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

Kapitel 11

"Tap—tap—tap—"

The knocking continued unhurriedly; the leisurely guest didn't care about the time, because he knew that the person inside would eventually open the door for him.

In her fear, she felt a sense of disorientation, as if the knocking sounded familiar.

What difference does the sound of knocking make? No matter what kind of door your fingers tap on or what sound it makes, there's always someone behind it, sometimes many. No one can say for sure how many times you'll hear a knock in your life, and you can never predict who's behind it.

But there will always be one or two times when a knock on the door will completely change your life.

What about the knock on the door that changed her life?

She knew she wasn't asleep, but she'd been lying in bed for over two hours. She was waiting for a knock on the door, because she knew her husband had forgotten his keys before leaving tonight. The keys were on the bedside table, and she stared intently at them, as if she could already clearly see the story behind the impending knock.

Her husband worked at a bank; when she married him, he was the head of the bank's business department.

The branch manager oversees all the staff at the windows in the bank's headquarters lobby. This role differs from that of a sub-branch manager at a savings outlet. Sub-branch managers are re-elected annually, and if they fail to meet their annual deposit targets, any self-nominated employee could replace them the following year. Like other department heads in the bank, the branch manager's position can remain indefinitely unless major problems arise.

So her husband felt very superior at that time.

His sense of superiority came from his father, who was the deputy mayor.

That autumn, fallen leaves drifted prematurely through the city streets. Her favorite thing to do each day was to lean against the glass window facing the street at dusk, staring at the east-west street in front of her. Before nightfall, when twilight had not yet fully enveloped the city, a Jiefang brand dump truck would stop on the side of the road on time. The boy driving would peek out of the window, see her inside, first give a shy smile, and then wave to her.

This was the end of her day's wait. Every time she was behind the glass, she could see the hidden longing in the boy's heart behind his shy smile. Without even greeting the people in the shop, she ran to the car, where the boy had already opened the other door for her. Almost every day, the boy would bring her snacks that girls loved—sometimes jelly beef jerky, sometimes pistachio candied hawthorns—the variety was different every day. Once, he even brought a large bunch of wild chrysanthemums; the tiny flowers clustered together like a burst of fireworks blooming brilliantly in the sky.

The boy said that he was driving through a field when he saw wild chrysanthemums everywhere, so he got out of the car, picked some, and gave them to her. His eyes flickered as he spoke: "I don't know if you'll like them. Maybe I should go to the flower shop and buy some prettier ones."

She held the wild chrysanthemums close to her face, their delicate fragrance permeating her heart and filling her with a sense of bliss. She took the boy's hand, and after a moment of awkwardness, he smiled brightly, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

If business was slow at the shop, the owner would generously give her an hour off, so she could sit in his car and spend some time by the river in the north of the city. The car would be parked on the embankment, and they would walk hand in hand to the riverbank. Sometimes they would sit side-by-side talking, and sometimes they would chase and play along the riverbank. Actually, what she really wanted most at those times was to quietly rest her head on his shoulder, letting his breath tickle her neck, tickling all the way to her heart.

As she lay in bed staring at a bunch of keys, that image still vaguely flashed through her mind.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 44: The Altar (3)

That was her first love. The boy was long gone, and because of the passage of time, his appearance had become somewhat blurred in her memory, leaving only a faint shadow. That shadow made her melancholy and stirred up feelings that only a young girl could have.

Now, she is at home, waiting for her husband to come home. Her husband used to be the director of the bank's business department, but now he has to wear a helmet and bulletproof vest every day, carry a riot gun, and sit in an armored truck. Every time they arrive at a branch, he jumps down like a dog and patrols around.

The distance between being a branch manager and a security guard is something only she and her husband truly know. Only the husband feels lost, while she seems to think the current job suits him better. When he was branch manager, all he did was dress smartly and slick his hair back to attract the attention of pretty female employees; he had no idea what else he should do. What did it matter whether he did anything or not? His father, the vice mayor, was like a gun on his hip, ready to be pulled out and brandished at any time. But unfortunately, while that gun was still on his hip, it was now empty. Not long after the vice mayor was placed under investigation for economic crimes, the branch manager was also kicked into the security department.

