vicious person

Chapter 2

“Pah, he’d go there all the time? That’s unbelievable,” Tianjin said.

The village chief smiled wryly: "Not only Abao, but nobody goes there to play. I don't know why he said that just now. It's really strange."

This only fueled the students' curiosity, and they began to ask questions. It seemed that Liang Yingwu had no choice but to ask the village chief.

As soon as Liang Yingwu asked the question, the students immediately looked at him with gratitude. I chuckled to myself, thinking that he really knew how to be a teacher and had won over many people's hearts. I figured that interpersonal relationships in the X organization must be very complicated. If he used some methods, these kids would be completely subdued.

Seeing Liang Yingwu speak up, the village chief could no longer hide the truth. It turned out that following their original route, after about half a day's walk, they would find a human-shaped cave halfway up a small hill called Baojia Mountain. This cave was located on a steep slope that was practically a sheer cliff; it was impossible for a small child to have traveled that far to play in a cave that even adults would find difficult to enter without tools. Therefore, Abao was definitely lying. Lying at such a young age—he definitely deserved a beating.

But I was starting to wonder, was Abao really beaten simply for lying? That beating was quite severe; you could tell Abao's father had used considerable force. And not only Tianjin, but everyone from the village chief to several elders looked rather uneasy. Of course, I didn't ask them that.

Almost immediately, someone suggested that we take a look inside the cave the next day.

These words immediately garnered support from other students, but the village chief's expression changed.

"You can't go there, you can't go to that kind of place."

Sure enough, I thought to myself.

The village chief sighed and began to explain: "None of us have ever been to that cave. It's been passed down from the older generation that the cave is an ominous place, and anyone who goes in will be cursed. So no one dares to go there."

However, this reason is simply not a valid one for college students who are full of curiosity. After receiving more than ten years of scientific education, how could they be frightened by such a ridiculous reason?

However, the village chief and several elders seemed quite adamant, and most of the students wisely stopped discussing the matter. Only He Yunkai kept insisting that he must go and see for himself tomorrow. Seeing the village chief's worried expression, Liang Yingwu had no choice but to tell He Yunkai to stop talking.

After the banquet, the village chief led Liang Yingwu to his lodgings, which were actually villagers' homes. These villagers were the wealthiest in the village, and their homes were relatively spacious, yet even so, they were practically "penniless." One family was the best off, possessing an 18-inch color TV from the 1980s that could receive three channels, but the exact model was unclear. Most of the other families, without students staying there, were still using kerosene lamps. The severity of their conditions was evident.

According to the village chief, electricity was only brought in two years ago. Ten years ago, the area was still in a completely primitive state of life.

After settling into their accommodations, the students surrounded Liang Yingwu. Both Liang Yingwu and I knew why.

"We're going to the Human Cave!" All the students said in unison.

Liang Yingwu had anticipated this situation, and seeing the students' firm stance, he agreed. I had no objections either. Leaving aside the fact that such legends are largely unbelievable, even if there were some strange occurrences, not to boast, but Liang Yingwu and I are not ordinary people; we've seen our share of storms. Would we really capsize in this remote mountain valley?

As it turns out, we didn't capsize, but the difference between not capsizing and capsizing was very thin. To this day, I still feel terrified by my ignorance and recklessness back then.

The village was very quiet at night, and everyone went to bed early. The students had been traveling all day and should have been a little tired, but they were all excited about the adventure that would begin the next day. Some even played adventure games, with a dozen or so powerful flashlight beams shining back and forth in the darkness, causing the village's big yellow dogs to bark incessantly.

After the initial excitement, complaints began to surface. Having worked up a sweat all day, a shower was essential before bed, but there was no running water, so they had to fetch ice-cold well water. Not only was fetching water inconvenient, but there wasn't even a place to shelter from the heat. Several girls had to stand in a circle, pushing the boys aside so one of them could shower. They didn't know if they'd find a place to shower in the next few days, so despite the inconvenience, they had no choice but to make do.

As for the various strangely large and frightening-looking insects that occasionally appear, they often cause girls to scream in terror, which can be heard far and wide in the quiet village.

Liang Yingwu and I stayed at the village chief's house. The village chief's house was a two-story building, built five years ago. The village chief said that he had dug up a high-quality wild ginseng in the mountains, sold it for a good price, and that's how he was able to afford to build the house. The village chief gave up the entire second floor, and four people lived in the two rooms.

Abao (3) went to play in the cave.

There were some things we couldn't talk about during the day, so in the evening it was just Liang Yingwu and me. We hadn't had a chance to chat like this in a long time, so I took the opportunity to ask him about the internal workings of Organization X. My curiosity about this mysterious organization, which almost no one in China knew about, was truly extraordinary.

