Asi Hell

Chapter 24

Qin Ge rushed into the room first, and Lei Ming followed behind, looking around.

The house was pitch black, with only a few slivers of moonlight filtering in from outside, allowing them to vaguely make out the interior. The furnishings were unremarkable, consisting of a table, chairs, and some beds. There were two small doors on either side of the room, both currently closed, their contents unknown. However, seeing the beds, Qin Ge and Lei Ming deduced that this was likely the living quarters of the self-defense team members.

Qin Ge was certain there was something strange about this stone house, but seeing only these beds, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. Moreover, there was clearly no one in the house now; Dong'er and the others weren't imprisoned here.

Even so, they still dared not turn on the lights. They carefully walked to a room on the side, pushed open the door, and found it pitch black inside. Lei Ming groped around the door for a moment and found the switch. The lights came on, but their eyes seemed unable to withstand the sudden darkness. Their vision blurred for a moment, and just then, the two of them suddenly smelled a strange fragrance. Then, they saw a person standing in the room with a black robe covering his face.

—The black-robed wizard.

They hadn't seen the black-robed wizard in the group heading up the mountain, and Alang, the leader of the sect, had left with his self-defense force, but he wasn't among them. Qin Ge realized he should have expected such a major incident in Asi Town; how could Alang be absent? Since he wasn't there, he must be doing something else very important. Now, he knew what that important thing was.

The strange fragrance was familiar to both Lei Ming and him. Not long ago, when they were following the black-robed wizard and those people who walked like zombies, they smelled the exact same fragrance in a pine forest.

The result that time was that they fainted, and this time was no exception.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming vaguely saw a pair of sinister eyes peeking out from under the brim of the black robe and hat; those eyes seemed familiar. Qin Ge took a heavy step forward, stretching out his arms as if trying to grab something, but his body went limp and he collapsed. As he fell, Lei Ming behind him had already fallen to the ground before him.

Their last memory was of the black-robed wizard walking up to them and gently nudging them with his foot. Then they were plunged into a state of unconscious darkness.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 6, Chapter 104: Ruins (3)

The drums had already sounded on the altar, and the members of the Self-Defense Force had removed their virginity, sitting cross-legged in front of the thirteen stone pillars, their upper bodies bare. The leader of the sect, Alang, dressed in a gray robe, faced the statue of the goddess As, his arms outstretched, making various strange gestures.

These postures were really awkward, and it took Master Alang a full half month to get them to fully master them.

Master Alang's expression was solemn. He knew that the plan he had painstakingly cultivated for over three years was finally coming to an end. At this moment, he had many doubts, but he forced himself to believe in what he was doing and tried to feel the changes in his body. However, as he repeatedly performed the movements he had practiced to perfection, a sense of unease still lingered. He gazed up at the brilliant starry sky, wondering if the celestial goddess As had sensed his presence.

He recalled that three years ago, he was just an inconspicuous young man in the village, working only in his few acres of barren land every day. His favorite thing to do was to go to Black Eagle Cliff on the edge of the village and look down at the village, which looked like a sand table, imagining that he could crush the whole village to pieces with one step.

Later, the cave on Black Eagle Cliff completely changed his life.

Inside the cave, he discovered a standing skeleton, little did he know that it was the long-deceased leader of the Asi Cult. Later, he learned some of the cult's history from Eagle Eye Seven. It turned out that over thirty years ago, Asi town had suffered a catastrophe. A truck carrying a group of young men dressed in green drove into the village. Waving red flags and wearing red armbands, the young men shouted slogans, smashed the cult's headquarters, and burned all the ancestral artifacts. When the cult members resisted, the young men attacked them with fists and kicks, truly like a group of devils just escaped from hell. Normally, if the townspeople had worked together, those devils wouldn't have posed a threat, but the townspeople, who had long lived a peaceful life, were suddenly intimidated by the young men's imposing presence. Furthermore, the devils had several guns. After several cult wizards were killed on the spot, the villagers let them run rampant.

