Uncanny Valley

Chapter 6

"What I am about to tell you is a period of history from the late Ming to the early Qing dynasty. In 1644, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Youjian, committed suicide, and many people thought that the Ming dynasty had ended. This is a big mistake. At that time, most of southern China was still under the control of the Zhu Ming dynasty, historically known as the Southern Ming. The Southern Ming's resistance against the Manchu Qing dynasty continued until 1662. The last emperor of the Southern Ming was Emperor Yongli, Zhu Youlang, and his most famous general was Li Dingguo."

"Anyone with a little knowledge knows the history you're talking about; there's nothing special about it," Zhou Liwei coldly interjected. "The Southern Ming army retreated all the way to the Yunnan border. In 1659, the Yongli Emperor fled to Burma, but Li Dingguo, unwilling to be subservient, continued to resist the Qing on the Yunnan border until his defeat and death in 1662."

Luo Fei, unfamiliar with history, was momentarily bewildered when the two suddenly brought up this topic. It wasn't until Zhou Liwei mentioned the words "Yunnan border" that he realized what was going on and immediately perked up his ears to listen.

“These histories written in books are naturally known to everyone.” Yue Dongbei curled his lip in disdain. “I ask you, when Li Dingguo retreated to the Yunnan border, he had less than 10,000 troops and faced encirclement by multiple forces, including the Manchus, Burma, and local natives, yet he held out for three years. Isn’t that strange?”

Zhou Liwei responded calmly: "What's so strange about that? Li Dingguo followed Zhang Xianzhong in his early years and was a fierce general from the rebel army. His soldiers were also battle-hardened and exceptionally brave."

"You know quite a lot, but in front of me, it's just the tip of the iceberg." Yue Dongbei tried his best to widen his squinty eyes and glared at the other party. "According to you, the Southern Ming Dynasty should have driven the Qing army back to the pass long ago. When they had a large army and many generals, they suffered defeat after defeat, and in the end, they were trapped in the jungle with their army isolated. The emperor went into exile abroad, and the people's hearts were in turmoil. Yet, they remained undefeated in hundreds of battles, large and small, over three years. Does that make sense?"

Knowing that his historical knowledge was definitely inferior to his opponent's, Zhou Liwei simply switched from offense to defense and asked in return, "I'd like to hear your theory."

Yue Dongbei chuckled smugly, then leaned back on the sofa and slowly said, "The border forest that Li Dingguo used to guard now has a name: 'Terror Valley'!"

"Uncanny Valley?!" Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei exclaimed simultaneously, their faces filled with astonishment.

"You've already heard this name, haven't you? He told you." Yue Dongbei seemed very satisfied with their reaction. "But you probably don't know the origin of this name. All the books that can be verified record that it was named because the battle was so fierce back then, with corpses everywhere and no one to collect them, creating a horrific scene. Hehe, throughout history, there are countless lies like this, and so many truths have been buried because of it."

At this point in the conversation, Zhou Liwei and Luo Fei were unable to get a word in edgewise. They could only exchange puzzled glances before continuing to listen to each other's story with skepticism.

Yue Dongbei cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and solemnly said, "According to my research, the reason why Terror Valley is named is because Li Dingguo, who is stationed here, has become a terrifying demon. He controls the power of demons, so he can win battle after battle."

Upon hearing these words, Luo Fei shook his head repeatedly, while Zhou Liwei bluntly rebuked, "Absurd!"

Yue Dongbei, however, remained calm and composed: "When doing academic research and verifying history, one must rely on evidence. Of course, I am not just making things up."

After saying that, he opened his briefcase, took out a hard plastic file bag, and then stood up and displayed the file bag on the desk in front of the two of them.

Luo Fei and his companion stared intently, and saw a strip of cloth about a foot long and an inch wide tucked inside the file bag. The cloth looked old and worn, but a line of dark red traditional Chinese characters was still faintly discernible on it:

"To walk with demons brings boundless joy. To harbor wicked thoughts leads to a terrifying prison!"

"These are the strips of cloth that Li Dingguo's soldiers wore on their heads during battle. A few years ago, I obtained this treasure by chance, and it was through it that I uncovered this little-known secret in history. Look at this sentence; the meaning is very clear. Li Dingguo unequivocally told his subordinates: I have mastered the power of the devil. Those who obey me will receive pleasure, while those who betray me will be dragged into a terrifying hell by the devil!" Yue Dongbei waved his arms as he spoke eloquently.

Zhou Liwei shook his head dismissively: "This is just a common trick used by ancient generals to motivate their soldiers. Didn't the Boxers also claim to be possessed by gods? What was the truth?"