However, Liang Yingwu was extremely tight-lipped, and he wouldn't say much about internal organization matters, not even to me, his good friend. But he did talk about a few cases he had recently encountered or that others had handled, and although some details were vague, they still gave me a lot to hear.

One case involves a very famous animal from Chinese legend called "Nian." Although it has never been captured, all the evidence collected points to this mythical creature, which was originally thought to be a figment of the imagination of the ancient Chinese. And this creature seems to be related to time, the most elusive element of the world.

Most of these cases end without resolution. After all, with the current scientific foundation and methods available to humanity, even if the X organization possesses technology far exceeding ordinary levels, it is still powerless to address various supernatural or the most fundamental phenomena of nature. However, hearing that a creature like "Nian" might actually exist, and that it is so wondrous as to be immeasurable, is enough to make me marvel at how endless the mysteries of this world truly are.

At 6:30 the next morning, Liang Yingwu woke me up. Normally, as a reporter in Shanghai, getting up at 9 or 10 in the morning is considered early if there are no interviews, but this time I couldn't stay in bed. Fortunately, after washing up with the cool well water, my sleepiness was replaced by the excitement of entering Shennongjia.

Breakfast was a light and thick white porridge, served with very fresh pickled vegetables, and the large bowl was emptied in no time. Without Liang Yingwu saying much, everyone knew that this was not like their usual breakfast, which they could just eat casually. The road ahead would be difficult, so even Lu Yun, who usually ate the least, ate one and a half bowls.

At 7:30 AM, the group of 14 waved goodbye to the village chief and elders and embarked on their journey through Shennongjia. Of course, this so-called "crossing" only involved traversing a small corner of Shennongjia. The true depths, even for the most experienced hunters, require a one-way trip before venturing, let alone for us.

Liang Yingwu walked at the front, holding a compass and occasionally checking the map to ensure he was heading in the right direction. The 12 students marched in a diamond formation. They didn't form a typical long, straight line to ensure that everyone could regroup in the shortest possible time in case of an emergency. Before setting off, the students had all received brief marching training.

I walked towards the back of the group, so I could keep track of the situation of the whole team.

Beneath our feet lay leaves accumulated over countless years as we followed a stream. This wasn't the dense, sunless forest we'd imagined; the view was quite expansive, with green trees, mountains, and flowing water. If we weren't walking at our current brisk pace, it would actually be a rather pleasant trip. However, Liang Yingwu told us that according to the normal itinerary, we would reach our first settlement tonight to replenish our food and water, and then on the third day, we would enter a primeval forest. There, even under the blazing sun, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate. To emerge from this forest would take a full four days, making it one of the most challenging sections of our expedition.

This place is unlike typical tourist areas, where even if there are no paths, tourists have worn them into convenient walking trails. Here, however, it remains completely pristine. The ground isn't exactly rugged, but it's uneven, and you often have to watch out for protruding tree roots, and sometimes you have to jump over fallen dead trees. After walking for two hours, even I, a reporter who's used to walking, felt my legs starting to ache from carrying such a large backpack. Looking at the university students chatting and laughing, most of them were already drenched in sweat, and I realized that the next ten days or so would be quite a test for them. You see, in the previous village, some students with overly heavy luggage, seeing the situation was getting tough, had already lightened their loads, sharing their bulky snacks and drinks with the village children, which made those kids very happy. But even so, a few were still carrying two backpacks. I bet they'd throw away another batch of things in less than three days.

Almost everyone's conversation revolved around the Baojiashan Man Cave, which they would arrive at noon that day. The mysterious caves in the enigmatic Shennongjia held a greater allure for the young people than the beautiful scenery before them; Zhu Zili had even begun to connect the man cave with the curse of the Egyptian pharaohs. However, despite their casual remarks, these university students showed no real fear. Instead, they approached it with a sense of wonder, intending to use what they considered a "scientific spirit" and "scientific methods" to see what this man cave, regarded as a forbidden place by the locals, was all about.

Although everyone had eaten a hearty breakfast, the carbohydrates had long since been converted into energy and used up during the hours of walking. At 11:15 a.m., Liang Yingwu stopped at an open muddy spot by the stream and told everyone to start a fire to cook lunch. A dozen people gathered firewood and tended the fire, and after a while, they finally got the fire going. Two large pots for holding rice were placed on top, and the vegetables were some cured pork, salted ham, and salted fish that wouldn't spoil easily in the summer.