The leader of the Ascendant was later imprisoned in a cave at the foot of Black Hawk Cliff. The imps blew up the cave entrance with explosives, sealing the leader inside.

Six months later, the group of young people left behind a mess and roared away, just like when they came. Seventh Master had led his men to try to dig open the cave entrance on Black Eagle Cliff, but because the explosives were too powerful, they had completely buried the entrance, which was several meters deep. Presumably, the entire cave collapsed in the explosion.

Unexpectedly, more than thirty years later, Ah Lang stumbled upon another cave entrance and found the cult leader's remains at the bottom. While most people would be terrified at the sight of a skeleton, the reclusive Ah Lang, having lived alone for so long, had developed a calm and collected demeanor. After the initial shock, he quickly regained his composure. He removed a thumb ring from the skeleton's finger bones and picked up a thread-bound book from the ground.

He never imagined that the thumb ring and the thread-bound book would completely change his life.

The Ascendant Cult had long since declined in the Ascendant Mountains region, and many young people today had never even heard of it. But in Ascendant Town, there was still Eagle Eye Seven, a highly respected figure with a significant position. Even with Seven in charge, so many unpleasant things still happened. The people of Ascendant Town harbored deep prejudice against him; no one wanted someone who had been discriminated against to become the cult leader, and even former members had their reservations. If it weren't for Eagle Eye Seven's support, he didn't know if he could have persevered. By then, he naturally understood why the townspeople discriminated against him. He could forgive the past, but he couldn't tolerate the townspeople obstructing his path to becoming the cult leader.

The people of that town have all gone to another world; they can no longer stand in his way. He has finally become the fearsome leader of As, and has rebuilt this new As town, gathering so many people from different places so that they may all witness this moment: how he transformed from a man into a god capable of saving the world.

A sense of unease crept into his heart at the thought of the god. He felt a pang of disappointment in himself; why had he doubted himself? Everything had proceeded according to the ancient scriptures of the religion. Now, the demon god had descended as prophesied in legend, and the great goddess As was about to be reborn within him. This time, he would not only save the tribes of the As Mountains, but he would also leave the As Mountains and become the god of the entire human world. If the great goddess As had a spirit, she would surely be proud of his actions. The unfinished work of Puyamini would be completed by him; the feeling of becoming a god must be wonderful.

At this moment, Alang truly felt a new power stirring within him, a power that stirred within him an almost irresistible urge. However, he knew he had to wait patiently a little longer. He was still missing two people by his side. How could the dignified leader of the Asish Cult perform a sacred ritual without the presence of two elders? Hawkeye Seven was always unfathomable in his actions; even as the leader, he still commanded respect. But Alang believed that Hawkeye would not be negligent in handling such a significant matter within the cult. And what about the black-robed wizard?

A sudden worry crept into Alang's heart. Although he had only met the policeman named Qin Ge once, he felt a sense of unease about him. Perhaps things shouldn't have become so complicated, he thought.

Lei Ming was the first to wake up this time.

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 6, Chapter 105: Ruins (4)

Qin Ge vaguely heard someone calling his name. His eyelids were heavy, and it took him a lot of effort to open his eyes. He saw Lei Ming squatting beside him, shaking him incessantly. Upon seeing him wake up, the bearded man's face immediately lit up with surprise and joy.

"It's good that you're awake. I was really afraid you wouldn't wake up," Lei Ming said.

Qin Ge sat up, the events before he fainted flashing clearly through his mind. He looked around nervously, realizing he was still in the same room as before he collapsed. He asked in bewilderment, "Where's the black-robed wizard? Did he drug us and then abandon us?"

Lei Ming also looked confused. He stepped aside, and Qin Ge immediately saw a person lying on the ground behind him. The black robe still covered him completely, but his legs and hands were bound by ropes. Without even looking, he was the black-robed wizard who had suddenly appeared from the darkness.