He began to feel resentful and complain about the coldness of the world, never realizing that after so many years as the head of the sales department, he had already made a fortune. He had no interest in work now; he spent his time drinking and daydreaming with a bunch of shady friends. When drunk, he would yell and shout at her, boasting that one day he would show those snobbish people what he was capable of. Her indifference often enraged him. Even at the height of his power, he hadn't dared to lay a hand on her, but now he no longer considered himself human and actually hit her. Although it was only one slap, and not very hard, that one slap cost him her forever.

Now, she lies in bed, waiting for the knock on the door.

My husband went out drinking again tonight. Lately, he almost always gets drunk whenever he drinks, and he always staggers home late at night. When he gets home, he drinks a large cup of tea. Sometimes he prepares the tea before he leaves and lets it cool, and sometimes she prepares it for him before going to bed.

That afternoon, she went to the time-honored Shengqinggong Tea Shop near Qianmen and bought two ounces of pre-rain cloud and mist tea, spending over four hundred yuan. What's a little money? Since he likes tea, let him enjoy it this once.

The tea has been brewed and should be completely cool by now. When her husband returns and sees it, he will undoubtedly pick up the cup and drink it all in one gulp. Perhaps he will even feel grateful to his understanding wife, and maybe even feel a touch of tenderness. But little does he know that the fragrant Yunwu tea is a deadly poison that will take his life once he drinks it.

How could he have imagined that the beautiful wife sleeping next to him would one day turn into a snake?

She tossed and turned, not wanting to sleep at all. But gradually, she did feel sleepy. Why wasn't her husband home yet? Even if he had drunk a lot, he should be home by now. She suddenly felt uneasy, realizing that things might not be as simple as she thought. More importantly, anything that hasn't happened yet is always open to multiple possibilities—this is what people often mean when they say that man proposes, God disposes.

But what does it matter, she told herself. Once you're determined to do something, nothing can stop you. If you can't do it the first time, try again; if you can't do it twice, try three times. Besides, dealing with a man whose body controls his brain is really easy.

"I don't want you dead because you can't become the director," she said softly to the photo hanging on the wall. "And I don't mind you looking like a clown standing next to the armored truck every day. What you become is none of my business. Although we sleep in the same bed every day, you will always be a stranger to me. I've never loved you, nor have I ever hated you, including that slap you gave me. I don't think a man hitting a woman is an unforgivable sin. But tonight, I'm going to kill you, not because of your mistakes, but because of another man."

Her murmurings in the night were filled with sorrow, like a resentful woman confined to her boudoir in ancient times. No one would have guessed that she was actually a woman with a heart as venomous as a scorpion, and that she was about to kill her husband with her own hands that very night.

"Tap—tap—tap—"

A knock on the door sounded in the quiet night, startling her so much that she sat up in bed.

"Tap—tap—tap—"

The knocking continued rhythmically. She vaguely remembered opening the door that day and many things happening afterward, but why was the knocking still going on?

She quickly realized that this wasn't her home, and that there were many other people around her. Everyone was looking towards the door in fear, and a man named Huang Tao hesitated before slowly walking towards it.

A valley in the rain, walking zombies, eerie drumbeats, and a suddenly appearing corpse. All the memories of reality flooded back into her mind, and she couldn't help but let out a long groan, feeling as if everything happening before her eyes was a dream. But who knew if this dream would ever end?

Huang Tao stopped at the door. The knocking continued, and at this point, he could even hear the person knocking speaking outside:

Is anyone home?

The voice was deep and steady, polite, without the eerie aura he had imagined. Huang Tao hesitated for a moment, then finally took another step forward and abruptly opened the door. A cool breeze wafted in, and Huang Tao instinctively took a step back, but the person outside stepped forward.

Now, the person knocking on the door has finally appeared before everyone.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 45: The Altar (4)

Qin Ge woke up in the darkness, initially not knowing where she was, but then found herself lying in a huge oval shadow, outside of which was starlight.