Although there wasn't much food and the rice was a bit undercooked, everyone ate with great relish, and the two large pots of rice were quickly devoured. After a short rest, the expedition team continued their journey.

Perhaps because the mountain people have better stamina than us, we didn't arrive at Baojiashan until nearly 2 p.m.

This is a small hill, about 300 meters high. Although there is some vegetation, there are few tall trees, and the hill appears to be mainly composed of rock. Facing us is the shady side, a steep slope at about a 70-degree angle to the ground. There is only one cave on the entire slope, located not far from the summit. Looking up from below, although it is a bit challenging, it seems that with carefulness, it is not impossible to reach.

The students' enthusiasm soared immediately, and they were ready to take a detour and climb up. Liang Yingwu only said two things: first, if it was really impossible to get in, they shouldn't take the risk; second, they shouldn't stay inside for too long, because they still needed to reach the next settlement before dark.

Abao (4) went to play in the cave.

It wasn't until we actually started climbing the mountain that we realized how difficult it was. Although everyone had piled their large travel bags together, hoping they wouldn't be so unlucky as to be snatched away by some animal in such a short time, everyone was only carrying their personal backpacks. Yet, after climbing less than 50 meters, everyone was already drenched in sweat.

This is nothing like climbing a mountain at a tourist attraction. Whether it's Huangshan or Huashan, no matter how high the mountain or how treacherous the path, at least there are man-made trails with stone steps to climb. Climbing Yuangong Mountain, however, is hardly better than rock climbing. Previously, the girls had been quite conscious of their appearance, avoiding mud pits and frowning if their clothes got dirty. Now, climbing like this, in some places requiring almost crawling, even with the utmost care, just keeping their clothes from getting torn was a challenge; cleanliness was no longer a concern. Fortunately, everyone was prepared, bringing cheap and durable clothing. Liang Yingwu had even prepared uniform camouflage, but the girls objected (because it was thick and unattractive), so he didn't force them to wear it. Now, with their clothes and pants torn, several girls will likely have to wear the camouflage.

I gripped a small shrub with my left hand and tested my strength on a protruding rock with my right. After confirming my footing, I used both hands to climb over the steep section with ease. Lu Yun and Liang Yingwu were waving ahead, so it seemed the climb would be easier from here on out. Later, I heard occasional exclamations, mostly from women. I didn't need to look closely to know why; I had to push aside or use some thick plant branches to get up here. Shennongjia is a paradise for life; not only are the plants thick and robust, but the insects are too. Sometimes, pushing aside a rock would reveal a centipede a foot long; shaking the waist-high weeds would send several dark shadows swirling around with a piercing flapping of wings. Fortunately, everyone had applied a local-made snake and insect repellent ointment. It was black and smelled strongly, and likely contained the corpses of some snakes and insects. Applying a little to the hands, feet, face, and neck would keep snakes and insects away. However, on the other hand, if one is attacked even under such measures, the poison will most likely be present, and immediate first aid measures must be taken.

I was secretly puzzled. Although there wasn't a proper path leading up Baojia Mountain, the one we were on was clearly much easier to climb than other places. Rather than Liang Yingwu having good judgment and choosing an easy route, it was more like a long-abandoned mountain trail. Looking back, apart from a few places requiring caution, most of the way, even if we lost our footing and fell, there were plenty of places to grab onto, so no one would die. But this cave was now a forbidden area. If this was a path from many years ago, then who was traversing it back then?

Although they had this "path," the group's progress was still very slow. I suspect Liang Yingwu probably started regretting it long ago, regretting agreeing to go to the human cave. Now it's no wonder they won't be able to reach the next stop before dark. Such a big problem on the first day's itinerary must have made this person, who likes to do everything according to plan, very uncomfortable. However, Liang Yingwu is a stubborn person; he won't say anything if he's unhappy, and he never does anything meaningless. Having climbed this far, there's no going back.

It took more than an hour for everyone to reach the top of the mountain. Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is difficult. Even if they went down immediately, it would be past four o'clock by the time they got back to where they had stored their luggage.

Liang Yingwu finally spoke up. Since we've come this far, it would be a disservice to everyone's hard work not to go down and take a look at the cave. However, due to time constraints, we can't stay in the cave for more than 10 minutes.

No one objected to this. Many people were still panting heavily, and some had already started complaining that they should have stayed downstairs to watch the luggage.

Outside the cave, there was a protruding stone platform where people could stand. The descent from the mountaintop to the cave, though steeper than the ascent, still offered footholds. However, this was far more dangerous; a fall would have unimaginable consequences. Liang Yingwu found a suitable spot and secured his climbing rope. He was the kind of person who always had an escape route, so he used two ropes—one loose, the other still available. Either one was strong enough to support a person's weight.

