Uncanny Valley

Chapter 1

Uncanny Valley

Main text (introduction)

As evening approached, the sun had set, but the lights remained off. The shadows of the trees outside the window made the narrow corridor even darker. The ceiling and walls of the corridor were painted a stark white, which, combined with the gray cement floor, created a depressing atmosphere throughout the space.

The sound of footsteps suddenly broke the silence. With that sound, a young woman turned into the corridor from the stairwell. Perhaps because she had just entered from the outside, she was momentarily unaccustomed to the dim environment, subconsciously slowing her pace while widening her eyes to carefully observe her surroundings.

An elderly man dressed in white robes and a white hat, resembling a doctor, followed the woman in and quickly overtook her. The old man was clearly familiar with the area; he walked without stopping into the depths of the corridor, saying in a low voice, "Please follow me." His steps were quick and light, making not a sound.

The woman could now see her surroundings clearly, but the other end of the corridor remained completely dark due to the distance.

What might be hidden in that darkness?

The woman stood there, looking somewhat uneasy. Seeing the distance between her and the old man gradually increase, she quickly followed, her high heels clicking on the hard ground with a series of "tap-tap" sounds.

The two of them walked one after the other to the end of the corridor.

A tightly closed wooden door appeared before them.

The old man took out his key, but instead of opening the door, he turned to look at the woman beside him, as if gesturing something. The woman was somewhat nervous; she bit her lip and then nodded to the old man.

The old man inserted the key into the lock, making a soft click. The sound was extremely subtle, but it immediately produced a huge reaction inside the house.

Ahhhhh

A piercing scream easily pierced through the doorway, a cry filled with terror and despair that went straight to the deepest recesses of the listener's eardrums. Although the woman was somewhat prepared, she still involuntarily trembled.

The old man, however, seemed unfazed. He casually turned the key in his hand and then opened the tightly closed wooden door.

Behind the wooden door was another iron door, but it was merely a fence and couldn't block the dim light from streaming into the room. A figure could be vaguely seen huddled in a corner, trembling with fear. The heart-wrenching screams were coming from him.

The old man pressed a switch by the door, and the fluorescent light inside flickered on. The light calmed the man in the corner slightly; he stopped shouting, staring wide-eyed at the visitor outside, his eyes still filled with terror. After a moment, he suddenly spoke, uttering a series of words with extremely strange pronunciation.

The old man seemed not to understand what he was saying and turned to look at the woman beside him with a questioning gaze.

The woman nodded: "Yes, this is indeed the indigenous language of the Hamo people."

The old man's eyes lit up: "What did he mean by that?"

The man kept repeating something, his emotions growing increasingly agitated, and his voice rising higher and higher.

The woman frowned, straining to listen; it was clear she was also struggling to decipher the other person's words. After a moment, a strange expression crossed her face, and she murmured, "The Valley of the Uncanny... the demons are coming?"

"The Valley of the Uncanny? Demons?" the old man asked, puzzled. "What demons?"

The woman shook her head, then looked at the man inside the house and asked in the Hamo language, "Demon? What demon did you say?"

The man suddenly stood up and walked step by step toward the door, his eyes fixed on the woman's face like knives.

The old man rubbed his hands together excitedly, unable to hide his excitement: "That's great! He understood you! You can communicate with him now!"

The man had reached the iron gate. The woman stood facing him through the fence, waiting for his answer. Suddenly, the man stretched his arms out from between the bars and reached out to grab the woman!

The old man reacted quickly, pulling the woman back a step. His hands brushed across the woman's cheeks, carrying a chilling breeze. The woman was clearly terrified; her pretty face paled.

The man missed his grip, then tightly clutched the iron bars of the gate. His gaze drifted into the distance, and he let out a chilling cry that sent shivers down one's spine: "Ya-ku-ma!"

That was a sound no human could possibly make! It seemed as if all the fear, despair, and pain in the world were condensed into that one scream, and the immense power of it was enough to destroy a person!

A power filled with fear and despair!