"The truth? People who sit at home flipping through books will never know what the truth is!" Yue Dongbei rolled his eyes and said in a strange tone, "I am a scholar with a rigorous academic attitude. After obtaining this strip of cloth, I did a lot of investigation and interviews and heard some legends, which actually matched my conjectures very well."

"How can a kiss be legal?" Luo Fei frowned and pressed on. Regardless of the veracity of the story, he was at least somewhat intrigued by it.

"When Li Dingguo was defeated and reached the Yunnan border, his army was in disarray, morale was low, and the situation was extremely precarious. At this critical moment, Li Dingguo suddenly displayed a demonic power. Anyone who obeyed his orders and fought alongside him gained boundless courage. It is said that even when fighting to the death, they would have a cheerful smile on their face. Those who were cowardly and afraid to fight would be punished by this terrifying demon; their fate was either to be driven mad by fear or to die of fright! Under these circumstances, every soldier in the army fought desperately, creating the miracle of a lone army struggling in a desperate situation and holding on to their fate!"

“You say he was holding on through sheer grit, but in the end, didn’t Li Dingguo still suffer defeat and die? If he truly possessed demonic power, how do you explain that?” Luo Fei seized upon a fatal flaw in Yue Dongbei’s “theory.”

"Good question!" Yue Dongbei clapped his hands excitedly instead. "This is the key to my theory, and the reason I'm here today. Moreover, it can also answer all the strange things you've encountered recently!"

Luo Fei and the other man remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Li Dingguo held fast in the jungle, waging war year after year. Not only were the Qing soldiers terrified, but the surrounding natives also suffered greatly. By this time, Li Dingguo had been rumored to be the incarnation of a demon, and his base had earned the nickname 'Valley of Terror.' Later, an old priest of the local natives devised a scheme and, through some unorthodox methods, finally brought about Li Dingguo's demise." Yue Dongbei closed his eyes and shook his head at this point, appearing quite regretful.

"An alternative method? What exactly is that method?" Luo Fei didn't overlook any ambiguous details.

“I don’t know either.” Yue Dongbei spread his hands, a look of helplessness appearing on his face for the first time. “I am a scholar, and I must have solid evidence for everything I say. I can only tell you that in the end, it was the bravest warrior among the natives who cut off Li Dingguo’s head. Then, surrounded by the Burmese army, the Qing army, and the native warriors, Li Dingguo’s army collapsed. But the demon’s power still existed, and the victors of the battle were worried about the demon’s revenge. Later, the priest used a magical spell to finally suppress the demon and put everyone’s mind at ease.”

Zhou Liwei immediately questioned, "Are these all based on evidence?"

“Of course there’s evidence, and it’s recorded in historical books!” Yue Dongbei smugly shook his round head. “But it’s not Chinese history books. History is written by the victors, and the Qing dynasty officials certainly wouldn’t have included this embarrassing record in the annals. I consulted Burmese history books.”

"History books of Myanmar?" Luo Fei looked at the fat man in front of him with some surprise. If what he said was true, then his dedication to academic research was indeed admirable.

“That’s right. I consulted a lot of Burmese historical and cultural materials and finally found records about this battle. However, the Burmese army did not participate in the planning of this operation; they only participated in the battle and witnessed Li Dingguo’s death and the priest’s final spell to suppress the demon. Therefore, their records are vague and incomplete.”

"Didn't you go and look for the descendants of those indigenous people? That's not in line with your academic spirit!" Zhou Liwei said sarcastically.

“If I had the ability, I would have gone long ago. Unfortunately, I can’t.” Yue Dongbei said with some sadness, “The Hamo people, including the old site of the Valley of the Uncanny, have long been hiding deep in the jungle, in a place that ordinary people simply cannot reach. You need to have a strong physique and professional wilderness survival skills to find them. I can only publish my research results online, hoping to find like-minded and capable people to help me fulfill this wish.”

"That patient, that young man!" Luo Fei suddenly realized, blurting out, "He's the one you found!"

“Your thinking is very sharp.” Yue Dongbei glanced at Luo Fei approvingly. “However, you’re wrong about one thing. It wasn’t me who found him, but him who found me. He was extremely interested in my academic work and took the initiative to come to me, asking me many questions in detail. Then, under my guidance, he set off. I knew he would succeed because he is exceptionally talented and has a tenacious character and a strong sense of curiosity.”

"Who is he? What's his name?" This is the question Luo Fei is most concerned about right now.

"He's a professional explorer. His name? I don't know." Seeing Luo Fei's surprised look, Yue Dongbei grinned nonchalantly. "Does a name matter? I think it's meaningless. The key is that he finally found the blood vial. That's a remarkable and exciting achievement!"

