Green Mountain Wild Man Valley

Kapitel 22

Zhang Liheng put a finger to her lips to signal me to be quiet, which made me swallow back the words I was eager to say.

Listen carefully to the sounds outside. Could someone have squeezed in through that side-opening door?

In the silence, I glanced at Ding Gen; he was still fast asleep, his breathing soft and even. Zhang Liheng and I held our breath and quietly made our way to the rusty iron door. We crouched behind the crack, intently watching for any movement outside. The door slid open to the left and right. After hearing the noise, Zhang Liheng had already closed the door, leaving only a very thin crack, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

When people walk stealthily, unless they are barefoot, every step they take makes a very small sound when it touches the ground, a creaking sound. And since it was so quiet around us, we could easily hear the stealthy movement. But it was definitely not just one person; there was at least a large group of them, all groping around quietly, with flashlights shining through the crack in the door.

There was no one speaking and no one in sight, so we had no idea who they were. We could only hear their voices gradually approaching us. I gripped the gun handle tightly, my palms sweating. I never imagined there was such a large group of people following us. Luckily, Zhang Liheng was alert and noticed the movement early on while on duty. Otherwise, if the people coming were enemies, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Besides the sound of these people tiptoeing, there was another sound mixed in. Now that they were closer, I could tell that they were escorting or dragging someone along. Who could this person be?

Could it be that Sergei was captured by Zheng Jian's men?

I dare not make wild guesses. There aren't many people, but the relationships are too complicated. Before we can determine which side is on our side, let's hide and see what happens next!

Finally, someone spoke, their voice low and intermittently uttering a few words in foreign language. Then, I heard the clicking of gun bolts, as if these people had let their guard down and put the safety on their weapons. Zhang Liheng whispered in my ear, "This person is speaking Russian. It means everything is safe. He's telling everyone to put away their weapons so as not to hurt their own people."

Then someone else spoke, much louder, still in Russian, which I couldn't understand. It was a long string of gibberish, and only he was speaking; everyone else listened in silence. Zhang Liheng listened with a frown for a long time, and after it quieted down, she translated for me: "They seem to be checking their watches. They've been walking for over ten hours, coming down from the city wall, and quite a few people have died. Looks like they need to eat and rest. Let's not go out yet; they might be Sergei's gang."

I squeezed Zhang Liheng's hand to show my agreement, and the girl pinched me in return, warning me not to touch her again.

My heart skipped a beat, and I was about to joke with the little girl when I heard someone speaking outside again. This time it was clear and distinct Chinese, and it only had two words: "Turn on the lights!"

Chapter Forty-Three: Eavesdropping

Turn on the lights!

I heard it clearly and was immediately stunned. What was going on? Why would someone ask me to turn on the lights? Surely there weren't any electrical wires laid out here? Zhang Liheng was also a little nervous. She reached out and grabbed my hand, her palms slightly sweaty.

I comforted him by holding his hand back, forcing a smile, though I knew in my heart that the current quiet was just the calm before the storm, and something bad was about to happen.

After a series of hurried footsteps moved away, a rumbling sound came from all directions, making my teeth ache. It was not any other sound, but the sound of several generator sets starting up. Moreover, the small house where the three of us were located was like a small boat in a vast ocean, rocking violently.

Ding Gen was finally woken up. This guy was quite obedient. Seeing that things were not right, he didn't make a fuss or cry out. He came over to join the two of us, leaning against the wall to steady himself. Judging from his appearance, after sleeping, his injuries had recovered a lot, and he looked as if the wound was no longer a problem.

Faced with the sudden commotion, the three of us were indeed quite surprised, looking at each other in astonishment, speechless.

The light outside flickered, a white beam of light shining down from the roof, flashing on and off for a while before settling down. It was about the size of a surgical lamp, only much brighter, illuminating everything outside, from the furnishings to the clutter. The sudden white light made me immediately close my eyes, instinctively wanting to shut the door a crack. Zhang Liheng quickly stopped me, indicating that our door was hidden in the shadows and not easily spotted from the light. I then covered my eyes, which were threatening to tear up, and rubbed them vigorously, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Since my eyelids had changed, this was the first time I'd been so blinded by a bright light. Was I going to go blind?