I was the first to grab the rope and climb down, while Liang Yingwu watched the rope from above and was the last to go down. The cave was about ten meters from the top of the mountain. Although the girls screamed and shouted, in the end, everyone entered the cave safely without any danger.

A passageway leading to the grave (1)

The cave is quite spacious, with the floor about four or five meters above the ground. At first glance, the cave appears to be nearly a hundred square meters in size. To the left of the entrance, on the front wall, there is a dark passage leading to another cave within another cave, suggesting there might be another world inside.

There seemed to be nothing unusual here, just ordinary. The entire cave was quite dry, and the large rocks scattered on the ground were smooth, without any watermarks or signs of erosion, which was indeed a bit strange. This was the shady side of the mountain, which should normally be damp, and Shennongjia isn't a place with little rainfall. However, I'm not a geologist, so this phenomenon might not be too uncommon.

While all the students expressed their disappointment with the cave and asked to quickly explore what was behind it, I heard someone beside me say, "Something's strange." I turned around and saw Liang Yingwu.

“Yes, this hole is too dry,” I said.

"Moreover, did you notice that there are no bats here, and there aren't even any weeds or moss on the ground? It's truly unusual to find such a 'clean' stone cave in a place like Shennongjia."

Liang Yingwu and I spoke in a soft and quick voice because we couldn't be sure of the cause of this phenomenon. Perhaps we were just worrying unnecessarily, and there was no need to say anything that would cause panic among the students.

"Should we go or not?" Liang Yingwu looked at the entrance ahead, a hint of hesitation in his voice. After all, he was responsible for the safety of these students and couldn't afford to take unnecessary risks.

I glanced at the eager students; Zhao Gang and He Yunkai had already taken out flashlights and shone them inside. I gave Liang Yingwu a wry smile: "What do you think?"

"I'll go first, you follow behind, be careful," Liang Yingwu said.

I nodded.

Passing several large rocks lying haphazardly on the ground, I followed Yuan Qiuhong into the passage. To be honest, I felt something was off. Perhaps it was the villagers' talk of a forbidden area that had cast a shadow over me; in any case, it felt lifeless, dull, and devoid of vitality. I wondered what awaited us at the other end of the passage. Of course, perhaps it was nothing, just like the open space we had just passed.

This was a passageway, only a meter or two wide, seemingly naturally formed, with no visible signs of human intervention. In some places, a protruding rock would suddenly appear, requiring careful movement to avoid bumping into it. We walked forward one after another; the entire cave was very quiet, save for the sound of our footsteps. Using my flashlight, I saw the girls ahead of me holding hands; I guessed they were a little scared.

The passageway was uneven, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill, requiring careful footing to avoid stumbling and falling. Everyone turned on their flashlights; the powerful beams were concentrated, illuminating a straight path, but their dispersion was poor, and combined with the uneven terrain, the illuminated area was limited. Even with 14 beams shining in all directions, it still felt very dark ahead.

The passageway was very deep. I estimated I had walked about seventy or eighty meters when I heard Liang Yingwu ahead exclaim, "A dead end?"

The beams of light shone forward, illuminating the uneven rock face. But after a few more steps, we discovered it wasn't a dead end, but a bend in the road. This bend was extremely sharp, forming an acute angle with our original passageway. After turning, due to the steep angle, sunlight from outside couldn't penetrate the cave at all; the surrounding darkness created a stark contrast with the 14 beams of flashlight.

After walking another eighty meters, there was another sharp turn. I calculated in my mind that these two turns formed a triangle, and if I continued, I would probably be back in a similar place to the large stone cave I had entered from, so it was most likely another dead end. However, such a long, naturally formed passageway was quite rare. Although many caves are also deep and winding, it is rare to find one that goes in a straight line and then makes two very sharp turns.

The passageway widened slightly, allowing two or three people to walk side by side, and the path became smoother. Liang Yingwu, walking at the front, let out a soft "Eh." Deep within the mountain, his exclamation, though faint, was still audible to everyone.

I shone my flashlight forward from behind and immediately understood why he was surprised. The beam of light shot forward, ending in a blurry, deep blackness. Not far ahead, there was another large space. I recalled that we had carefully examined the large plaza at the cave entrance; there was only one path, and no other way back. This thought only flashed through my mind before I dismissed it. Just looking at the darkness ahead, I knew it wasn't the same place as before. Presumably, the two turns and three passageways we had passed through, going up and down, had a slight slope overall, so the space ahead must be above or below the cave we had come from.

