Uncanny Valley

Chapter 12

“Didn’t Officer Luo say he’s just a new tourist?” Yue Dongbei sprawled out on the bed and said lazily. “He came looking for us, but he might not even know us. Maybe he wants to travel with us? Hehe, he has no idea we’re heading to ‘Terror Valley’.”

“This is a bit strange. Our attire and demeanor are clearly different from the locals. Logically, he should at least have stopped to ask questions, instead of coming and going in such a hurry…” Luo Fei pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “Forget it, let’s not think about it too much for now. We’ll find out where he lives tomorrow and go pay him a visit.”

Chapter Fourteen: The Night Rendezvous

Because they had gotten up very early, all three of them felt quite tired. After changing out of their wet clothes, they lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) to take a short nap. Unexpectedly, they fell into a deep sleep. When Luo Fei was the first to wake up, it was already completely dark. He checked his watch; it was almost eight o'clock in the evening. The rain was still pattering outside. After his nap, his weariness had greatly dissipated, and the hunger in his stomach surged uncontrollably. Luo Fei went to the door and called out to Old Wang. Old Wang rushed over immediately, and this time, before Luo Fei could speak, he said, "Awake? Dinner was ready a long time ago, but I didn't wake you because you were asleep."

At this moment, Zhou Liwei and Yue Dongbei also woke up. The three of them cheered and got out of bed to follow Lao Wang to the main house.

Dinner was a steaming bowl of sweet potato porridge, and Old Wang also fried a few eggs, along with two or three kinds of wild mountain vegetables. Although not lavish, it was refreshing and delicious. Luo Fei and his two companions wolfed down their food, and couldn't help but offer a few words of praise. The host had already finished eating and was now sitting beside them with a憨笑 (a simple, honest smile) on his face. He was also very happy that his guests were enjoying their meal so much.

Suddenly, Zhou Liwei stopped holding the bowl and chopsticks in mid-air. He frowned, said nothing, and his eyes scanned the room warily.

"What's wrong?" Luo Fei asked naturally when he noticed his strange behavior.

Zhou Liwei looked away, but his expression still showed some doubt.

“I have a feeling that something is wrong,” he said quietly. “It’s like I’m being watched.”

After Zhou Liwei said that, Luo Fei and Yue Dongbei also lost their appetite. Looking around, the dim candlelight flickered and the corners of the room were sometimes bright and sometimes dark, which did indeed give off an eerie atmosphere.

Just as everyone fell silent, the window suddenly clicked open by itself. Everyone was startled, and Yue Dongbei cried out in surprise, "Who's there?"

Outside the window was a dark world, and apart from the sound of wind and rain, there seemed to be no other noise.

Old Wang walked to the window, peeked out for a moment, and seemed to mutter to himself, "Nothing... it's just the wind..." Then he closed the window and said to Luo Fei and the other two, "You guys keep eating, I'll go out and take another look."

It seemed to be just a false alarm. Luo Fei and the other two picked up their bowls and chopsticks again, but the atmosphere of the dinner was greatly dampened as a result.

Old Wang had reached the door when he suddenly stopped. After hesitating for a moment, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to 'The Valley of Fear'?"

Having spent more than a day together, this was the first time Old Wang had taken the initiative to ask them a question. Luo Fei smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Old Wang sighed heavily and walked out of the house with his head down.

"That place is really not peaceful!" His exclamation came from the dark rain after a moment.

Luo Fei and his two companions looked at each other, imagining the journey ahead, the dangers and hardships it might bring. Who could possibly foresee what would happen next?

Located on the edge of the rainforest, the village has no shortage of firewood. Therefore, the villagers usually leave the fire in their kitchens burning. Even at night, they will put a few half-burnt charcoal pieces in the hearth to avoid the trouble of getting up early to start a fire.

Before going to bed, Old Wang stacked Luo Fei and the other two's wet shoes at the stove opening to dry them in the heat. When he went to retrieve the shoes at dawn, he discovered a small mishap: the sole of one shoe had been burned through by the charcoal.

Old Wang felt extremely guilty about his mistake. He carried the shoes to the west room with a dejected look on his face, explained the situation, and stood silently to one side, looking pitiful and waiting for his punishment.

Upon inspection, the shoe that had been damaged by the heat was identified as Zhou Liwei's. Naturally, he wouldn't hold a grudge against Lao Wang over such a small matter. Instead, he generously comforted Lao Wang, saying, "It's alright. This shoe has been worn for many years and should have been thrown away anyway."

"They're still wearable, perfectly good shoes, and I've ruined them. I even tried to push the charcoal in as much as possible, but a piece still got stuck at the furnace opening," Old Wang said with deep regret, seemingly still unable to forgive himself.

"Hey Lao Wang, it's really nothing." Zhou Liwei said, pulling over his bag and pulling out a brand new pair of hiking boots. "Look, I brought a new pair of shoes with me, which I was going to change into before going into the jungle. I'm just putting them to use now."

Seeing that Zhou Liwei had said that, Old Wang was a little relieved: "You guys wash up first, I'll go prepare breakfast now."