"Blood vials, what are those?"

“Oh, I haven’t told you yet. The priest finally used magic to seal the demon inside the blood vial. As long as the vial remains intact, the demon can no longer unleash his terrifying power.” Yue Dongbei’s face lit up with excitement. He quickly moved to the sofa, pulled another folder from his bag, and threw it in front of Luo Fei. “Take a look. In Burmese historical records, there are not only written records of the blood vial, but also portraits. I made a copy.”

Sure enough, there was a photocopy of the document, and the image on it was a small bottle-shaped object. The object looked like a spindle with one corner cut off, with a pointed top and a flat bottom. Although it was called a "bottle", it was smooth on all four sides and seemed to be a closed whole with no opening.

Luo Fei's expression suddenly changed. He frowned and stared intently at Yue Dongbei: "How do you know that person found the blood vial?"

"Hahaha." Yue Dongbei laughed wildly. "Is there even a question? He not only found the blood vial, but he also smashed it! Because of the demon, the demon that was sealed away more than three hundred years ago, has now reappeared! Poor young man, he has become the first victim, but in order to bring the truth into the light and give those stubborn people who cling to science a slap in the face, this sacrifice is undoubtedly worthwhile! I just don't understand why the demon has come to Longzhou again? This is really interesting, and it's worth my careful study."

Luo Fei stared at the photocopy, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he struggled to compose himself and said to Yue Dongbei in a serious tone, "I'm sorry, your theories are really hard to accept. However, if possible, I hope you can leave this picture here."

"I had anticipated this outcome. But it doesn't matter. Faced with the facts, you will eventually bow to me, no, to the truth!" After saying this, Yue Dongbei proudly raised his head and strode away.

"Madman, nonsense, attention-seeking! I think he just wants to use this to make himself famous!" Zhou Liwei looked at his back, his tone finally filled with disgust. Seeing Luo Fei still staring blankly at the photocopy, he couldn't help but say, "Officer Luo, I really don't understand why you kept this. Do you really believe his crazy academic theories?"

"It's not a matter of whether I believe it or not." After a long silence, Luo Fei murmured, "This blood vial did indeed appear in Longzhou not long ago, and it was already broken!"

Chapter 8: The Secret of the Blood Bottle

If it weren't for the appearance of that photocopy, Luo Fei would most likely have regarded Yue Dongbei as a superstitious madman who had gone mad with delusion. But the "blood bottle" recorded on the map forced his thoughts to turn in another direction, a direction that seemed so absurd that you couldn't imagine what kind of answer it could be connected with.

Luo Fei understood Zhou Liwei's surprise and confusion, so after making a quick contact, he immediately took Zhou Liwei to the Longzhou Cultural Relics Appraisal Center.

On the way, Luo Fei briefly recounted the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the "blood bottle" in Longzhou to the other party.

About four months ago, the Criminal Investigation Team of the Public Security Bureau received a tip from an informant that a cross-border cultural relic smuggling operation would take place at the Xiyuan Hotel in the city. Because the case revealed was quite serious, Luo Fei personally planned and participated in the on-site arrest operation.

The operation initially went very smoothly. With the cooperation of their informant, the police, who had been lying in wait, stormed into the transaction location and took control of the situation without firing a single shot. Besides the informant, there were four people involved in the transaction, on both sides. The seller was Lao Hei, a notorious antique dealer in Longzhou, and his two henchmen. The receiver was a dark-skinned, short, middle-aged man who appeared to be from Southeast Asia; later interrogation confirmed that he was from Myanmar.

When the police arrived, the transaction was already complete, and the artifacts had been transferred to a suitcase brought by the Burmese man. The police ordered the man to open the suitcase to collect evidence at the scene. Unexpectedly, this is when the incident occurred.

The Burmese man opened the leather suitcase, whose interior had been meticulously modified with excellent securing and shockproof features. Clearly, these measures were all designed to protect the contents of the suitcase—a uniquely shaped bottle.

The bottle resembles a spindle with one corner cut off. It's not very large, about ten centimeters tall, and only about three or four centimeters in diameter at its widest point. It's smooth and rounded all over, and the material looks very peculiar, like both glass and some kind of unknown metal.

Luo Fei and the others didn't know what the bottle was, so they questioned the suspects present. However, they all remained silent. Just as the standoff began, the Burmese man suddenly grabbed the bottle and jumped out of the hotel window!