Fragmented memories flooded back, and Qin Ge recalled collapsing in a dense pine forest. Mist shrouded the forest, and resurrected corpses emerged from behind it, surrounding him. Their cold hands touched his body, filling him with the intense aura of death. The eerie drumming made him dizzy, and the decaying scent of fallen leaves and withered branches mingled with a faint fragrance as he fell. A mysterious figure in black robes appeared and disappeared behind the mist, his outstretched arms resembling those of a hawk poised for flight.

The place where I woke up was clearly outside the pine forest. It was quiet all around. The resurrected corpses and the hawk-like black-robed figures seemed to be figures from a dream. When the dream ended, they disappeared.

Qin Ge sat up abruptly, his head throbbing with pain, his body limp and powerless. This feeling was very similar to when he woke up on the bus the previous night. He closed his eyes to calm himself, and when he opened them again, he saw that he was sitting on a cliff face. The cliff was about half the size of a football field, and the rock beneath him was so smooth it didn't seem naturally formed. He touched it and, sure enough, felt traces of chiseling.

Qin Ge now woke up on the edge of the cliff, about five or six meters away from the cliff below.

He looked around again, and the first thing he saw was a dozen or so stone pillars arranged in a semi-circle. These pillars were smooth and rounded, each as thick as a person could encircle, and about ten feet tall. It was clear at a glance that they were carved by hand. Even in a city, using modern equipment, such a project would not be easy to complete. Its presence on a cliff deep in the mountains was even more puzzling. Who would spend so much manpower and resources to erect these pillars? Moreover, he soon discovered that the tops of these pillars were covered with something—raised reliefs. Upon closer inspection, the reliefs were actually abstract and exaggerated faces. The faces on the tops of the dozen or so pillars were all different, expressing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Although not realistic, they were still easily distinguishable at a glance.

Behind the towering stone pillar, there seemed to be an even larger object, several meters away. Qin Ge's position was blocked by the pillar, so he forced himself to stand up and moved two steps to the side. This time, he could see clearly that the larger object was a stone statue.

The stone statue possessed a remarkably robust physique, its muscles bulging exaggeratedly, instantly conveying its strength. In its left hand, it held a crescent-shaped blade, while its other hand held a plant resembling grass, though the grass had tuberous roots. Qin Ge, standing behind the statue, couldn't see its face, but at that moment, a gentle, slender face immediately appeared in his mind, with a few long wisps of beard framing its forehead. This face, possessing a touch of otherworldly elegance, was incongruous on such a muscular body, like that of a legendary strongman, and exuded a strong, eerie aura.

Qin Ge remembered that there were many yellow papers pasted on the window frames and door frames of that small building, with a human figure outlined in red ink on them. The stone statue standing in front of it was clearly the person on the yellow paper.

Perhaps it wasn't a human, but a god.

Qin Ge slowly walked through the stone pillars towards the stone statue. He could now see a large open space in front of the statue, all man-made, smooth and flat. Even though Qin Ge knew little about folk customs, his experience from movies and television told him that this must be an altar.

In ancient times, many tribes had their own fixed places to worship their gods and pray for good weather and prosperity for their people and livestock. However, the stone pillars and statues on this cliff do not look like ancient artifacts. The chisel marks on the surface are still very fresh, and it is clear at a glance that they were carved not long ago.

Qin Ge had many questions in his mind, but when he turned to the front of the stone statue, he no longer had time to think about them. He saw Lei Ming lying motionless on the open ground behind the statue. He hurried over, helped Lei Ming up, and saw that although his eyes were closed, his breathing was even, so he knew that Lei Ming was out of danger and was relieved.

A moment later, Lei Ming slowly woke up. The stone statues and pillars in front of him, as well as the smooth and flat ground, surprised him, but he remained silent and did not ask Qin Ge any questions.

Qin Ge sighed, "It seems that the person who is manipulating all of this really doesn't want to hurt us. Otherwise, we would probably have died a hundred times over."

