Blutiger Handabdruck - Kapitel 26
The temple doors were open. Guo Chunmen had said that temples never closed their doors, symbolizing that Amansi never rejected his people. A pair of eyes were carved on the temple doors—the eyes of God. The temple's design was ingenious; moonlight streamed in from all angles, bathing the interior in a silvery glow. High in the center of the temple was a statue of Amansi, dignified and composed, with lowered brows and eyes, wearing a five-tiered crown.
Exquisite sacrificial implements, gleaming with gold, were displayed on the temple walls. This was the purpose of Yu Congrong and Guo Chunfeng's trip. Suppressing his joy, he carefully stuffed these items one by one into his satchel. Whether it was due to excessive excitement or nervousness, he inadvertently dropped a golden candlestick to the ground, making a crisp clinking sound.
A moment later, a scream came from the inner room.
"Guards! There's a thief!"
Yu Congrong didn't understand, but he guessed that was the gist of it. His heart sank as he looked at Guo Chunfeng, whose face was ashen. The latter gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and actually ran into the inner room.
Yu Congrong quickly grabbed him and whispered that they should run.
Guo Chunfeng shook his head, saying that if they ran from here to the tunnel entrance, the others would have already arrived and blocked them. Moreover, they could release pythons into the secluded pool to block it, and even if the pool couldn't stop them, they wouldn't be able to escape the dense forest. Unless they found a protective talisman... A fierce glint flashed across his face as he pulled Yu Congrong and rushed into the inner room.
Inside the inner room, two terrified witches stared at them, pale-faced, one of them holding an infant. Guo Chunfeng rushed forward, snatched the baby from him, and tossed it to Yu Congrong. The sleeping infant awoke, not crying, but simply turning its eyes to look at him. Those eyes were so dark, they seemed capable of sucking one's heart into it…
Section 49: Chapter Nine, Part Two of the Calamity (1)
Chapter Nine: The Second Calamity
The sentence in Buddhist scriptures that touched me most deeply is: "All things are impermanent; this is what the Tathagata spoke of at the end." In short, everything in the world is impermanent…
(Excerpt from "Police Detective's Diary")
Yu Congrong's words undoubtedly admitted that Fang Li was someone he had brought out from "that place," which made Xu Haicheng both happy and worried. He was happy that Fang Li was likely alive and had returned to "that place," but worried that he might not be able to reach that place.
I clearly remember that the end of the cave was a bottomless pool, but where exactly is that place?
His mind was caught between joy and worry until he returned to his office and his subordinates, who had been busy all day, came to report to him. Only then did he calm down and put all his joy and worry behind him.
Officer Hong said that the sales point for the Shenzhouxing card was the largest in Nanpu City, with people coming and going every day, and no one remembered whether the person who bought the card was male or female, or what they looked like.
Officer Tong said that he checked nine Nuo dance troupes but found no wooden boxes, no old or young folks, and no people of unknown origin.
...
Pan Xiaolu said that, following his instructions, the other three staff members from the archaeological institute who participated in the ancient altar archaeological team were brought back to the municipal bureau and placed in the same interrogation room, where they have been left out in the sun for three hours. At first, they didn't talk to each other, only occasionally exchanging glances. Now they are muttering to themselves and are fidgeting.
Xu Haicheng estimated that it was about time, so he had Pan Xiaolu accompany him into the interrogation room where the three archaeologists were being held. The three were whispering to each other with their heads down, and they all looked up when they heard the door open.
Xu Haicheng deliberately stood at the door and gave a stern look. The three of them showed more or less unease and exchanged glances.
Then, Xu Haicheng and Pan Xiaolu sat down unhurriedly, deliberately moving their chairs heavily and slamming their notebooks down on the table with a loud thud. The interrogation room was silent; the sound of those few words was particularly jarring. This was exactly the effect he wanted. A long wait would make people restless and prone to suspicion. These sounds would only add to their turmoil.
Xu Haicheng said in a calm voice, "This afternoon, the three of you spoke hesitantly, clearly not telling the truth. Tell me, how did Song Duo die?"
The three men looked at each other again, and the one in the middle said timidly, "He fell into the valley...it's true."
Xu Haicheng looked at the man on his left and said, "Judging from his tone, do you believe it?"
The person on the left stared blankly, unsure how to respond.
Then ask the person on the right, "Do you believe it?"
The man quickly lowered his head.
"The people from the Jingyun City Archaeological Institute have already confessed that Song Duo did not die from falling into the valley, but was murdered by your collective efforts." Xu Haicheng deliberately raised his voice.
All three men looked shocked. The man on the right blurted out, "No." As soon as he said it, the other two looked at him with different expressions. The man seemed to realize his mistake and lowered his head in frustration.
Xu Haicheng was naturally delighted, but his face remained expressionless. He gave Pan Xiaolu a subtle wink, and she understood immediately, leading the person on the right to the interrogation room next door.
Xu Haicheng remained silent, coldly observing the remaining two men. Their expressions shifted several times before the man in the middle finally softened, sighing and saying, "We really didn't murder him."