I squinted nervously at my surroundings. Thankfully, after rubbing my eyes for a while, it wasn't so bad. My eyes felt much better after adjusting to the light. Peeking through the crack in the door, I could only see three people from my angle. One was a man with his back to me, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, thick black hair, and black leather shoes. He stood straight with his arms crossed, head down, seemingly lost in thought. Facing me was a young man in a new-style police uniform with two yellow rings on his sleeves, though he wasn't wearing armbands. Standing on the outermost edge was a man in camouflage combat gear, fully armed with a helmet, headlamp, dagger, and leather boots. He hadn't even taken off his heavy backpack and was holding a gun, the muzzle pointing diagonally downwards.

I don't see any foreigners. Where are the people who were speaking Russian earlier?

I looked around frantically, and Zhang Liheng tugged at me, telling me to look from her spot. I leaned over and saw a person curled up on the ground, his hands cuffed behind his back, lying there expressionless and lost in thought. I recognized him; it was Sergei!

More and more things surprised me. Then I heard the man in the Zhongshan suit with his back to me slowly say, "Colonel Xie, are you sure Lin Teng is dead?"

Chapter 61 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 61 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-07-07 11:20:00

More and more things surprised me. Then I heard the man in the Zhongshan suit with his back to me slowly say, "Colonel Xie, are you sure Lin Teng is dead?"

Lin Teng, also known as the fish-gill man, was Sergei's former colleague. Lao Gu and I found his suicide note in the human skin cave, so he should be dead. Why would this person ask about him?

Sergei didn't even glance at the person who spoke, and continued, "Dead, definitely dead. I saw him in the garbage disposal area yesterday when I came in. His body was covered in festering sludge, and he was close to death. But I couldn't catch him; he got away."

A casual remark about his body being covered in sores sent shivers down my spine. Was Lin Teng's present a reflection of my future? My hand, gripping Zhang Liheng's, trembled slightly. So that cave with the human skin was the experimental site's garbage disposal area. No wonder so much junk was discarded there. How could I be so unlucky as to be trapped by discarded bacterial weapons? When I found the suicide note, I thought Lin Teng was dead there. Now I know the humanoid marks were just slime from his body. Needless to say, Sergei must have discovered it when he was writing the suicide note.

The police officer facing me asked, "When we came here last time, didn't we already find a vaccine that could cure him? Why didn't you tell Lin Teng immediately when you saw him?"

Sergei said coldly, "Nobody knows whether the vaccine is real or fake. The orders we received haven't changed: arrest Lin Teng, and shoot him if necessary. Are you suggesting I deliberately disobey military orders? Besides, Lin Teng has been wandering around here the whole time. How do you know he didn't find the vaccine himself?"

Hearing this, Zhang Liheng squeezed my hand, finally realizing there was a vaccine available here—what fantastic news! I squeezed Zhang Liheng's hand too, my mood improving, feeling both amused and exasperated by the ups and downs of life.

The police officer said, "That's right, that's what the military order says, but don't forget Lin Teng is our partner who has worked together for so many years. He's not just a comrade-in-arms, he's a brother! You'd be so heartless just because he got the virus? Save your breath. Don't think I don't know what you're up to! If I weren't waiting for General Chen, I wouldn't have let you act so recklessly!"

Sergei said nonchalantly, "Say what you will, I'm not as complicated as you think."

The man in the Zhongshan suit said, "Colonel Xie, we saw the marks you left along the way, so things went smoothly until we reached the city gate. There were activated bacterial weapons everywhere, causing us a lot of trouble and resulting in the loss of many of our men. I don't understand why this trouble happened. Did you really want to stop us?"

Sergei shook his head and said, "I didn't do it. When I came over, those storage cabinets containing chemical weapons fell down from above by themselves. I knew you came down from up there. Didn't you notice the enemy? Besides, what good would it do me to harm you? Do you think I could hide it from you, General Chen? I really don't know why you arrested me."

The police officer shouted, "We're arresting you for no other reason than that so many of us are on duty and we saw with our own eyes Lin Teng tell you some secret, and then you shot him to cover it up. Don't tell me you were just following orders."

Sergei shook his head: "Lin Teng jumped into the abyss to escape, not because I shot him. My shot was meant to warn him not to make any rash moves. I never expected him to react so violently. Brother Liu, you're underestimating me, Old Xie. Knowing you were following behind, how could I be so stupid? Do you think I could keep the secrets of the abyss to myself?"

The police officer was about to start yelling at him again when he turned his back to me, wearing a Zhongshan suit, and said, "Stop arguing. Didn't you see that no outsiders have ever been here before?"

