Ghost Flag

Chapter 16

Ou Mingde seemed to realize he had gotten a little too excited and smiled apologetically: "Sorry, I overreacted, but if those symbols are really as I think, then it's truly amazing."

I shrugged, indicating my understanding: "I know that it's already quite an achievement to be able to create these symbols, and for such symbols to violate the survival instincts of living beings and create death suggestions is completely incomparable to the difficulty of inducing people to eat popcorn, which is already a form of control. However, as far as I know, those symbols were not invented by anyone in modern times; they have existed for thousands of years."

Ou Mingde's mouth dropped open: "So that's how it is... Humans had already been researching this area for so long..." He frowned, not finishing his sentence. I think he, like me, was thinking of Lu Yun. Judging from his expression of both respect and apprehension towards Lu Yun, he must know something, right? The lineage of Lu Yun has existed for countless years. How exactly did ancient humans acquire this knowledge and ability? This mystery will probably remain unsolved until humans build a time machine.

“Are you willing to undergo hypnosis? This is probably the only way to break free from suggestion,” Ou Mingde said.

"OK."

I'm not someone who's easily hypnotized, especially because I have a strong psychological resistance to it, as I dislike feeling out of control. Most hypnotists have almost no chance of success with a psychologically resistant subject. However, a hypnotist who catches Lu Yun's eye is certainly no ordinary person; I know that learning hypnosis definitely requires talent.

This time, I sincerely came to break the death curse on myself. When it came to hypnosis, I tried my best to relax and follow Ou Mingde's instructions. Even so, I tried several times before I gradually relaxed completely.

I've interviewed several people who have undergone hypnotherapy, and without exception, they all felt extremely well when they woke up from hypnosis. However, when I woke up, I didn't feel "well" at all.

This is terrible.

I didn't wake up normally; rather, it felt like I was given a hard shove, jolting me awake. It was as if a tremendous sound was booming in my head, turning my brain upside down. A throbbing headache made my temples throb, and my chest felt incredibly tight. And then, I realized I was actually awake.

I looked at Ou Mingde, who should have been standing opposite me, with a puzzled expression. He was slumped on the sofa next to me, his face pale, as if he had seen a ghost, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

"What's wrong? Did it work?" I asked, grimacing at my headache. But just by looking at him, I knew I was going to hear bad news.

"Could...could you get me some tissues?" Ou Mingde pointed to the tissue box on his desk, his hand moving with great difficulty.

I put the cardboard box next to him, and Ou Mingde pulled out more than a dozen sheets, wiping the sweat from his face and neck in handfuls.

"I'm sorry, as you can see, I can't help you. I've never encountered anything like this before. The suggestion you received could actually affect me; if it were someone slightly less fortunate, I would be in the same situation as you. It's too dangerous." I felt that Ou Mingde was looking at me like I was a plague god, looking away as soon as we made contact.

"Can I influence you?"

"Just when I was trying to have a deep conversation with you and get you to recall the initial situation, your eyes suddenly opened, and I could feel that suggestion being transmitted to me through your eyes. It was terrifying."

Death Curse (7)

I remained silent.

"You should go find Lu Yun. Only she might have a solution, and you need to hurry. I can't help alleviate your symptoms. You're not sleeping well every night, and with each passing day your mental state worsens, and your self-control weakens. You must find Lu Yun before you lose control."

"By the way, don't show me those photos. They're not for me to see," Ou Mingde said to me from behind as I walked out of the clinic.

After taking a taxi home, I called Lu Yun again. She still couldn't come back immediately, but told me to go to Nepal right away.

"Go buy some Buddhist sutra tapes and listen to them. They have a calming effect and can help you stay awake longer. Also, call me when you're ready to sleep tonight, and I can help you fall asleep. But I can probably only help you once."

Hearing that she had the ability to help me fall asleep, I felt much more at ease: "Why only once?"

"Because my phone is almost out of battery, and the voltage where I am is unstable, so I can't charge it. If you're willing to risk coming to Nepal twice only to be unable to call me just so you can fall asleep, then so be it."

I was speechless; I hadn't expected such a reason.

After finishing my instant noodles, I called Minghui and asked him for a box of Buddhist chanting tapes. He asked me what I needed it for, and I said that I had been feeling irritable and unable to sleep lately, so I wanted to listen to Buddhist scriptures to calm my emotions.

Going to Nepal through a travel agency would be time-consuming, and I need to get my visa as soon as possible. After thinking it over, I realized that only Liang Yingwu could help me.

"I need a travel visa to Nepal, within a day or two, is that alright?" I asked Liang Yingwu directly over the phone. Although he didn't yet hold real power within the X organization, he was certainly capable of obtaining a visa.

"What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you when I get back." If I told him now, the X organization might intervene immediately. Otherwise, if Lu Yun could decipher the hints in my mind, she might be able to enter the tomb unaffected by those symbols. Fortunately, Liang Yingwu wasn't one to pry, and since I didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask any further questions.

"Okay, I'll try my best. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

I hesitated for a moment. Perhaps we could use the power of the X organization to find someone to remove the hint, but I still decided to go find Lu Yun.