Because the room where the transaction took place was on the 15th floor, the police were completely unprepared for his actions and took no precautions. When Luo Fei arrived at the window, he discovered a protruding platform between the 12th and 13th floors of the hotel; the man had jumped onto this platform in an attempt to escape!

Without hesitation, Luo Fei jumped down, but twisted his ankle upon landing. The Burmese man, however, was agile; he landed, flipped over, and leaped up, heading towards an open window on the 13th floor.

Seeing the man about to enter through the window, and unable to give chase, Luo Fei had no choice but to fire a warning shot. The man ignored the warning, so Luo Fei aimed at his leg and pulled the trigger.

When the man saw Luo Fei shoot him, he immediately rolled to the ground to avoid it. After he got up again, he stood still.

Luo Fei limped up to the man, who had a shocked expression on his face and eyes filled with fear as he stared blankly at his right hand.

Bright red blood was seeping from his tightly clenched palm.

Just seconds before he was running for his life, the man seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant. After a long, blank stare, he loosened his grip, and the bottle fell to the ground with a clatter.

The bottle had a crack at the waist, and fresh blood was gushing out from it!

Two more police officers arrived on the platform and grabbed the man's arms from both sides. The man seemed to suddenly realize what was happening; he let out a chilling scream and then unleashed an astonishing burst of strength as he twisted and struggled. Caught off guard, the two police officers were freed, but what happened next astonished everyone present.

The man didn't run away; he simply swung his right hand violently and then repeatedly rubbed his palm on the ground. During this process, his expression and movements were so frantic, as if some kind of terrifying monster was attached to his palm! Luo Fei had initially thought he was wounded by a bullet, but now he realized that wasn't the case. His palm was intact, only stained with a lot of blood that had gushed from the bottle.

The man was muttering something unintelligible, but his terrified expression was obvious. This terror undoubtedly stemmed from the blood. Luo Fei even believed that if there had been a knife, the man would have unhesitatingly chopped off his right hand to expel the blood from his body as quickly as possible.

Luo Fei and the others didn't know what the bottle was, nor did they understand why blood would gush out after it broke. They were simply fulfilling their duty as police officers, keeping the bottle safe as evidence and taking the suspect back to the police station for questioning.

The Burmese man remained emotionally unstable, repeatedly uttering the same words in fear. Translated, these words can be summarized into two main phrases.

One sentence is: "It's broken!"

Another saying is: "The devil will rise again!"

Because the man had foreign citizenship, he was briefly dealt with and then deported back to his country. Luo Fei and his team primarily interrogated Lao Hei.

Old Black's crimes are undeniable and irrefutable, but some mysteries remain unsolved.

First, there was the supplier. According to Lao Hei, this mysterious supplier never appeared in person; their communication was always via phone and the internet. The supplier initially provided photos and videos of the goods and told Lao Hei to look for buyers in Myanmar. Following his directions, Lao Hei successfully found a potential buyer—a short, dark-skinned Burmese man. For a small bottle, the Burmese man offered a million US dollars and paid a 30% deposit. Lao Hei immediately accepted the supplier's offer of five million RMB. The transaction was completed without them meeting in person. Therefore, until his arrest, Lao Hei couldn't reveal the supplier's true identity, or even whether the person was male or female.

Another mystery concerns the bottle. What exactly is the bottle? Why is it worth so much money? How can the blood inside be explained? What is the source of the Burmese people's fear? Lao Hei had no idea about any of this. Luo Fei could only send the bottle to an artifact appraisal center, hoping that professionals could find the answers. Fortunately, these questions wouldn't affect the nature of the case, and Lao Hei quickly received a fair judgment from the law. In his busy work, Luo Fei gradually neglected to investigate these details.

But now, Luo Fei has to face these problems again. Because he clearly remembers that the broken bottle and the "blood bottle" pattern provided by Yue Dongbei are completely identical in appearance.

In recent months, the person who has studied this "blood bottle" the most is undoubtedly Zhu Xiaohua, deputy director of the Cultural Relics Appraisal Center. After receiving Luo Fei's call, he waited for him in his office. Compared to Luo Fei, Zhu Xiaohua was undoubtedly in a very good mood. For a scholar, what could be more wonderful than having someone come to your door to hear your research findings?

After Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei arrived, the three of them didn't exchange many pleasantries and quickly got down to business.

Zhu Xiaohua appeared to be around forty years old, tall and slightly overweight; his round face was framed by black-rimmed glasses, giving him a somewhat honest and simple look. On the desk in front of him sat a small rectangular glass box containing the bottle Luo Fei had just mentioned.

Zhu Xiaohua picked up the glass box and showed it to everyone, saying with a beaming smile, "Officer Luo, you two came here for this, right? I've put a lot of effort into it these past few months."