Then we saw the diving boot that Dingen had thrown away, along with the diving suit he had taken off, being thrown over. It turned out they didn't know that the three of us had come in with Sergei. Strange?

I can't understand why they're so tense. Besides the Soviets' biological weapons, what other secrets lie beneath the abyss?

Sergei looked somewhat surprised and hesitated for the moment before revealing the details about the three of us.

Date: 2008-7-8 16:34:00

The man in the Zhongshan suit took two steps with his hands behind his back and said, "Colonel Xie, I have no doubt about your loyalty to the country. Judging from the current situation, whatever your purpose, you are still hiding something from us. I don't want you to have any more tricks up your sleeve. Tell me honestly, what exactly is going on?"

Sergei kept his head down and didn't speak, and for a moment we were at an impasse. I was a little confused as to why he wouldn't say anything, and also why the three of us had come in with him. It seemed that the man in the Zhongshan suit was the leader, the General Chen that the police had mentioned.

Although General Chen was anxious, he remained calm as he walked and said, "Colonel Xie, you and Liu Chun did a great job. The capture of Lin Teng led to the discovery of this Soviet stronghold. I am here on orders, and to be honest, I am also carrying out orders. Moreover, we must work closely with our Soviet comrades to eliminate this time bomb. I know that you, Liu Chun, and Lin Teng are all unsung heroes who have worked in the Soviet Union for a long time. However, the current Sino-Soviet relations are very delicate, and the situation in the Soviet Union is very unstable. I hope you will not choose the wrong side in this matter and become a sinner for all time!"

Sergei finally raised his head, looked at General Chen, and said, "I have nothing to hide. When I came in, I met three people in the passage and thought they were you. But when I rescued them, I found out they were divers from Zheng Jian's ship. It was too late to regret it. Besides, they were our own people, so I told them some things. But I didn't tell them anything about the secrets of the troops and the abyss. After I came here, things went wrong. Not only was the bacterial weapon secretly activated, but someone also tried to assassinate the diver when I entered. I thought Lin Teng was behind it, so after I entered this command post, I immediately went to chase after Lin Teng. I have no idea what happened to the three of them after that."

General Chen stopped and said, "Divers? From Zheng Jian's ship? What are they doing here? This place is fraught with deadly danger, and they know nothing about it. Aren't you just endangering them?"

Sergei explained, "The secret beneath that abyss was something the Soviets failed to uncover back then. I think it might be useful for getting things done underwater, so I brought them along along the way."

General Chen called over the soldier with his gun, said something, and then the soldier and several men scattered to search for us. I figured they were looking for us. Where were the Russian speakers? Didn't General Chen say that Soviet personnel were also involved?

What does "time bomb" mean? I broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that the chemical weapons left behind back then all had control switches, allowing spies to be sent in and detonate them at any time? Judging from all the signs, I'm sure the quantity of chemical and biological weapons stored here must be staggering. If that's the case, it's a huge problem. General Chen said he received a military order. I'm afraid these people are friends, not enemies. It would be better to go out and meet up with them.

After saying this, Sergei fell silent, curling up on the ground with his head down, seemingly lost in thought. A temporary quiet fell over the outside. I gestured to Zhang Liheng and Ding Gen: should we go out and meet them, or stay put and lie low?

The two hesitated for a moment, then asked me for my opinion. I thought about it for a while, then shook my head with a wry smile, indicating that I didn't want to go out so soon and there were still many questions I hadn't figured out. So the three of them agreed to wait and see.

Chapter Forty-Four: The Express Train

In such a narrow space, with so many of them, we have no chance of resisting. At worst, we can just cooperate obediently after we are discovered. Besides, although these people are not Zheng Jian's comrades-in-arms, we haven't noticed anything wrong with them, and they don't seem like vicious enemy agents.

Judging from the people who found it, the guards outside were either special agents or soldiers, and they all seemed to be elite. I reached out to try, but the door was badly rusted, so I didn't dare to close it. If I made any noise, it would expose our position. The three of us didn't dare to breathe, and quietly crouched in the shadows behind the door, listening intently to any sounds outside.

The quiet lasted only a short while before we heard a loud Russian voice start speaking, quickly and urgently, with Sergei's voice mixed in, as if they were arguing or explaining something. In such a tense environment, and with the speech so fast, Zhang Liheng, whose level of English was not high enough, dared not translate immediately. She listened carefully by herself, gesturing to the two of us not to rush and to tell us later.