Around 8 o'clock, I lay down on the bed and dialed Lu Yun's number.

She began to softly sing a strange melody. I couldn't understand what language it was, or if it was just some syllables with special meaning. My eyelids grew heavy, and then I fell asleep.

I still have dreams, but they are much better than the previous two nights. I was woken up by the knocking of the courier in the morning. It was Minghui delivering a chanting tape.

Although I had recovered somewhat, I still asked the newspaper for leave, then closed every window in the house and tied the window handles with a knotted rope. This would ensure that I wouldn't unconsciously open the window and jump out.

I rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out my Walkman, which had been gathering dust for two years, and put in the cassette tape Minghui had given me. Judging from the packaging, it was an ordinary cassette tape, not the kind that Longhua Temple puts out for worshippers to take home. As soon as I put it on, it was indeed Minghui reciting the Diamond Sutra herself, probably recorded last night in her meditation room. Accompanied by the sound of the wooden fish drum, Minghui's chanting flowed like a stream, peaceful and serene.

Agency X was indeed extremely efficient. By the afternoon, Liang Yingwu had processed my visa, and I immediately bought a ticket to fly to Kathmandu the following evening. Lu Yun told me that someone would pick me up at the airport.

I didn't leave the house all day. I ordered takeout for my meals and even avoided going near the window, despite taking precautions. I also kept the Diamond Sutra playing in my ears, and thanks to a good night's sleep the night before, nothing unexpected happened. A few times I felt slightly disoriented, but I noticed each time in a moment before the future, pinched my thigh hard, and returned to normal.

As for requesting leave from the newspaper, I lied and said that my aunt in Wuhu had passed away and I needed to go to the funeral, so I used my annual leave as payment. This is where my advantage as a mobile reporter came in. Reporters with a specific storyline usually can't take long leave, and when there's no one to fill the vacant position, they often have to convert their annual leave into cash.

Taking sick leave one day and bereavement leave the next—anyone with a brain would suspect something's up. Luckily, my department head, Zhang Jun, isn't one to take things too seriously, and since I was using my annual leave, he didn't make a fuss about it.

Without Lu Yun's lullaby that night, the situation was even worse than the previous two days. I only dozed off twice throughout the night and didn't fall asleep at all. I lingered in bed until 11 a.m. before finally getting up to pack my luggage, feeling groggy. When I washed my face, I was startled to see my lifeless eyes in the mirror.

Death Curse (8)

I packed the half-flag into my luggage. The symbol that gave me the hint should be from the same source as the symbol on this flag. I'll take it to Lu Yun to see, which will increase her confidence.

I booked a taxi by phone and it parked right downstairs, which minimized the chances of me getting into a car accident because of jaywalking.

Just like yesterday, when I got into the taxi with my luggage, I still had earphones in my ears, but the volume was turned up a little higher than yesterday.

It was a flight from Pudong International Airport. I never take a taxi directly there because it's too far, but this time, to save my life, I had to spend a little money. The car sped along the highway leading to the airport, and I gradually felt the chanting in my ears fading into the distance…

"Hey, hey!" The driver's shout brought me back to my senses.

Suddenly, a strong draft came from inside the previously sealed car, and I realized with a start that my right hand had already opened the car door.

Bang! I immediately slammed the car door shut again.

"Sorry, the door didn't seem to be closed properly." I stammered, sweating profusely, while secretly pressing the button to lock the door.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, muttered a few words under his breath, and then said nothing more.

When I arrived at the airport and was about to get off the bus, I tried to open the door several times but couldn't. That's when I realized I had locked it, which made me quite embarrassed.

Before going through customs, I made a point of washing my face in the restroom and tidying myself up in front of the mirror. I didn't want to be stopped and subjected to a full inspection by customs as a drug user, since the bloodstains on that half-flag were hard to explain.

I was still given a few extra glances when I was going through customs. If I hadn't done those little tricks earlier, I probably would have been stopped.

The moment the plane took off, I actually felt relieved.

A Gathering in the Underworld (1)

It was already night when I arrived at Kathmandu International Airport. After obtaining a visa on arrival at customs, I went through customs and was shocked by what I saw outside.

This is supposed to be the capital airport of a country, yet there were no lights on outside, and it was a scene of chaos. A group of people were holding up signs with their names on them, standing by the alley outside the airport gate, shouting loudly.

"Taxi, taxi..." "Hotel, hotel..." Many people shouted and jostled around me, and I subconsciously tightened my grip on my bag.

It's complete chaos.

I started to wonder if I had been sent here as a war correspondent. War correspondents can quickly get into the zone under these circumstances, but I was really at a loss.

I could only try my best to make out whether there was a sign with my name on it, but the darkness made it difficult for me to see the words on the constantly swaying signs.

I stood at the entrance, jostled and pushed around by the crowd, looking around frantically. There were so many signs, the chaotic atmosphere, and my already foggy head—I couldn't even keep track of them all. I managed to squint at a few, but then the push and shove made it impossible to tell which ones I'd seen before and which I hadn't.