"Tell me, so I can know whether you murdered him."
A person's mouth is like a riverbank; once it's opened, it can't be stopped from flowing endlessly.
The story begins in early August, three months prior. The archaeological institute was overjoyed to hear of the existence of the Tongtianling ancient altar, particularly drawn by the human head cave on the second underground level. The Manxi culture was a shamanistic culture, with sacrifice as a primary element. People believed that the best way to communicate with the gods was through sacrifice. Humans were considered servants of the gods, so offering the most precious human head was the highest honor. However, due to the Zhou dynasty's emphasis on ritual in the Central Plains, barbaric human sacrifices and blood sacrifices were gradually banned, resulting in very few archaeological discoveries in this area.
As per regulations, the archaeological research institutes of Nanpu City and Jingyun City formed a joint team. Based on Xu Haicheng's report, they made ample material preparations, including gas masks. Considering the high mountains and long distances, they selected only strong and healthy men as team members. After arriving at Songlang Village, they hired a guide to take them to Tongtianzhai, where they handed the Jingyun City documents to the village chief, stating that they were there to excavate the ancient altar. The village chief only saw a five-pointed star in a red seal on the document and readily agreed, although he had no idea what the significance was of the altar he had seen since childhood.
Section 50: Chapter Nine, Part Two of the Cataclysm (2)
The next day, the village chief led the archaeological team up Tongtian Ridge, found a sheltered spot to set up camp, and then everyone climbed Tongtian Ridge lightly, feeling very excited.
Looking out, the horizon stretches far and wide, with rolling mountains. Ankle-high grass ripples in gentle waves, and an ancient, dilapidated altar stands silently atop the mountain, exuding an aura of timelessness.
The first level of the altar was very simple, just like any other altar. They decided to start from the second basement level, and so they entered. They found that the handcuffs on the stone cabinet Xu Haicheng had mentioned were gone, replaced by a large brass padlock. They didn't think much of it, unlocking the cabinet and crawling inside one by one, wearing gas masks, of course. Once inside the cave, as soon as they opened the ceiling, they were stunned by what they saw.
Although everyone knew beforehand that the caves were full of human heads, they didn't realize there were this many. The mountain wall was covered with countless square holes filled with human heads, all remarkably well-preserved, their eyes glowing eerily. It wasn't that they hadn't seen corpses or human heads before, but even being stared at by so many living people made them uneasy, let alone being stared at by these lifeless eyes. They couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.
Of course, everyone knew the purpose of this trip, so they quickly suppressed their intense unease and began working.
Time passed slowly, and based on past experience, I would gradually get used to the stares of people. But for some reason, the feeling of being pricked by thorns grew stronger and stronger, and the cave was getting colder and colder, and even a thin T-shirt couldn't keep me warm.
During dinner, everyone sat together, staring at each other, and a sense of unfamiliarity arose among them.
Because Tongtianling was too remote and resources were limited, this archaeological expedition was meant to be completed quickly. After lunch, everyone returned to the Head Cave to work, collecting data, dating, and taking photos for archiving—everything proceeded smoothly and methodically. However, the unease in their hearts grew stronger. Sometimes they wondered if they themselves were one of the heads in the Head Cave, and other times they felt that all those heads had come to life.
After a long day's work, everyone returned to camp to sleep, only to be plagued by nightmares. In their dreams, countless heads swirled around them. Despite the nightmares, the next day, everyone mustered their energy and went to work in the "Hollow of Heads" on the second underground level. The following night, the nightmares returned. They dreamt they entered the Hollow of Heads, where a black-robed wizard awaited them, his gaze chilling as he declared that only sacrifices from the gods could appear there.
After two sleepless nights, everyone was a bit groggy on the third day, but they still forced themselves to work in the "human skull cave." By nightfall, although no one was not tired, the thought of finishing soon and leaving this hellish place kept everyone from complaining. They busied themselves in the cave, their heads heavy with fatigue.
Song Duo suddenly stared at the ceiling of the Skull Cave and muttered something, but because he was wearing a gas mask, it was impossible to hear him clearly. Zhu Beichen followed his gaze and suddenly understood what he had just said. The ceiling of the Skull Cave was painted with a picture of nine shamans performing a head sacrifice, with the chief shaman chanting incantations for the sacrifice.
The chief shaman's image was particularly vivid, resembling a wizard entering a dream world; he was momentarily stunned. Seeing the two looking up at the painting, the others couldn't help but look up in curiosity as well. Ten lamps illuminated the ceiling of the cave of heads, making it as bright as day, and the painting appeared exceptionally vivid and lifelike. It was as if the people in the painting had floated down, performing an ancient head sacrifice, the offerings displaying humble smiles…
They didn't know how much time had passed, but the headlamps gradually dimmed, and the vibrant painting lost its color. Only then did everyone come to their senses, feeling something was very strange. Why were there only nine people left? Looking down, they saw a headless corpse lying on the ground. Judging from its clothes, it was Song Duo!