Der Weg der zu Unrecht behandelten Geister, Teil 1Der Weg der zu Unrecht behandelten Geister

Kapitel 4

Asi Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 1, Chapter 14: Judging People (4)

Qin Ge recalled the appearance of the young man in front of her. He was handsome with delicate features, a slightly thin build, and fair skin. These were common characteristics of urban youth. If one had to point out anything that set him apart, it would be that he was particularly shy and didn't seem to care much about what was happening. It seemed that no matter where he was, it was insignificant to him.

"I guess this young man is heartbroken and is traveling to cheer himself up. You can tell from his expression that he was very devoted in love, and the breakup must have hit him hard. But when he sees other pretty girls, he can't help but glance at them a few more times. Just now, while we were talking, he turned around twice, and if I'm not mistaken, he was looking at the same person both times." She pursed her lips to the side.

Qin Ge couldn't help but admire Dong'er's intelligence. Although she wasn't a person who liked to use her brain, she learned things very quickly, and her memory was exceptionally strong. In the past, when Qin Ge was with her, if anyone wanted to leave their phone number, they only had to say it once, and two weeks later when he asked Dong'er, she could recite it immediately without missing a single digit.

"Then tell me, what does that young man in front of you do?" He wanted to make things difficult for Dong'er.

Dong'er thought for a long time and then shook her head: "I can't tell. You should tell me."

Qin Ge shook her head, "I can't tell either."

Dong'er said incredulously, "You can't see it either? There are things you can't see?"

Qin Ge smiled wryly and said, "You really think I'm Sherlock Holmes. To judge a person, you have to have clues. There are really no characteristics on that young man that are related to his profession. No one else would have a chance. Since you can tell that he just broke up with his girlfriend, let's call him the heartbroken young man."

Dong'er thought for a moment and nodded: "This is the only way for now."

She turned around, her gaze sweeping forward, muttering to herself, "Six models, a folk artist, a recent female college graduate, an official, a bearded artist, a pampered young woman, plus a heartbroken young man—we really have all sorts of people on this bus. Who do you think brought this whole group together and what are they planning to do?"

This was exactly the question Qin Ge wanted to know right now. He shook his head: "Don't think about it. We'll find our way home when it's light."

"Are you sure we'll find our way home when it's light?" Dong'er asked doubtfully.

Qin Ge thought for a moment and nodded heavily: "Don't worry, if this car can drive in, we can drive out. Haven't you heard the saying 'All roads lead to Rome'? As long as there's a road, there's no place we can't go. Don't think about it anymore, there are still more than three hours until dawn, you can get some sleep if you can."

Dong'er nodded, seemingly believing Qin Ge's words. But at that moment, Qin Ge suddenly felt a sense of panic. Since someone had gone to great lengths to gather these complete strangers together, it was definitely not just a joke, and things were far from as simple as they imagined—that they could find their way home when it got light.

A strange valley, people walking like zombies—who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Dong'er remained silent in Qin Ge's arms for a long time. When Qin Ge looked down, he saw that her eyes were still open, staring blankly at the darkness outside the window, filled with worry. Qin Ge knew then that she didn't completely believe him. She was just someone who didn't like to think things through, but she wasn't stupid; how could she not understand her situation?

Qin Ge's mood grew even heavier.

A crisp "clang" suddenly rang in everyone's ears. At the same time, the car shook slightly, and everyone opened their eyes abruptly at that moment.

No one spoke, no one moved, not even their breath was held, and every nerve in their body was on high alert. Everyone was focused on sensing, seemingly anticipating, yet also fearing, that the shaking would happen again.

The sound of the rain outside seemed to be mixed with something else; upon closer listening, it could be discerned as the rushing sound of flowing water. Everyone then realized that the sound originated from the water flowing down the road ahead, and the bus's earlier swaying was clearly the result of the impact of the water on the bus. The road in the middle of the valley wasn't level; it had a slope of about twenty degrees and was a gravel road. Now, the water flowing down from above carried a large amount of mud and sand, and it was this sliding mud and sand that caused the bus to sway. Anyone with a little common sense knows that the impact of the water, the sliding mud and sand, combined with the road's slope, could very well cause the bus to slide backward.

Asi's Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 1, Chapter 15: Judging People (5)

The shaking occurred again, this time with a significantly larger amplitude than before.

Still, no one spoke, no one moved. When a potential danger is quietly approaching, and you can't think of a way to deal with it, you'll also exhibit this extreme helplessness.

"Clang, clang..." The crisp sound rang out again.