He was now lying motionless on the ground, clearly unconscious, just like Qin Ge and Lei Ming had been. Qin Ge stared at Lei Ming: "Did you do this?"

Lei Ming looked confused: "I also thought it was me, but when I woke up I saw you two lying on the ground. I thought you and him had a fight after I fainted and both of you were injured."

Qin Ge shook his head: "I fell down with you. I felt him kick us twice."

"Then how come he's lying here now?"

The two were utterly bewildered, but after a moment they came to the conclusion that someone must have been secretly helping them. After the black-robed wizard had drugged them, that person had subdued him. In this town of As, who would offer Qin Ge and the others any assistance?

"Could it be Takahashi?" Lei Ming muttered to himself.

“It can’t be him. He must still be on the altar right now. Besides, he’s very wary of this high-walled compound. He wouldn’t have climbed over the wall like we did,” Qin Ge said. “Forget it, we can’t figure it out now. Let’s see what this black-robed wizard is really like.”

Lifting the brim of the black-robed wizard's hat, Qin Ge and Lei Ming exchanged bewildered glances, neither of them expecting the black-robed wizard to be him. "No wonder I saw his eyes before I fainted and they seemed familiar," Qin Ge sighed. "This Alang cult leader brought so many people from different places, while he himself hid behind high walls and courtyards, doing nothing. I should have realized that he had people he had placed in this town to monitor everything."

Lei Ming had never seen this man before, so he asked Qin Ge who he was. Qin Ge replied, "He is the head of the town's police station; his name is Jiao Yang."

Lei Ming lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Did you notice that this time when I fainted, it felt the same as when we were in the pine forest last time? It was as if I smelled some strange fragrance."

"It should be a kind of folk incense. Many people who traveled the martial arts world in the past had this stuff. In modern times, some people also use it to commit robberies. It's not surprising that the black-robed wizard has this stuff."

The two men emerged from the doorway, talking. They remembered that the outside lights hadn't been turned on before they fainted, but now they were, clearly indicating that their rescuers had turned them on. Qin Ge and Lei Ming, now outside, stared wide-eyed at each other, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

They saw a hole about one meter square in the ground outside.

The entrance is right at the entrance; anyone entering this stone house will always step directly above it. Beside the entrance lies a thin stone slab, the same size and shape as the opening, clearly used to cover it. The location of this entrance is truly unexpected. Normally, if someone were to build a secret passage inside the house, they would place the entrance in the most concealed spot, but this stone house's underground passage is built in the most conspicuous place. The most dangerous place is often the safest; even if you told someone there was a hidden entrance in the stone house, finding it wouldn't be easy.

This opening was clearly opened by the people who rescued Qin Ge and Lei Ming.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, the two saw a stone staircase leading downwards, and faint light emanating from within. It seemed that this cave contained the true secret core of Asi Town.

"Let's go down," Qin Ge said in a deep voice.

The two of them slowly descended the steps to the bottom of the cave.

The cave wasn't as deep as expected; a turn in the steps led quickly to the bottom. Below was a narrow passage, about a meter high, with rough chisel marks on the stone walls, as if hastily completed. Every ten meters or so, there was a wall lamp; the light, though dim, was enough to see the surroundings. Once inside the cave, the buzzing sound became much louder; although there was still some distance, the obstruction was gone. Qin Ge and Lei Ming carefully examined it and determined it was the roar of an engine. How could there be an engine working in this cave? Qin Ge thought for a moment and realized the reason.

“Generator,” he said.

Asi Town is nestled in the mountains, and its electricity supply must be sourced locally. Since its electricity consumption is not high, a few small diesel generators are sufficient to meet the town's needs. But generators are nothing mysterious, so why are they hidden in this underground tunnel?