"We must go back now," Lei Ming said with a stern face.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 46: The Altar (5)

This was also what Qin Ge was thinking, but they didn't even know where they were now. Surrounded by endless mountains, how could they find their way back? Both of them realized this problem, their expressions turning dejected, and a sense of inexplicable panic washing over them. Qin Ge thought of Dong'er in the small building, feeling that they had been separated for far too long. If given another chance, he would never leave her again. But now, alone in these mountains, lost in the clouds, the feeling of being so close yet so far was searing his heart. Lei Ming beside him also looked dejected, as if there was someone he missed in that small building as well.

"No matter what, we have to go back." Lei Ming said firmly. "We haven't been unconscious for long, and that little time won't take us too far from the pine forest. Maybe, if we're lucky, we can get back to the pine forest."

Back in the pine forest, they could find their way back to the small building by relying on their memories. Qin Ge and Lei Ming were both wearing watches, and the time displayed on them confirmed the time they had been unconscious.

Once a decision is made, there's no time to hesitate. There's a grove of low trees ahead of this smooth, flat stone wall; the path down the mountain is clearly over there. Just as the two were about to head forward, Qin Ge suddenly said, "Wait."

"Wait, they must have a reason for bringing us here."

Lei Ming frowned in thought. Although he agreed with Qin Ge's judgment, what exactly was this altar-like space, the stone statue, and the thirteen stone pillars trying to tell them?

"Do you remember the drumbeats we heard last night?" Qin Ge said. "Later, we found that zombie-like person on a cliff."

Lei Ming didn't understand what he meant, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Huang Tao and I climbed up the cliff, but the zombie-like person was gone, and the drumming stopped. At that moment, I thought that the zombie-like person must have had a purpose in letting us see him on the cliff. So, when I was going down the mountain, I ran to the other side of the cliff and saw a light in the darkness below."

“The lights are where the small building is.” Lei Ming nodded. “You mean we were brought here after we lost consciousness, and it’s very likely that someone hiding in the shadows wants to tell us something.”

Qin Ge nodded: "So, I think we should go to the edge of the cliff now. Maybe we can see the small building with lights on from there."

Lei Ming hesitated for a moment, then, without saying anything more, he started walking towards the stone pillar.

A moment later, the two reached the edge of the cliff. A wind blew across the cliff, ruffling Lei Ming's long hair and sending a chill through Qin Ge. But then, they both widened their eyes, for a fleeting moment almost unable to believe what they were seeing.

The lone lamp in the small building they had been expecting did not appear, but they did see many scattered lights.

In the valley below the cliff, the lights resembled sunlight casting shadows through the trees, or a cluster of fireflies. If a single light in the deep mountains might seem eerie, then this vast expanse of lights would surely inspire excitement and joy.

Where the light shines, there must be a village, and there must be people living there. So, if Qin Ge and Lei Ming go down to that village, surely someone will know where that little building is. In this way, they will not only be able to find their lost companions, but the villagers will also tell them where they are. Perhaps, following the villagers' directions, they can return to the outside world.

Therefore, Qin Ge and Lei Ming immediately decided to go to the village below first, and then try to find other people.

The sudden joy made them think simply. Since the person who was manipulating all of this had gone to great lengths to bring them here, how could they let them leave so easily?

Qin Ge and Lei Ming, who were descending the mountain, might not have been completely unaware of this possibility; they simply chose not to consider it. At that moment, they both needed to retain a sliver of hope, even if that hope was a lie they used to deceive themselves.

Asi's Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 47: Sparrow (1)

The village was very different from what I had imagined.

Villages like these, far from cities and nestled deep in the mountains and forests, are undoubtedly primitive and rudimentary. Many people associate them with primitive tribal communities. Houses are invariably built with local materials—stone, earthen, wooden huts, or bamboo huts. The villages are filthy and chaotic, with people and livestock living together. The villagers appear listless, unkempt, and listless. Living conditions in such villages must be extremely poor; forget about modern appliances, even a light bulb might be a luxury. The villagers work from sunrise to sunset, leading a simple life busy just to meet their basic needs.

These impressions were quickly swept away when Qin Ge and Lei Ming entered the village. They even felt that describing the place as a village was extremely inappropriate; if they had to choose a more accurate word, they would choose a town.