The old man and the woman trembled under this power, involuntarily looking around with deep terror in their eyes.

demon!

They seemed to have sensed the arrival of the demon!

Part 1: Running to Death

When things first started, Luo Fei even suspected it was a prank.

The complainants were three students from Class 32 of the Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering at Longzhou Polytechnic College. Because the Municipal Public Security Bureau is very close to Longzhou Polytechnic College, and Luo Fei happened to be on duty that day, the case was reported directly to him.

The boy who led the group, Zou Wenbin, was the class monitor. He was accompanied by a boy and a girl. They reported the incident at 11:47 PM. According to their description, the incident unfolded as follows:

Around 8:10 PM that evening, students from Class 32 of the Resources and Environment Department were gathered in their classroom for evening self-study. A boy named Yu Ziqiang suddenly shouted and rushed out of the classroom. Before the other students could react, he had disappeared into the night. He didn't return even after the dormitory lights were turned off and the doors locked. Calls to his cell phone went unanswered. Zou Wenbin, the class monitor, was worried and, along with Yu Ziqiang's roommate Zhang Hong and a girl named Xu Ting who was concerned about the matter, went to the police station to report the incident.

“We can’t file a case right now in this situation,” Luo Fei said frankly. “These kinds of cases can only proceed after the person has been missing for 48 hours. You should first get your classmates around to search and inquire. Or you can wait a bit; maybe he’ll come back on his own tomorrow.”

Since Luo Fei had said so, the three students had no other choice. However, it was clear that they were not satisfied with the outcome, especially the girl, who seemed to want to say something, but ultimately left with the two boys.

Luo Fei didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did. First, he was acting in accordance with the law; second, the situation reported by the complainant really didn't warrant his attention: Yu Ziqiang ran away on his own, and although the reason was unclear, there were too many strange ideas and behaviors among college students these days. If you seriously followed their lead, you'd exhaust yourself!

But the situation quickly became complicated. Early the next morning, elderly people doing their morning exercise discovered a male corpse on the north bank of the Yudai River in the east of the city. The identification documents found on the body indicated that the deceased was Yu Ziqiang.

Upon receiving the report, Luo Fei immediately led forensic doctor Zhang Yu and others to the scene. The Yudai River is a river that encircles the urban area of Longzhou City. The incident occurred in a relatively remote section, with unpaved dirt roads on both sides of the riverbank and no streetlights installed. Few people would pass by here at night.

The deceased was found face down on the riverbank, in a natural position, showing no signs of struggling or pain before death. The clothing was intact, and there was no blood or other suspicious items found at the scene.

After taking a series of photos, Luo Fei and Zhang Yu put on gloves and turned the body over. When the deceased's face was revealed to them, the two couldn't help but feel suspicious.

The deceased was grimacing, his facial muscles contorted and stiff, making his nose appear crooked to one side. But what was truly unsettling was undoubtedly his eyes.

Those were eyes filled with terror, almost bulging out of their sockets, revealing large patches of bloodshot whites. The round pupils bulged outwards, as if about to burst from their sockets. Even Luo Fei felt a chill run down his spine when he met those eyes.

"What do you think?" Luo Fei knew that Zhang Yu was an expert in autopsy, so he first sought his opinion.

Zhang Yu carefully examined several key parts of the deceased's body and then said, "The surface of the body is intact, with no signs of violence. Judging from the state of the secretions from the mouth and nose, poisoning can be preliminarily ruled out. Overall, the possibility of homicide seems unlikely. As for the specific cause of death, we will have to wait for further examination and analysis—perhaps it was a sudden onset of some congenital disease, but of course, this is just my guess."

"What was the time of death?"

"Hmm, it should be between nine and eleven hours ago. That is, between eight and ten o'clock last night." Zhang Yu squeezed the deceased's right wrist and made the above judgment based on its stiffness.

Luo Fei followed suit, grabbing the deceased's other wrist. Then, with a satisfied smile, he said, "It was 8:47 last night."

"What?" Zhang Yu was a little confused about Luo Fei's meaning.