Ashe Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 6, Chapter 106: Ruins (5)

Following the sound of the motor, Qin Ge and Lei Ming continued forward. The tunnel was longer than they had imagined. After walking for about ten minutes, their view suddenly opened up, and the tunnel widened considerably. The height and width of the tunnel increased significantly, and the chisel marks on the walls were much more refined. A few minutes further on, the tunnel reached a height of over ten feet, and its width was enough for two trucks to pass each other. Qin Ge and Lei Ming exchanged bewildered glances, both finding it unbelievable. The people of Asi Town could not possibly have built a tunnel of this scale. Qin Ge guessed that the tunnel might have existed for a long time, perhaps built by successive leaders of the Asi Cult over many years. But such an explanation was clearly untenable. The Asi Cult had always thrived in the Asi Mountains; it was not something to be ashamed of, and therefore had no need to build such a massive underground tunnel.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming soon found out the answer.

After walking another hundred meters or so, many small doors suddenly appeared on both sides of the tunnel. However, most of these doors, made of different materials, were severely damaged; some had simply collapsed to the ground, and others couldn't be closed at all. Qin Ge and Lei Ming entered one of them and found it in complete disarray. Broken glass was scattered everywhere on the floor, and on the side of the room was a metal frame taller than a person, with jagged shards of glass remaining on it. The frame looked somewhat like a modern shower enclosure; before it was damaged, it was completely enclosed. A thick pipe led into the frame, and the other end of the pipe was connected to a dark, rusty machine. The machine was clearly abandoned long ago.

In another room, they saw rows of wooden shelves filled with various bottles and jars, some empty, others containing small amounts of powdery or liquid substances. Each bottle and jar had a label, but the writing was so blurred that it was impossible to make out what it said. However, Qin Ge and Lei Ming couldn't help but think that it didn't look like writing, but rather some simple symbols.

Some rooms contained skeletons, many of which were incomplete; one room even contained only the remains of limbs. Some of the skeletons and remains were quite small, clearly indicating that they were children who had died.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming searched room by room, their hearts growing heavier with each passing day. They found more and more remains, almost in every single room. In particular, when they came to a room that resembled a boiler room, there were bones that were half-burnt in the tall stove, and in a partition that looked like a pool more than a meter deep, there were human remains piled up haphazardly, making it impossible to tell how many bodies had been stored there.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming had been holding back for a long time, but they finally bent over and vomited together when they arrived here.

This tunnel is nothing short of a killing factory, a living hell. Who on earth would be so inhumane as to kill people here?

The vomiting continued for an unknown amount of time before Qin Ge and Lei Ming staggered out of the room, gasping for breath in the tunnel. There must have been secret ventilation shafts in the tunnel, so the air was surprisingly fresh. Their chests heaved, and tears and snot streamed down their faces from the vomit. Lei Ming had never seen anything like it in his life, and while Qin Ge had seen many dead bodies, he had never witnessed so many remains piled up in one place.

"What the hell is this place?!" Lei Ming roared in a low voice.

Qin Ge suddenly stared blankly at another room behind Lei Ming, her body frozen in place as if under a spell. Lei Ming turned around in surprise and saw that the door to the room behind him had fallen to the ground. By the light from outside, he could see several long guns scattered haphazardly on the floor, and rows of wooden crates standing behind them. Lei Ming's first thought was of an armory he'd seen in movies and television.

Qin Ge picked up the spear from the ground and examined it carefully. This type of spear had long been obsolete, but Qin Ge had seen them more than once in textbooks and museums.

This is a Type 38 rifle used by the Japanese devils during the War of Resistance against Japan.

Many images flashed through his mind, and after a moment, one scene gradually settled. Qin Ge remembered that he was still in junior high school at the time, and he and a few other classmates skipped class to watch a movie. Before watching the movie, they bought a lot of snacks, but halfway through the movie, almost all of them couldn't help but throw away their food, feeling like they wanted to vomit.

The movie is called "Black Sun 731".

