeing tour? We can't fight an unprepared battle. The people are the foundation of victory. I'm afraid something might happen if we don't stop her. Stop arguing with me. You'd better watch out so you don't end up on the wrong side."

Ding Gen lowered his voice and said, "What are you afraid of? With the two of us on the job, we can come and go underwater as we please. If you can also play the hero and rescue a few beauties, your lifelong happiness will be settled. Listen to me, bring the girl along and show her your skills. I guarantee you'll win her over easily. This girl is pretty good. I think she's also a little interested in you."

I was so angry I wanted to punch him, but I couldn't do anything about it.

If you're not a professional, you can't just rely on assumptions and brute force to fill a gas cylinder. I use a 12V battery for power and a 5-6 inch PVC pipe for gas storage. I add a pressure gauge and a water filter to the cylinder to stabilize the pressure, which can be used to make a small pump with a maximum pressure of about 30 P. I seal the hose with a cap and special glue. I carefully check the plastic; it hasn't aged and the pipe wall is quite thick. I think it can probably withstand 70 P without any problems.

After they left, it took me more than half an hour to fill the three gas cylinders by myself, so I could hurry up and have dinner.

I might as well bring it along. I really have a lot on my mind about Ding Gen's words, and I'm itching to try it myself.

Chapter 45 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 45 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-04-17 21:23:00

Before going into the water, I hesitated repeatedly. Just to be on the safe side, I packed my pistol, ammunition, and some food in a sealed waterproof bag. I felt that this trip would not only help me figure out my eyelid problem and whether I would die a horrible death like that fish-gill man, but I might also discover a lot of Soviet secrets. I wouldn't feel at ease without weapons. Whether I would be able to use them or not was another matter; it was better to be prepared.

After getting into the water, the three of us floated along the original path. When we were almost there, I told the other two to wait on the surface while I went down to take a look. I knew that my physical condition had changed and I was consuming significantly less oxygen underwater than Ding Gen, so I wasn't worried about wasting it. Plus, I really wanted to figure out what that impenetrable wall above Ding Gen and me was.

I didn't go very deep before I figured it out. The empty house that Ding Gen and I had first entered was indeed built on a cliff. Right at the entrance of the house, there was a wide iron suspension bridge connecting to the opposite cliff. The bottom of the suspension bridge was covered with a lot of sturdy plastic slabs. After Ding Gen and I crawled out of a hole in the corner of the empty house, we surfaced right at the bottom of the suspension bridge. We couldn't see east or west underwater, so we swam towards the other side of the bridge. When we finally surfaced, we had already bypassed the suspension bridge, but the distance wasn't very far.

I kept a close eye on things, estimating the angles of the anti-aircraft guns standing on the cliff face, and the signal light I left behind that was flashing blue. I felt there was a connection between them, as if those anti-aircraft guns were on high alert, fiercely defending the side of the signal light, and the unknown dangers that might appear in the cave and on the cliff.

Full of suspicion, we surfaced and told them what we had discovered. They were equally baffled. They both felt that the newly discovered cave, the one that made a buzzing sound, and the one where someone had left an unfinished oxygen tank, either held a shocking secret or contained terrible danger. It was hard to say whether going in like this would be a blessing or a curse.

It was nearly noon, and there was little change on the water. Apart from the slight swirling of the lake water, there was nothing unusual. After discussing it for a few minutes, we finally decided to grit our teeth and dive down. If we didn't go into the tiger's den, we wouldn't be able to catch the tiger cub. If we didn't get to the bottom of it, we would be sorry to Lao Deng, and we wouldn't be able to get rid of the knot in my heart!

We headed straight for the cliffside cave I had marked with a blue light. We were all feeling quite depressed along the way, and the thought of facing the unknown darkness made us very uneasy.

The entrance to the cave, just as it had when we left, stood with its gaping, dark mouth, coldly watching us.

Without lingering at the cave entrance, I led the way, with Ding Gen bringing up the rear, and the three of us slipped into the flowing water within the cave.

Date: 2008-04-18 0:14:00

A feeling of coldness, darkness, and helplessness immediately enveloped me. Relying on my extraordinary eyesight, I mustered my spirit of self-sacrifice and led the way alone. I remembered what the old man had said: "The road that Shi Dakai couldn't pass through, we can definitely pass through." So this cave is the place to test the gold.

We carefully observed every possible danger, but the journey was uneventful, without any unexpected incidents or suspicious items. We passed through smoothly and got closer and closer to the buzzing sound.

This stone cave is less like a cave and more like a crack. It is very narrow and very high at the top. I only tried to float up and found that the beam of light could not reach the top at all. The passage left for us to move forward was sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, and it was winding and twisting.