“I’m referring to the exact time of death,” Luo Fei emphasized again, “8:47 PM last night.”

"How can it be so precise?" Zhang Yu shook his head in disbelief. "I've been a forensic doctor for so many years, this is impossible!"

“My expertise is not as good as yours, but I have my own methods.” As Luo Fei spoke, he turned the deceased’s wrist over, revealing a sports watch on the back of his hand. “Look at this watch. When the deceased fell, he was hit, and the dial was severely damaged, causing the hands to stop moving. This happened to record the time we were concerned about. Although the time range you gave is a bit too wide, it confirms my speculation.”

Zhang Yu smiled, clearly agreeing with Luo Fei's analysis.

Luo Fei frowned, pondering another question. After a moment, he instructed his assistant, Xiao Liu, "Go to the city's taxi companies now and ask them to cooperate in the investigation to see if any drivers picked up a young man who looked like a student at the entrance of the Polytechnic University between 8 and 9 pm last night."

Xiao Liu left as instructed, and Luo Fei explained to Zhang Yu: "Based on the information we have so far, the deceased left the University of Science and Technology at 8:10 pm last night, and this place is at least ten kilometers away from the University of Science and Technology."

Zhang Yu immediately understood Luo Fei's meaning. From 8:10 to 8:47, in less than forty minutes, for a person to appear in a place more than ten kilometers away, they obviously needed some kind of transportation. This place was remote and there was no public transportation, so investigating taxis was a very clear and natural approach.

The next steps were straightforward: Zhang Yu was in charge of the autopsy, while Luo Fei went to the Polytechnic Institute to learn about the details of Yu Ziqiang's departure.

The students and teachers of Class 32, Resource and Environmental Sciences, were shocked and saddened by the news of Yu Ziqiang's death. It was reported that the deceased was an excellent student, got along well with those around him, and had a very simple social network. Luo Fei reviewed his medical examination form upon enrollment and found that not only was he in good health, but there was also no history of serious illness in his immediate family.

At the time of the incident, most of the students were focused on their studies. It wasn't until Yu Ziqiang's scream shattered the classroom's tranquility that they realized something had happened. Yu Ziqiang then rushed out of the classroom, heading towards his own end.

"Everyone else in the classroom is fine, and nothing unusual has happened. I don't know why he suddenly became so agitated?"

"Everyone was busy with their own things, and no one spoke to him before, right? Maybe he did something on his own?"

"Could it be that he received some unusual text message and was triggered by it?"

"He ran incredibly fast, and his shouts were especially eerie. He was waving his arms and legs wildly, like a madman. Even now, thinking about it makes me a little scared."

The various opinions expressed by the students at the scene did not provide many valuable clues until a female student named Xu Ting found Luo Fei.

When Luo Fei reported the incident last night, he noticed that Xu Ting's emotions were a bit off, but he didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Now, the girl specifically asked to talk to Luo Fei alone.

She was a slender girl with black-rimmed glasses, who appeared honest and quiet. She sat behind Yu Ziqiang during self-study, and recalling the incident, her eyes immediately flashed with undisguised fear and unease.

“I always thought it was just my imagination… All the other students are normal, so it must be something wrong with me. But Yu Ziqiang… how could he have died so inexplicably? I’m… very… scared now.”

"Afraid? Why are you afraid?" Luo Fei sensed something amiss and immediately followed the clue.

“Last night, something appeared… I don’t know what it is, and no one can see it…” As she spoke, the girl became tense, staring wide-eyed at Luo Fei, as if she could draw courage from him.

Luo Fei frowned: "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Xu Ting nervously rubbed her hands together: "I know this is hard to understand. If I tell my classmates, they will definitely laugh at me, but I have to tell you now. I can feel the presence of that thing. Where exactly is it? I don't know. Maybe it's floating in the air in the classroom, or maybe it's hidden in the darkness outside the window. In short, I have a strong sense of fear and oppression. The feeling is real, and I almost can't help but scream."