Ding Gen and I could only stare at each other, patiently waiting, eagerly watching Zhang Liheng's expression, hoping to glean some clues.

The Russian speakers weren't talking much either. It wasn't long before things returned to calm outside. Then I heard someone dragging something on the ground. I wondered to myself, maybe it was the body of the Soviet officer that Dingen had used to shield himself from bullets that had alerted the Russian speakers.

After the Russian speaker finished speaking, General Chen ordered Sergei to be taken away. When Sergei got up, I carefully looked at his body but found no traces of blood or bullet holes. It seems that the person I shot in the gunfight when I entered the room was not him, and Dingen had indeed misjudged the situation. The person who pushed him was not Sergei. So who could it be? Could it be someone else?

It's unlikely that it was Sergei or Lin Teng, because it would take Sergei time to catch up with Lin Teng. According to Liu Chun, he was caught during the confrontation on the top of the city wall. What information did Sergei get from Lin Teng? Whether it was murder to cover it up or accidental killing, Lin Teng has already fallen into the abyss. Judging from the motive and the timing, neither of them would be stupid enough to stay behind and deal with us outsiders after entering the door, right?

After everyone rested for a while, General Chen gave a brief order. The order was very concise: the soldiers were to follow the instructions of the Soviet experts and destroy all the bacterial and chemical weapons on the spot without leaving a trace. I was overjoyed to hear this and wanted to clap my hands in agreement. Now I no longer had to worry about encountering any weird little bugs. Our nightmare was finally about to end.

After the cleaning order was given, only General Chen and Liu Chun remained outside.

Liu Chun cautiously said, "Should we go and keep an eye on them? I always feel that the Soviets aren't that reliable."

General Chen waved his hand: "Don't worry, let's keep our distance. These germs are not so easy to mess with. The Soviets, humph, I know there aren't many good ones, but you have to understand, the Soviet Union, that old bear, should have collapsed long ago after holding on for so many years. Those who cooperate with us can no longer be considered Soviets. To be precise, they should be considered people from some kind of Stan. They are still hoping that we will help them fight for independence. I doubt they would dare to do anything underhanded."

Liu Chun smiled and said, "That's right, that's right. Without our help, it would be difficult for this Stan guy to succeed. But General Chen, what I'm worried about is the Spiral Corpse Algae in the outer city gate passage. The Soviets say that they have all been activated, and there are so many that it will be difficult for us to deal with them. I also heard from the Soviets that once you get infected with this stuff, you will either die or suffer severe burns. Even if you have it surgically removed immediately, you cannot cure the aftereffects and will die soon. How can we eliminate so many of these things?"

General Chen pondered for a moment and said, "That is indeed a problem. You can ask the Soviets again later to see if they have any solutions. Right now, I'm thinking about something else. According to Sergei, when he brought the divers in, he sensed someone on the city wall. Is that true? If it is, then the activation of the bacteria was not an accident, but a premeditated act. Liu Chun, who do you think did it? Could it be Zheng Jian?"

Silence reigned outside. I stared at Ding Gen's face and remained silent. If what he said was true, and this damned Spiral Corpse Algae had aftereffects, Ding Gen would be in big trouble. Ding Gen's face was also quite pale. He involuntarily reached out and gently touched his throat, looking dejected.

Chapter 62 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 62 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-07-18 21:59:00

Silence reigned outside. I stared at Ding Gen's face and remained silent. If what he said was true, and this damned Spiral Corpse Algae had aftereffects, Ding Gen would be in big trouble. Ding Gen's face was also quite pale. He involuntarily reached out and gently touched his throat, looking dejected.

I gritted my teeth and gestured for us to leave. It seemed that we had to cooperate with them to cure Ding Gen. We had never even heard of this Spiral Corpse Algae before, so there was no way we could cure him. I really didn't want to lose another good brother's life while my own mess remained unresolved.

Just as I stood up to leave, Liu Chun said softly, "General Chen, could it be that Sergei and a few divers conspired to do this on purpose? After all, Sergei's account is only one side of the story. We can only find out who did it if we catch those divers."

On the surface, this statement seemed harmless, but upon closer examination, its implications were chilling. I could only remain silently crouched down, and under the questioning gazes of Ding Gen and Zhang Liheng, I forced a bitter smile, signaling them to continue listening attentively and not to do anything foolish in a moment of impulsiveness.