Twenty minutes later, things took a turn for the better. I came across a cold, hard wall blocking the way. I felt around and realized that after all that swimming, it was a solid hole. Otherwise, why would it be a dead end?

My initial enthusiasm vanished instantly, and I stepped aside to let them come closer and explore.

Zhang Liheng explored the artifact much more thoroughly than the two of us, examining it almost inch by inch from top to bottom and left to right. Her earnestness was like that of an archaeologist carefully brushing away the dirt from the surface of an ancient artifact. Women are indeed more meticulous than men when it comes to this kind of work.

The cave we swam into was not man-made, but naturally formed. Traces of the cave walls before it was submerged can still be seen. However, the tall wall in the middle of the path is not naturally formed, because its surface is very flat. It feels like a thick steel plate to the touch. It must have been placed here by man to block our way. To get through, we would have to climb over it.

Just as I was about to look up, I felt a rapid stream of water falling from the direction we had come from behind, much like a large rock sliding down from above. I turned my head and froze.

In the murky water, illuminated by the beam of our headlamps, a dark shadow floated silently not far from us!

I immediately recalled the morning when Ding Gen and I were locked in an empty room, and a wave of panic washed over me. I wanted to slap myself for being so unrepentant and forgetful. If someone had been following us and sealed the entrance after we entered the cave, the three of us would have been trapped with no way out and would have been doomed!

I suppressed the goosebumps that stood on end on my body, gripped the sharp knife in my hand, and faced the dark figure.

The shadowy figure's posture was very strange; it neither moved nor fled when it saw me approaching.

Chapter 46 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 46 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-04-19 01:42:00

Ding Gen had already noticed the anomaly and followed me up with his harpoon. The cave was narrow, and the two of us couldn't walk side by side. Seeing that the dark figure was motionless, I switched places with Ding Gen and signaled him to shoot a shot to see what would happen. I was a little scared because, from this angle, it was hard to say whether the dark figure was human or not.

The humanoid shadowy figure had a rather strange posture. To give an example, it was like a very burly person who was hunched over and struggling to lift his head. His hands and elbows were tucked into his chest, with only his ten fingers pointing outwards. His legs were bent at the knees and folded backwards. From my angle, it was a completely naked profile.

Ding Gen didn't care about anything else. After aiming, he fired a speargun, and the dark figure was immediately knocked back, unable to gain any support in the water.

But this backward movement allowed Ding Gen and me to see clearly that it was definitely a dead person's corpse.

The clothes that were exposed on the chest and waist were ones that Ding Geng and I had seen not long ago. They were the uniforms of the soldiers from the Republic of China era in the empty room, with leg wraps on their raised calves. But strangely, they wore Peking Opera masks on their faces, like the pale, treacherous masks of traitors. They disappeared in a flash!

The corpse's back was riddled with small holes, and as it was being shot with a harpoon and thrown backward, small crustaceans like crabs would occasionally fly out of these holes and scatter in all directions.

Where did this thing come from? Ding Gen and I looked up at the depths of the crack above almost simultaneously. Could it have fallen from above?

I immediately swam upwards, and under the beam of my headlamp, I looked around and immediately realized that things had gone wrong; things had exceeded my expectations!

In the darkness, at the top of the crevice, the stone walls on both sides were not very steep, but rather undulating. Several people were lying quietly on the curve, and it was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead. My intuition told me that these things were very hostile, because they retreated as soon as I floated up, and they immediately closed in as if they were about to pounce on me and bite me.

These people did not cling tightly to the stone wall, nor did their bodies fall down. Some even raised their arms empty. Their movements were quite strange; they did not move straight forward or backward, but rather moved sideways, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right.

What the hell is this thing? It gave me goosebumps; it's neither human nor ghost.

I took a few steps back, and the person closest to me immediately and silently slid over from the rock wall. The posture was indescribably strange. His body floated up slightly and slid over without sticking to the rock wall. His hands and feet did not move at all. He came straight at me, almost making intimate face-to-face contact with me. My headlamp shone directly on the person's head.

Holy crap! I was so scared my stomach went cold, I almost embarrassed myself on the spot. Is this even human?

He was emaciated, without a single hair, and all his clothes were gone. His body was completely naked, as black as old excrement. The most terrifying thing was his head, which was not completely rotten. At least the skin had not decayed. It was stuck around the eye, nose, and mouth holes like dry old tree bark. His white teeth were bared in his mouth. He stared at me expressionlessly under the beam of his headlamp!

Zombies? My hand holding the knife trembled slightly; I didn't know how to deal with such a thing.

Ding Gen was right next to me. Seeing that I was in trouble, he immediately shoved me aside with his shoulder.

*Thud—thud—thud—* The harpoons in his hands shot out, heading straight for the head and neck of the black dung beetle.