I secretly hoped it wasn't up there. Judging from the path we'd just walked, if it were up there, the rock wall between it and the cave below wouldn't be very thick. So many people have walked up here; I didn't want them to suddenly collapse.

Driven by this small and somewhat inexplicable worry, my curiosity led me to hurry past the students ahead, eager to see what lay ahead. This rather mysterious cave contained such a long and peculiar stone passageway; what kind of place did it lead to?

Liang Yingwu, who was ahead, quickened his pace, taking a few big strides to cover the last few meters of the passageway and stepping into the large hole ahead. He swept the beam of his flashlight back and forth to assess the situation inside the hole.

As I walked forward, I shone my flashlight in that direction. But from my angle, I couldn't see anything; most of the beam fell on Liang Yingwu's straight back. Just then, I clearly felt his body tremble.

Although the beam of light was swaying, I think I wasn't mistaken. Liang Yingwu must have seen something that made him shudder. My heart tightened instantly. This is a normal reaction for someone encountering an unexpected situation in such a confined and dark place. More importantly, I know Liang Yingwu; his composure is far superior to mine. While he wouldn't be completely unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, with his experience working for the X Agency, he probably wouldn't have reacted this way even if he saw a cow start talking.

A passageway leading to the grave (2)

All this analysis of the situation ahead was actually completed in my mind in an instant. I only needed to take a few more steps forward to see exactly what had happened. However, after Liang Yingwu was shaken, he immediately made a move that made me even more certain that there was a problem ahead.

He raised his left hand, a gesture to stop the people behind him from coming up.

I think it was a subconscious reaction, because under those circumstances, no one would back down because of such a movement. Moreover, I believe that most people hadn't yet noticed Liang Yingwu's unusual behavior at that time.

Following closely behind Liang Yingwu was He Yunkai, who completely ignored Liang Yingwu's gestures. It was unclear whether this thick-skinned, muscular man was simply oblivious or completely oblivious to Liang Yingwu's actions. He took a few steps forward, his flashlight sweeping across a certain spot ahead, and he froze as if electrocuted, letting out a soft "Ah!" It was a rapid inhalation, a sound usually only made when someone is startled.

In about 10 seconds, everyone, including myself, was inside the cave. The beams of flashlights swept across the cave floor, and with a few clangs, four or five flashlights fell to the ground. Then came screams. After a moment of immense shock, all the girls froze for three seconds before letting out a piercing scream in unison. Even several men, including Zhu Zili and Zhao Gang, shouted. Rapid air rushed through their vocal cords, and their desperate cries echoed continuously in the dark cave. My heart pounded violently, and I swallowed hard, trying to calm myself down as quickly as possible.

Wherever the flashlight beam shone, what they saw was a horrifying sight: stark white human bones!

This cave seemed even larger than the previous one, but most of the floor inside was covered with human bones—the number of which was unknown. Following the beam of light, one could see either pale white skulls, ribs, or shrunken hand bones, and even the skeletons of several young children. So many skeletons, how many years had passed? It resembled a mass grave from the Japanese invasion of China. Due to the sheer number of skeletons and the enclosed space, a strange odor permeated the air, and even in the darkness untouched by the flashlight, faint phosphorescence flickered.

First came the villagers' warnings, then the long passageway leading to this scene of strewn bones—far more terrifying than seeing the mass graves in Nanjing in broad daylight. No wonder the frail girls were so out of control; their screams haven't stopped. They desperately emitted shrill, trembling sounds, as if trying to use this release to banish their deep fear into the surrounding darkness.

In such a situation, I believe that even the bravest person cannot suppress the sudden fear, or rather, shock. The only difference is that some people cannot hide it at all, while others can control themselves better and allow their brains to quickly return to a thinking state after a brief blank.

For Liang Yingwu and me, seeing these bones scattered everywhere was more shocking than frightening. Having experienced true horror, we understand that these bones themselves cannot harm us. The fear that bones evoke is actually the innate human fear of death. For some who have been on the verge of death, returned from a hellish situation, or for some whose curiosity is so strong that they are even curious about the state of death, the initial shock can be quickly followed by calm.

"Stop yelling," Liang Yingwu shouted sternly.

"That's right, just some bones. You'd be in the same boat even if you kicked them, so what's there to be afraid of?" He Yunkai said loudly. However, I felt that although his voice was even louder than Liang Yingwu's, he seemed a little uneasy.

"Pooh."

"You're the same."

He Yunkai's words did have an effect. The girls, while still spitting at him, gradually recovered, at least no longer making those sounds that irritated my eardrums. I suspect that in such a small space, before these women with naturally high-pitched voices could break their own vocal cords, my ears might have already given out.