This time, everyone could tell the sound was coming from the roof. There had been sounds from the roof before—the "patter" of raindrops falling. The sound of the rain hitting the roof was very rhythmic; because the rain was heavy, the sounds were continuous. Now, these "thuds" were clearly from something much heavier than rain hitting the roof.

How could the roof of a car be hit by a heavy object in the valley on a rainy night?

Qin Ge was suddenly startled; he had already figured out the reason. If the car sliding was a potential danger, then these knocking sounds were deadly to those inside. It would seem that the upstream water and silt would require even greater force to sweep the car away, but the sound of the roof hitting the roof brought another danger to everyone's immediate attention.

The impact sound was definitely not man-made; it could only be from rocks falling from the mountains on both sides. Because of the force of the impact, they were thrown up before reaching flat ground and landed on the roof of the bus. A few rocks falling from the mountains might not seem like a big deal, but how could perfectly good rocks just fly down like that?

There's only one explanation: these fallen stones were attached to the surface of the silt. Because the silt was eroded and loosened by rainwater, it slid down, and the stones, due to their weight, fell before the silt. What happens if the slid-down area reaches a certain size?

--collapse!

Qin Ge could no longer contain himself and stood up abruptly. Dong'er, who was next to him, was startled and also stood up, as if she had something to ask, but Qin Ge had already preemptively shouted to the people in the bus, "We should leave this bus!"

The surroundings were completely silent.

Actually, everyone had already thought of this problem when the car was shaking. But if they got out of the car, where could they go in this desolate valley?

An even louder sound came from the roof of the car, and this time half of the people in the car jumped up.

Qin Ge shouted, "Everyone, get out of here quickly! There's going to be a landslide!"

At that moment, almost everyone understood the imminent danger. Some things, once pointed out, even the most obtuse person can immediately grasp, let alone something of utmost importance concerning everyone's lives. The carriage instantly erupted into chaos. The middle-aged man who looked like an official was the first to grab his bag and rush to the door, closely followed by the pampered young woman who clutched her handbag tightly. The heartbroken young man remained seated, seemingly still hesitant. The bearded artist stood up, but the six young models in the back row had already rushed over. He paused, then remained where he was, letting the girls pass.

A middle-aged man who looked like an official opened the car door, and a cold drizzle immediately fell in. He paused for a moment, then jumped out without hesitation. The young woman behind him and the six young models also got out of the car one after another. The heartbroken young man's gaze remained fixed on the college-aged woman. Only after she got out of the car did he stand up and line up behind the folk workers, waiting to get off.

Qin Ge, with his arm around Dong'er's shoulder, got off the bus behind the college-aged woman. In that instant, the torrential rain soaked their clothes. Qin Ge felt Dong'er flinch beside him and instinctively pulled her closer.

The group of fourteen people were now standing in the rain. Qin Ge was about to call out to everyone to go to higher ground when the middle-aged man who looked like an official in front of them had already rushed ahead in the direction where the water was flowing down.

They followed him, and after a short distance, they heard a thunderous roar in the rain, as if the sound of a thousand horses galloping had drowned out the rain itself. Then, a deafening crash followed behind them. Instinctively, they stopped and turned to see the bus's headlights gradually dimming, and the knee-deep water sending shivers down their spines. Even in the darkness of the rainy night, they could see a torrent rushing down the mountainside to one side; the bus had been submerged by the floodwaters that had engulfed the road.

From the time everyone got off the bus to the time it was submerged, only a few minutes passed. But in those few minutes, everyone had already brushed with death.

Before dawn, the rain continued to pour. The fourteen people who had escaped death were now in a worse situation than before. Moreover, no one knew how many more dangers lurked in the valley, nor did they know if they would be so lucky next time.

"What should we do now?" a young model asked loudly, her voice trembling with tears.

"Let's go up the mountain!" Qin Ge shouted.

No one objected to Qin Ge's words. If he hadn't reminded everyone in time, they would all be doomed by now. Moreover, seeing Qin Ge, arm in arm with the woman beside him, already striding confidently through knee-deep water to the front, they no longer had any concerns.

Fourteen people went upstream along the mountain path.

As Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 2, Chapter 16: The Sound of Drums (1)

"How did you come up with the idea of leading everyone upstream after getting off the bus?" Qin Ge asked.