The film's background is that in 1932, the Japanese General Staff adopted Shiro Ishii's inhumane proposal to develop biological weapons, establishing the so-called "Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory" in Japan and beginning research and testing of bacteriological weapons. In 1931, after Japanese militarism occupied Northeast China, it organized the Ishii Bacteriological Research Institute there. They gathered a group of Japanese bacteriologists to secretly conduct research on bacteriological weapons. Simultaneously with the establishment of the Ishii Bacteriological Research Institute, Japanese imperialism successively established several bacteriological research departments and agencies serving this research in Central China, North China, South China, and Northeast China. In 1936, Japanese imperialism selected a location four kilometers north of Pingfang Station—between the five villages of Zhenghuangqi, three villages of Zhenghuangqi, Sanjiazi, Huangjiawobao, and Liujiawobao—to establish Military Base No. 17—a bacteriological killing factory, which later became the infamous Unit 731.

Qin Ge no longer wanted to think about the content of the film, but now everything in front of him was so similar to the scene in the film. Could this be another secret Japanese bacteriological killing factory?

Qin Ge and Lei Ming suppressed their nausea and continued forward. Next, they discovered a series of storage warehouses filled with various daily necessities. Judging from the packaging, these were all goods currently circulating in Asi Town, meaning the people of Asi Town were using them.

Finally, they found a truck at the bend in the tunnel, the very truck that had brought in the stored goods. At this moment, a knot in Qin Ge's heart was untied. He had long suspected that there must be a passage between Asi Town and the outside world, and now, that passage had finally appeared before his eyes.

Inside the truck bed, there were six strong men tied together, their mouths gagged with rags. They were huddled together, writhing and making indistinct noises.

Qin Ge and Lei Ming knew this must have been done by the person who had saved them. That person had not only rescued them but also cleared out the guards in the tunnel. What was his purpose in doing this? And what Qin Ge and Lei Ming wanted to know most now was: who was he?

Asi Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 7, Chapter 107: Annihilation (1)

When the black-robed wizard arrived at the altar, the ceremony was already halfway through. The cult leader, Alang, sat cross-legged solemnly beneath the statue of the great goddess As, while the white-robed wizard, Eagle Eye Seven, stood ramrod straight behind him. On either side of the statue, two members of the self-defense force, shirtless, pounded two large drums with earth-shattering force. The drumbeats were like cannonballs, each one striking straight to the heart. The drumbeats gradually merged into a single sound, as if the entire valley was shaking. Those at the altar seemed to experience a strange illusion, as if the drumbeats originated from the depths of heaven and earth, possessing a soul-stirring power that instilled fear in them.

The sick were neatly arranged in front of the crowd. Some were still groaning in pain, some were vomiting, and others were motionless and silent. The crowd behind them was unusually quiet, everyone waiting for the cult leader, Alang, to rescue the sick. Although they were not members of the Asi Cult, everyone knew the legends of the Asi Cult.

The shirtless members of the self-defense force, seated before the thirteen stone pillars, had quietly moved to the altar, separating the thronged crowd from the leader of the sect. Another group of self-defense force members were weaving through the crowd towards the statue. Among them were eight women and one man, bound together – none other than the six model girls, Dong'er, Su He, Zhong Zhenyu, and Xu Juan, whom Qin Ge and Lei Ming were busy searching for in the tunnel. They had clearly struggled; Wu Zhenyu was still bleeding from his forehead, and the makeup on the six girls' faces was almost completely ruined, with visible scratches. Dong'er and Su He fared slightly better, but their clothes were also stained.

They were escorted by members of the Self-Defense Forces to thirteen stone pillars and tied to them.

A while later, the bodies of Tong Hao and Zhao Qing were also carried over by the self-defense team members and tied to the stone pillars as well. Now there were two stone pillars left unattended. Dong'er and Su He guessed that these two pillars must have been prepared for Qin Ge, Lei Ming, and Zhang Song. Therefore, they had very complicated feelings. They hoped that Qin Ge and Lei Ming would come to rescue them, but they were also worried that if they appeared, they would suffer the same fate as them.