After wandering in the crowd for nearly twenty minutes, wondering how long this situation would continue and whether I should try calling Lu Yun, a local holding a sign squeezed past me and suddenly turned around and said something.

I didn't hear you clearly.

He said it again, and I finally understood that his pronunciation was somewhat similar to "natto".

When I say this, all the readers will know that he was actually calling my name, but it took me a full five seconds to react, which shows how bad my mental state was at the time.

I looked up at the sign he was holding up. No wonder I couldn't find it after searching so hard. The sign didn't say "Na Duo" in Chinese characters, but "NADO," which I hardly ever use.

I never knew how to spell the skinny young man's name; I could only guess it was "Yonex" based on his pronunciation. His English was terrible, just as bad as mine, so we communicated with a lot of gestures and words, which was quite difficult.

He took out a letter that Lu Yun had given me, which contained only one sentence: "The bearer of the letter will bring you to me."

I got into Yunek's jeep, and he drove incredibly fast on the rough roads, making me dizzy and my earphones fall out several times. Yunek wasn't a talkative person, and since communication was so difficult, he simply kept quiet. I knew he was taking me to see Lu Yun, and I wasn't in the mood for small talk, so I was happy to listen attentively to my Buddhist scriptures.

After driving for a while, I felt something was wrong. Why wasn't I driving towards the city? It was getting more and more remote.

After driving for nearly three hours, I finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked Yunek how much longer it would take to arrive.

Although I already knew that Yunic's English pronunciation was inaccurate, I only understood him clearly after he repeated it three times because his answer was so different from what I expected.

"Five days."

Good heavens, it will take five days! Nepal is so small, I even doubt whether we'll still be in Nepal after five days of driving like this.

Since it's so far from Kathmandu, why did Lu Yun make me buy a plane ticket here? It's not just about the hassle; the real problem is, can I even survive these five days?

I wanted to ask Yunic, but it was such a complicated question. After several attempts, the two people gave irrelevant answers, so I had to give up.

Nepal is a mountainous country, and the jeep was constantly winding its way along mountain roads, making me even more dizzy. Four hours later, Yunek stopped the car by a stream, and in the headlights, I saw a small boat moored ahead.

Yunik exchanged a few words with the people on the boat, and then we boarded the boat and were taken across the river, where another jeep was waiting. At that moment, I felt like I was being smuggled across the border.

At 2:40 a.m., the jeep finally stopped at a small hotel, after a journey of more than six hours from the airport. Unique told me that we would set off again at 9:00 a.m.

“Good night,” Yunick said.

"Good night," I replied with a wry smile, but inwardly I sighed. How could it be good?

When Yunic knocked on my door this morning, my mental state clearly surprised him. I didn't hear his question clearly, but I guessed it was something like asking why I hadn't slept well the night before. I shrugged and didn't explain. If I could sleep well, I probably wouldn't be here.

As I stepped out of the hotel, I realized that it was located in a forest.

A Gathering in the Underworld (2)

The means of transportation changed from jeeps to elephants.

This must be a nature reserve in Nepal, with tourists coming and going all year round. Although I didn't see many people in the hotel, that's because most tourists set off before seven in the morning.

The elephant had a rattan chair that could seat four people strapped to its back; this riding gear had been used for quite some time and was quite worn out.

Smooth. The true charioteer of the elephant—a middle-aged Nepalese man—sits in the foremost seat, guiding this behemoth of the land.

The surrounding scenery must have been extremely beautiful, which is why it attracts tourists from all over the world year-round. However, at that moment, I was only focused on listening to the Buddhist scriptures and holding tightly to the rattan chair, and I didn't pay attention to the scenery. So now, when I think back, my impression of those landscapes is extremely vague. It was a real waste of my free trip.

When we were thirsty, there was fresh water in Yunek's water bottle; when we were hungry, there were dry biscuits that Yunek carried with him. As night fell, we arrived at another small inn in the forest.

The departure time for the next day was seven in the morning. When he saw me, Yunek clearly looked worried. He was a kind-hearted person.

This time, there weren't just seven elephants, but six of them. The first six were carrying tourists, and we sat on the last one, at the very end of the group. It seemed that the elephant from yesterday had been waiting for us, and considering the small boat that had been waiting by the stream last night, Yunek was quite popular here. Later, I learned that this might not have been due to his personal connections.

I wondered what kind of meeting Lu Yun was holding, and why he was holding it in such a beautiful but inconvenient place.

When I asked Yunek, he just smiled and didn't answer. But I figured even if he did answer, I probably wouldn't understand.

In the afternoon, feeling exhausted, I tripped and fell headfirst. Yunek reacted quickly, grabbing my shirt from behind and pulling me back to my seat. Grateful, I was secretly astonished that this seemingly lean young man possessed strength completely disproportionate to his physique.

At night, I lay on my hard bed, the occasional fluttering of unknown insects echoing in the room, their sounds so clear in the silence that they were somewhat unsettling. But even without these unwelcome guests, I couldn't have slept peacefully; for much of last night, I even struggled with nightmares.