A middle-aged man who looked like an official walked beside him. His white shirt clung tightly to his body, revealing his well-defined muscles. Qin Ge couldn't help but doubt his initial judgment. Officials were generally pampered, lazy, and ignorant of basic life skills; in most people's minds, they were nothing but the people's ill-gotten gains. Even if they took good care of themselves, they wouldn't have such well-developed muscles. The muscles indicated that this middle-aged man had engaged in regular physical exercise. Combined with his thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and handsome appearance, Qin Ge thought he would be perfect for acting in anti-corruption dramas, and ideally, for the role of a legendary incorruptible official.

Qin Ge subconsciously felt a bit of goodwill towards him.

The middle-aged man was expressionless, yet exuded an air of authority even in the darkness: "It's actually quite simple. The danger of the landslide made us abandon the bus. After the landslide, the mud and sand that collapsed will definitely flow downstream with the water. We can only avoid that mud and sand by going upstream."

“There aren’t many people who can remain calm and make the right judgment in such an emergency,” Qin Ge said. “I bet you’re no ordinary person.”

“What am I? If you hadn’t reminded everyone in the car, we would definitely be buried inside by now. If we follow your logic, then you are even more extraordinary.”

Qin Ge smiled wryly, wiped the rain off her face, and reached out her hand to the middle-aged man.

"Let's get acquainted. My name is Qin Ge, and I'm a police officer."

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand and introduced himself: "My name is Huang Tao, and I make a living in a government agency."

Qin Ge shook his head and said, "You don't look like someone who's just trying to make a living."

Huang Tao paused for a moment, remained silent without comment, and quickened his pace to walk in front of Qin Ge.

The slope continued to steepen, and the water flowing down from above had already reached above everyone's knees. The rain poured down even harder, stinging the skin. Everyone's clothes were soaked through when they got off the bus, but this was actually a good thing, as they no longer had to worry about walking in the rain. However, the water flowing down from upstream was becoming increasingly rapid, and if they didn't find a place to stop soon, an accident could happen at any moment.

Wading through water and climbing uphill was a tough task, and everyone stumbled along. Qin Ge supported Dong'er, occasionally glancing down at her expression and whispering words of encouragement in her ear. Dong'er wasn't as spoiled as he had imagined; when Qin Ge encouraged her, she reassured him, saying she was fine.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the fourteen people who had initially walked together began to drift apart. Huang Tao remained in the lead, closely followed by Qin Ge and Dong'er. A short distance between them was a woman who appeared to be a young woman; she staggered, each step seeming as if she were about to fall, yet she walked steadily and surprisingly quickly. She would occasionally glance up at the three people ahead, then quicken her pace, as if trying to catch up. Once, when Qin Ge turned around, their eyes met, and Qin Ge sensed a wariness in her gaze.

What is she wary of?

Walking alongside the young woman was a college student-looking young woman. She kept her head down and hurried along. Whether it was because she was walking too fast or because she was physically weak, she was already panting heavily, but she kept up with the young woman's pace.

Behind the young woman and the female college student was the heartbroken young man; the three of them walked together, forming the second group. The heartbroken young man's gaze remained fixed on the female college student ahead. Several times he reached out to her as she nearly stumbled, but each time he withdrew his hand halfway, as if there was something about her that made him hesitant. The female college student, whether genuinely unaware or feigning modesty, never turned her head even once. The young woman, however, kept glancing at the two of them as they walked.

Separated by a distance, were the six young female models, the bearded artist, and the folklorist. The young models hadn't forgotten to take their luggage when they got off the bus; the wading through the water had been quite a hardship for them. The bearded artist and the folklorist not only carried some of their luggage but also constantly reached out to pull them up when they were about to fall.

The folklorist was expressionless, and the bearded artist had a cold gaze; their demeanor alone suggested they had no ulterior motives in helping these girls. They didn't even utter a word, each seemingly preoccupied with their own thoughts. The young models, unaccustomed to such hardship, grumbled the entire way, but the two men seemed oblivious.

As Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 2, Chapter 17: The Sound of Drums (2)

The road through the valley seemed endless, shrouded in darkness ahead, instilling a sense of despair in the travelers. They struggled forward, unsure of where the end lay. Qin Ge and Huang Tao walked ahead, their eyes darting left and right, but they couldn't find shelter from the storm. The mountains on either side rose and fell, but remained exceptionally steep. Moreover, they knew that even if they could find caves or ravines to escape the storm, climbing in this downpour was extremely dangerous; landslides were likely occurring in multiple locations.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from behind, followed by several little girls shouting in panic. A young model had fallen and been swept away by the floodwaters, but fortunately, the bearded artist dropped his luggage and rushed forward to pull her back. However, in her frantic struggle, the little girl tripped the bearded artist as well, so the group of girls and the folk artist worked together to finally pull them both back.