The girl's description was undoubtedly unbelievable, but her last sentence reminded Luo Fei, who immediately asked, "You mean, Yu Ziqiang also had the same feeling as you?"

Xu Ting nodded vigorously: "Yes, his feeling came earlier than mine, and it was much stronger. I first saw him looking around in fear and anxiety, as if he was looking for something. This process lasted for five or six minutes. I don't know if I was infected by him, but I suddenly felt scared too, as if there was something terrifying right next to me."

Luo Fei felt like he was listening to a ghost story, but he couldn't help but ask, "And then?"

"Then Yu Ziqiang suddenly turned his head and stared at me. His gaze was somewhat unfocused; perhaps he wasn't looking at me, but at something hidden behind me. But he must have discovered something, because the expression on his face became increasingly terrifying. I was terrified myself, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word. It wasn't until Yu Ziqiang finally let out that scream that I snapped out of it." The girl took a deep breath at this point. "You know what happened next: Yu Ziqiang ran out of the classroom like a madman and never came back."

Under the current circumstances, Luo Fei could only assume for the time being that Xu Ting was not lying. He shook his head in frustration and asked, "And what about you? What happened to you afterwards?"

"After Yu Ziqiang rushed out of the classroom, I felt much better. That fear came quickly and disappeared just as fast. Maybe it's because that thing left with Yu Ziqiang?"

"That thing?" Luo Fei finally couldn't help but scoff, expressing his doubt. "What thing? So many people were watching Yu Ziqiang at the time, how could something be following him?"

"No one can see it, but it really exists, I really felt it!" Faced with Luo Fei's questioning, the girl, who had suppressed her fear all night, finally burst out. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "It must be chasing Yu Ziqiang, otherwise why would Yu Ziqiang run away?! And why did he die?!"

Luo Fei couldn't say anything more. He held the girl's hand to help her calm down, and thought to himself: I need to go to the classroom to check.

The inspection of the classroom was disappointing; from any angle, it was utterly ordinary. Desks, podium, walls, blackboard—nothing special about it. The only thing that caught Luo Fei's attention were the north-facing windows. Outside, a row of lush sycamore trees grew; in the darkness, the swaying leaves might cast eerie shadows on the glass, evoking associations with ghosts. But even so, at most, it would only startle a timid person unintentionally; it would never reach the level of terror Xu Ting had described.

Luo Fei then interviewed other classmates who were present at the time, hoping to see if anyone else had experienced the same feeling as Xu Ting. The result was disappointing.

"Fear? I felt a little bit after I heard Yu Ziqiang died, but definitely not at the time. I was just a little surprised that he would run out shouting like that."

"I didn't feel anything. On the contrary, I was in an exceptionally good mood last night, and my whole body felt very comfortable, so why would I feel fear?"

"There's something terrifying? No way? I didn't notice anything. Maybe I was too engrossed in my book? I was in a particularly good state of mind last night. If it weren't for Yu Ziqiang's shout, almost nothing could have disturbed me."

...

All the other students' accounts differed greatly from Xu Ting's description. Luo Fei began to suspect that this seemingly frightened and helpless girl was actually putting on an act. But the autopsy results that Zhang Yu brought in the afternoon plunged him into even deeper confusion.

After leaving the Polytechnic Institute, Luo Fei ate a boxed lunch at a small restaurant. When he returned to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, it was already past 2 p.m., and Zhang Yu was already waiting for him.

“Captain Luo, I think your assessment this morning was somewhat flawed,” Zhang Yu said bluntly. “The search for taxi drivers can be put on hold for now.”

"Why?"

“The deceased did not use any means of transportation,” Zhang Yu said confidently.

"How do you know?" Luo Fei looked at the other person in puzzlement. "How could he have traveled such a long distance in such a short time without the help of transportation?"

Zhang Yu didn't answer directly; instead, he handed over the completed autopsy report: "Take a look at this first."

Luo Fei took the report, his gaze expertly sweeping over the most crucial section: Cause of death – Heart exhaustion.