The concept of a town is closer to that of a city. It doesn't necessarily need skyscrapers, but at least a basic architectural complex has a structure, and its materials include bricks, cement, and steel—essential elements of modern construction. Qin Ge and Lei Ming were almost incredulous at what they were seeing as they walked down the street. The houses on both sides were clearly brick and tile structures, with one or two traditional two-story flat-roofed buildings interspersed among them. The asphalt pavement they were walking on was obviously relatively new, still retaining a light bluish-green hue. Besides various shops, there were also restaurants and hotels along the roadside, though not many, their brightly colored neon lights particularly glaring in the night. The use of electricity was another important characteristic of a town. This town deep in the mountains couldn't possibly have external power resources, so somewhere within it, there must be a system that could provide electricity.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming were surprised to find bars and arcades on the street. The bars' large glass windows facing the street were covered by thick curtains, with only a faint light peeking through. The arcades were noisy, filled with the sounds of gunfire and occasional screams from children.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming exchanged glances, both feeling a growing unease.

The existence of such a town deep in the mountains is truly unusual. Leaving aside the cost of its construction, what do the people there rely on for their livelihood? While the town's infrastructure can be invested in, its existence and development depend on a complete economic system. Within this system, two crucial components are resources and human labor. People earn rewards through the production of resources, which are then used to consume resource products, thus promoting further production. Some resources are non-renewable, therefore, society needs a large circulation system to balance the localized scarcity of resources.

No one can create such an economic system in an absolutely isolated and geographically limited environment, unless the town has a dedicated channel of communication with the outside world.

When Qin Ge and Lei Ming descended the mountain and entered the town, they did not see any road leading out.

The town is nestled in a recessed valley, surrounded by mountains. Without a road, its isolation would be its greatest obstacle to development. Qin Ge and Lei Ming now only hope that a path out of the mountains actually exists, but they simply haven't discovered it yet.

It was late at night, and the streets were deserted, but there were still people in the restaurants, bars, and arcades along the roadside. Especially in the smaller restaurants, shadowy figures could be seen through the doors and windows. Qin Ge and Lei Ming, one of them, let out a growl; apart from some white rice they'd eaten that morning, they hadn't had a proper meal. They exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's thoughts. At that moment, they felt incredibly close to each other.

“We need to find someone to ask where that little building is,” Qin Ge sighed. “If everyone is here, then we can get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

Lei Ming looked around and saw a figure hurrying past at the street corner.

"I feel like something's not right here, but I can't quite put my finger on it, so we have to be extra careful," Lei Ming said in a low voice.

Qin Ge smiled bitterly: "Even if something is wrong here, do we have any other choice? Since the person who orchestrated all this doesn't want to hurt us, we can at least rest and recuperate here without worry." He paused, then looked worried again, "I wonder if I'll be able to see Huang Tao and the others tonight."

Lei Ming knew that the person Qin Ge most wanted to see was Dong'er, but he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he pointed to a shop not far ahead and said, "There's an inn over there. Let's go take a look."

"This is the only inn we've seen along the way," Qin Ge said as he walked side by side with Lei Ming toward the inn. "I really don't understand, what's the point of having an inn here? Do people like us come here all the time?"

Lei Ming paused, his expression turning cold. Qin Ge immediately sensed it; he thought about what he had just said and felt a chill run down his spine.

Perhaps this town really was built specifically for people like them.

The hotel's wooden signboard was quite unique, with brown background and green lettering that gave it a very rustic feel. The green lettering was written in a wild cursive script, and the three large characters read "Tan Guan Tang." The name was rather odd; if it weren't for the floor-standing lightbox next to the door displaying the hotel's name, no one would guess it was a hotel. The hotel's two glass doors were open, and at first glance, there was a small reception area with a typical curved counter and sofas arranged along the walls. An ashtray sat on the coffee table in front of the sofas, still containing wisps of smoke. A corridor ran through one corner of the room, dimly lit, but the doors on either side were faintly visible. It was a typical hotel layout, no different from any other hotel, except that no one was there.

Asi's Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 3, Chapter 48: Sparrow (2)