The noise from behind made the two groups in front stop and turn around to look.

Qin Ge and Huang Tao quickly confirmed that the situation was under control and that the young model and the bearded artist were safe. Huang Tao turned around and loudly warned everyone to be careful. Qin Ge noticed that as he spoke, he waved his hand downwards, a gesture that resembled a leader giving a report, which further solidified her suspicions about his identity.

"Did you hear that? What's that sound?" Dong'er, who was next to Qin Ge, suddenly hugged his arm tightly.

Qin Ge listened, but only the sound of rain could be heard.

"What's that sound? I can't hear it." He shook his head from side to side, as if that would help him hear it more clearly.

Dong'er looked a little anxious. She said, "Listen carefully again." She paused, then imitated the sound, making some very rhythmic onomatopoeic words.

"Puff—puff—puff—"

Huang Tao over there also pricked up his ears. There seemed to be some strange sounds in the wind and rain, but he couldn't hear them very clearly, let alone distinguish what they were.

Qin Ge looked bewildered. He hadn't heard anything, and Dong'er's words made him very anxious.

"What's that sound? Are the dinosaurs coming?"

Dong'er slapped him across the face, then couldn't help but burst out laughing: "What time is it and you're still being cheeky? I really heard something, and it's getting louder and louder."

This time, Qin Ge and Huang Tao finally heard it clearly. They instantly had the same feeling, thinking that the extremely muffled sound was like the sound of a drum.

Puff—puff—puff—

The sound was unusually deep and echoed faintly in the valley, carrying an eerie atmosphere. Once you heard it, it felt like it was striking your heart, instilling a sense of dread.

Now, everyone has heard that sound, and everyone is certain that it really is the sound of drums.

Everyone stopped moving forward, standing still, searching with a hint of fear for the source of the drumbeats. The dark valley wasn't actually pitch black; once your eyes adjusted, you'd see many things hidden within. The mountain's dark blue-green hue allowed you to see its outline, and the dense clouds on the horizon, a dark gray, served as a backdrop, giving you a glimpse of what you were looking for. Only the dense, falling rain was the biggest obstacle to your vision, fragmenting your images and making them even more blurred.

The drumbeats may be unpredictable, but they will eventually have a source.

Qin Ge's gaze slid across the cliffs on both sides. The drumbeats, like a fleeting ghost, moved with his gaze. Moreover, the drumbeats gradually gained strength, striking his heart and causing him a faint pain.

A valley in the rain, with eerie drumbeats.

Dong'er had already covered her ears with her hands, and Qin Ge held her head in his arms, as if that would stop the drumming from bothering her. This damned drumming really seemed to have a magical power; it made people restless, as if some power was accumulating in their chest, ready to be unleashed. It felt like someone had shoved a bomb into your heart.

You have to throw the bomb away before it explodes.

Qin Ge's gaze swept quickly across the higher ground, and he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He spotted a pale, eerie figure on the cliff to his left. Almost simultaneously, Huang Tao also saw it. The figure was on a low-lying cliff top, with dark gray clouds forming a backdrop, making its silhouette faintly visible.

Qin Ge and Huang Tao were not strangers to that shadow.

It was completely naked, its color a ghastly white even in the darkness. It stood atop the cliff, its hands alternately striking the darkness before it with two short sticks, the drumbeats echoing with each strike. Its movements were unusually stiff, like a marionette; its body swayed after each strike, as if it were exerting all its strength with every beat, which was why the drumbeats possessed such a captivating power.

It was none other than the "zombie" that had just walked in front of the car.

—If it's a real zombie, why would a zombie be playing a drum?

—If it's not a zombie, how could the drumbeats it makes be so captivating?

Qin Ge and Huang Tao exchanged a glance, seeing the same question in each other's eyes. They had almost simultaneously grasped the crux of the matter. The sudden appearance of this group of people in the valley must have been orchestrated. Was everything happening in the valley part of his plan? If so, the people in the vehicle couldn't afford to overlook any clues if they wanted to escape their predicament. The drumbeats, though eerie, were clearly not intended to harm those who had abandoned the vehicle. If they wanted to, the person or force that orchestrated everything could have easily done so before the people in the vehicle arrived in the valley. Therefore, the drumbeats echoing through the valley were simply a message being conveyed to them.

Qin Ge gently patted Dong'er's back, and Dong'er immediately understood his intention. She gently pulled her arms away from Qin Ge, her head still buried in his chest, but her whole body was already tense.

Almost simultaneously, Qin Ge and Huang Tao suddenly ran towards the cliff where the "zombie" was standing.