General Chen said, "I don't think that's very likely. Not many people know about what happened here. Sergei wouldn't know more than us. If we investigate one by one, I'm more inclined to believe that it was Zheng Jian, that hothead, who did this!"

Liu Chun hesitated and said, "There's one more person we can't ignore: General Chen."

General Chen smiled and said, "Are you talking about Gu Jinping? Last time you and Sergei came here, you suffered a loss at his hands. I know this man. His abilities are not simple, but I believe he can't cause any big waves by himself. He may not be able to gain the upper hand against me."

Liu Chun said, "Although he is alone, he always has some inexplicable moves. Even I feel a bit powerless against him."

General Chen laughed: "It's alright, those are just petty tricks of his. They won't work in this abyss. If he were really that capable, he wouldn't have been stuck in this reservoir for so many years."

General Chen paused for a moment and then said, "Liu Chun, you are a clever man. You should know that the biological and chemical weapons left behind by the Soviets are not difficult to deal with, after all, they were created by science. What we need to do next is much more difficult."

Liu Chun probably rarely saw his leader so worried. He paused for a moment and then asked cautiously, "General, are you referring to this abyss? I'm not worried about that. Just because the Soviets couldn't do it back then doesn't mean we can't."

General Chen nodded and said, “I’m not worried about the Soviets. Although they are ambitious and technologically advanced, they don’t understand much about our Eastern culture. The nickname ‘Polar Bear’ is well-deserved for them. What I’m worried about are the Japanese devils. You know, this city gate was built by Sun Chuanfang under the guidance of the Japanese. The Soviets have no idea what tricks the Japanese played! We have to be careful, after all, these Japanese know too much about China.”

Liu Chun nodded and remained silent.

This conversation surprised me greatly. General Chen thought the Soviets' problems were insignificant, yet they were so afraid of the abyss. Did they really want to go down into the abyss to find out what was going on?

After thinking it over, I decided to go out and meet up with them. Of the three of us, one was injured or the other was weak. These people didn't seem like bad guys. As long as we went out and clarified the situation, it would be safer than staying here alone. Even if we had to go into the water, we would still have a good chance of finding a way to heal ourselves. At worst, we wouldn't lose our lives because of Zheng Jian's side!

After a brief conversation with them, they basically agreed with my suggestion. Since there was no other way out, it was best to go out and meet openly and reunite in victory.

Before opening the door, I was on the safe side and told them to hide in the back for a while to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. I went out to check and made sure everything was alright before calling them out.

With everything ready, I went up alone and reached out to pull on the rusty door.

Unfortunately, plans in this world can never keep up with changes.

Before my hand even touched the iron gate, a sudden, loud tremor, like an earthquake, threw me into the air and slammed me against the gate. The already narrow gap in the gate was immediately shut shut, almost trapping my fingers.

But the shaking showed no sign of stopping. The floor and walls of the entire room were shaking incessantly. The sounds of metal scraping, chains dragging, and bricks and tiles colliding seemed to be coming from everywhere. Finally, the floorboards under my feet lifted up at an angle, causing my fingers, which were gripping the iron door, to give way and I tumbled down.

After a series of loud, chaotic crashes, the entire room began to slide rapidly downwards. I lay dizzy and disoriented on the floor, clutching my head tightly. I felt my heart sinking lower and lower, and my knees and arms were covered in bruises from the fall, causing excruciating pain.

As I plummeted downwards, the direction kept changing, with occasional brief pauses. It was because of these frequent pauses, rather than the speed increasing, that I gradually regained my senses. This room was descending a slope and was likely about to plunge into an abyss!

I was immediately filled with regret and wanted to bang my head against the wall. If I had gotten out earlier, I wouldn't have encountered this disaster. I couldn't help but shout Ding Gen and Zhang Liheng's names in a hoarse voice. I wondered where they had hidden. Fortunately, the room wasn't very big. After I shouted a few times, Ding Gen and Zhang Liheng grabbed me from the left and right, and the three of us squeezed together tightly.

We slid down the slope intermittently for about ten minutes. We felt our speed gradually slowing down and we kept bumping into rock-like objects, making the ride increasingly bumpy. I couldn't help but feel uneasy and uncertain. Had we really fallen into an abyss?