Things turned out differently than expected. Not long after, two self-defense team members brought Zhang Song's body back. Zhang Song had jumped off the cliff and was already mangled beyond recognition. Dong'er, Suhe, and the others didn't know the cause of Zhang Song's death and assumed it was the self-defense team members' doing, so they all glared angrily at the two members carrying the body.

Zhang Song has been tied up, and now only the last stone pillar remains. Everyone is wondering who will be the last one tied up.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and a ray of dawn had already appeared on the horizon.

The questions in everyone's hearts were quickly answered. As the black-robed wizard led Qin Ge slowly through the crowd, Dong'er's heart was in her throat. She called Qin Ge's name loudly, but Qin Ge seemed somewhat dazed. He looked at Dong'er and the other bound people, but his face was completely expressionless.

Two self-defense members came over and pushed Qin Ge to the remaining stone pillar. Suddenly, the leader of the sect waved his hand to stop them, and then, with a solemn expression, said to the black-robed wizard, "Where is the other person?"

The black-robed wizard stood to one side with his head bowed, seemingly too afraid to even speak.

For the first time, a look of anxiety appeared on the face of the cult leader, Ah Lang. Moreover, he seemed somewhat at a loss, his eyes searching through the crowd ahead, and he even turned back to look at the white-robed wizard, Eagle Eye Seven, as if pleading for help. Seven's eyes were slightly closed; he seemed to be asleep at the moment and did not notice Ah Lang's helplessness at all.

"All of you, go to town and bring the remaining man back," he shouted sternly to the self-defense force members.

"There are thirteen of us, both living and dead, so why do you insist on capturing Lei Ming?" Qin Ge shouted, craning his neck. At that moment, a hint of mockery appeared on his face.

"How could you possibly know the secret?" Master Alang sighed softly. "If you were the one who escaped, I certainly wouldn't have made such a fuss."

Qin Ge suddenly smiled and said, "Perhaps I just happen to know the secret."

The leader of the Alang Church stared at him for a moment, then shook his head: "I know you have found the murderer who killed your companion, but how could you possibly understand the sacrificial rituals recorded in the ancient books of our Alasic Church with your mere intelligence?"

"Then let's make a bet. If I can figure out the secret, I won't ask you to let us go. I just want you to tie me and my wife together so I can die with her. That way, I can die in peace." Qin Ge said seriously, "You won't refuse my little request, will you?"

Ah Lang's earlier anxiety and helplessness had quietly disappeared from his face. He said with a hint of helplessness, "You should know that I didn't mean to hurt any of you. However, sometimes we have to sacrifice something to accomplish something more important. I won't gamble with you, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. Even if you guess wrong, I will still grant your wish."

Qin Ge gazed at him and slowly nodded: "Thank you." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so patients neatly arranged in front of the altar, "But I think you should go and see those who are sick before that. If you can cure them, it will be a meritorious deed, and the great goddess As will be pleased in heaven."

Ah Lang smiled and said, "I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

He waved his hand, and the self-defense force members turned and walked out of the crowd. This Alang leader was clearly not confused; while he was treating the patients, he didn't forget to send someone to find Lei Ming.

Asi Hell: 773 Horror Series 12, Part 7, Chapter 108: Annihilation (2)

The cult leader, Alang, slowly walked to the front of the altar. He waved his hand, and someone presented him with prepared white rice, chestnut leaves, and water. He chanted incantations, casually grabbing some rice and scattering it onto the patients on the ground. His voice grew increasingly louder, gradually rising in pitch, even incorporating a soaring melody. At this moment, the white-robed wizard, Eagle Eye Seven, also began to chant loudly, and the two voices eventually merged into one, echoing throughout the mountaintop. The others on the altar widened their eyes in astonishment; some people's legs trembled, almost unable to resist bowing down in worship.