"May I take a look?" Zhou Liwei stepped forward and pointed to the box. It seemed to be the first time he had seen this mysterious bottle; his gaze was focused and sharp.

"Please feel free to use it." Zhu Xiaohua handed over the box generously. "This thing is indestructible. It's made of a very special material, extremely sturdy. Even if it were hit by a bullet, it would only crack slightly. We put it in a glass box simply for easy storage."

Zhou Liwei held the box in his hands and examined it carefully. Sure enough, the bottle only had a dent and crack where the bullet hit it; its overall shape remained a smooth spindle, and it shimmered with a mysterious, dark luster. In appearance, it was indeed exactly the same bottle as the one on the photocopy left by Yue Dongbei.

"If I'm not mistaken, your research should have yielded some results, right?" While Zhou Liwei was frowning in thought, Luo Fei said to Zhu Xiaohua. The other party seemed to be a straightforward person, and his joys and sorrows were all clearly visible on his face.

“Yes,” Zhu Xiaohua replied excitedly. “This is a very rare cultural relic. Judging from the timeline, it should have been made three or four hundred years ago.”

Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei exchanged a glance; this timing matched Yue Dongbei's account.

Zhu Xiaohua, oblivious to the listeners' reactions, continued speaking: "It has extremely high research value in many fields, including history, culture, ethnicity, and even witchcraft, casting, and so on. If it weren't for your shot, it could truly be considered one of the most exciting archaeological discoveries in recent years."

When Zhu Xiaohua said his last words, the regret in his tone was obvious. Influenced by him, Luo Fei couldn't help but feel a little guilty: "The incident happened so suddenly, I didn't have a better solution in time. It's truly a pity that the bottle was broken."

Zhu Xiaohua shook her head dismissively: "No, no, the damage is secondary. Actually, this bottle is just a container; what's inside is what's most noteworthy. Hehe, highly preserved human blood from hundreds of years ago—just imagine the shockwaves this will cause in the fields of medicine, archaeology, and biology!"

Although he had personally witnessed the "blood" seeping from the bottle, Luo Fei was still somewhat shocked when the experts confirmed it: "Really? Is that bright red liquid really blood? How could it have been preserved until now?"

"That's the magic of this bottle. Its material and casting method may remain a mystery. But what is certain is that after the bottle was cast, it formed a completely sealed vacuum, which has an excellent preservation function. Of course, once the bottle is broken, this function is completely lost. By the time you delivered the bottle to me, some time had passed, and the blood had long since dried up, greatly reducing its value in all aspects!"

"But why seal the blood in a bottle? Could there be something terrible hidden in this blood?" Luo Fei connected the Burmese man's behavior with the strange cases that had recently occurred in Longzhou City, and naturally some guesses arose: Could the blood contain ancient pathogenic substances? But he immediately shook his head. This guess didn't make sense in many ways. The simplest point was that he was the first person in Longzhou to come into contact with the blood, yet he was still safe and sound.

"Something terrifying?" Zhu Xiaohua replied with a smile, "No, it's not that mysterious. We're not discussing a science fiction novel. This blood is just ordinary human blood, except it's a bit old, it's no different from the fluid flowing in your and my veins. As for why it's sealed in a bottle? Hehe, that question also puzzled me for a long time. I spent more than two months searching through all kinds of materials, unofficial histories, and even folk tales, and finally found the answer."

Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei stared wide-eyed at Zhu Xiaohua. Zhu Xiaohua derives a strong sense of satisfaction from their reaction. He licks his lips smugly and continues, "This behavior is related to witchcraft practiced by certain ethnic groups. Strictly speaking, it should be considered a curse."

"A curse?" Luo Fei raised an eyebrow, gesturing for the other party to continue with an expectant look.

“Yes, a curse.” Zhu Xiaohua nodded vigorously, speaking as if she were giving a formal lecture. “In some ethnic minorities in the southwestern border of our country, including some small countries in Southeast Asia, the local residents have this superstitious belief: after a person dies, all of his flesh, blood, hair and so on must return to the dust in order to have the opportunity to be reborn.”

"Oh." Luo Fei's eyes flickered, and following Zhu Xiaohua's train of thought, he guessed, "If you seal the blood of a dead person in this bottle, never to see the light of day, then that person will never be able to be reborn?"

"Yes, his soul will forever wander between the realms of the living and the dead, without any support. Of course, this is just a superstitious belief."

"It is indeed a very vicious curse. However, such a method seems to be rare in history?" Luo Fei made this judgment based on the rarity of the "blood bottle".