After breakfast, Luo Fei asked Zhou Liwei and Yue Dongbei for their opinions: "I'd like to go and meet the person who came to see us yesterday. Are you interested?"

Zhou Liwei smiled and said, "Won't it scare the other party if three people go all at once? Actually, I'm planning to go to Bai Jian'e's place to urge him to start preparations as soon as possible."

Luo Fei nodded: "It's good to split up; there's no need to tie everyone together. Mr. Yue, what are your plans?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Yue Dongbei said lazily. "We'll be going into the forest in a couple of days, so I need to take this time to rest and recharge."

Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei didn't force the issue. They didn't have much in common with Yue Dongbei to begin with, and were even somewhat happy to have one less chatterbox.

After a short rest, Luo Fei set off first. The rain was still falling, but it was much lighter than yesterday. After making a few inquiries, Luo Fei quickly learned that the new guest was staying at Sun Tou's house in the northern part of the village.

They found their destination without much trouble. Unfortunately, the guest left alone about ten minutes before Luo Fei's arrival.

The homeowner, Old Sun, didn't know where the man had gone or when he would return. As for the man's origins and purpose in coming to Mi Hong Village, Old Sun was even more clueless. Luo Fei sat down and waited for an hour or so, but finally couldn't contain himself and decided to go back first and visit again another time.

On the way back, all hope was gone, and a sense of loneliness washed over him as he walked alone in the rain. Several times, Luo Fei even stopped and looked around, hoping to find one or two people to chat with. But the villagers were either sheltering from the rain at home or working in the fields, and the mountain path was always deserted. After walking for about ten minutes, he finally saw someone turn out from a fork in the road ahead.

Although both were wearing straw raincoats, Luo Fei recognized Zhou Liwei at a glance. Looking at the fork in the road, he saw that it led to the path to Bai Jian'e's house.

"What a coincidence!" Luo Fei greeted him with a smile. "Have you seen Bai Jian'e?"

"We're making all the preparations right now. This guy really doesn't mince words; he said he'll come to us tomorrow morning." After explaining his situation, Zhou Liwei glanced behind Luo Fei and asked, "So? What's that guy's background?"

Luo Fei gave a wry smile: "Hey, he went out. I waited for ages but he didn't show up."

"Didn't he wait?" Zhou Liwei seemed to misunderstand Luo Fei's meaning. "Wasn't he following behind you the whole time?"

"What?" Luo Fei exclaimed in surprise, then suddenly turned his head. Sure enough, at the end of the mountain path behind him, a figure was standing far away, gazing in this direction.

The man was dressed in all black, his clothes and hat almost completely covering his face. Judging from his figure and clothing, he was the same man who had brushed past Luo Fei and his two companions yesterday.

"What's going on? What does he want?" Luo Fei blurted out involuntarily. He had waited for so long, but this person hadn't shown up. Now that they were heading back, and he had been following them suspiciously all the way, it was really arousing.

"You didn't know he was behind you?" Zhou Liwei noticed something amiss in Luo Fei's expression, then decisively patted Luo Fei on the shoulder, "Come on, let's go over and find out what's going on."

Luo Fei nodded: "Alright!" Then, the two of them started walking together toward where the man was standing.

When the man saw Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei walking towards him, he paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Since he was standing at the end of the mountain path, he disappeared into the ravine in the blink of an eye.

"Hey, still running!" Zhou Liwei swung his arm, making a chasing motion.

Luo Fei reached out to stop him: "Forget it, the mountain roads are complicated. If he's deliberately hiding from us, it'll be hard for us to find him. Let's go back first."

Zhou Liwei narrowed his eyes, revealing a ruthless glint in his eyes: "This person is too suspicious. I really can't rest easy until I get to the bottom of this."

"No need to rush. Since he's following me, he must have some purpose. If he hasn't achieved his goal yet, he'll come back again. We just need to wait patiently." Luo Fei said with a smile, then turned around and leisurely headed home.

Zhou Liwei laughed too, and he quickened his pace to catch up with Luo Fei: "Hehe. Alright then, I'll follow Officer Luo's advice."

Luo Fei's judgments have always been accurate, and this was confirmed as evening approached.

Old Wang spent the whole afternoon working in his fields, and didn't return home until after six o'clock when it was getting dark. Without even wiping his face, he went straight to Luo Fei: "Officer Luo, I ran into that person who came yesterday this afternoon. He asked me to tell you that he's waiting for you at the western entrance of the village at nine o'clock tonight."

"Oh?" Luo Fei immediately perked up, and at the same time glanced at Zhou Liwei with a hint of smugness.

Zhou Liwei smiled knowingly: "Hehe, he really did come knocking on my door. But... why did he want to meet with you alone?"

"What does that guy mean?" Yue Dongbei asked in surprise. "He insisted on meeting at night, and in such a remote place."

The western entrance to the village? Luo Fei remembered passing by there on his first day in the village. It was the outermost edge of the village, surrounded by rivers and fields. The nearest house in the village was about half a mile away. He could imagine that by nine o'clock at night, that place would be deserted.

"He wouldn't have any ill intentions, would he? How about I go with you?" Zhou Liwei offered.

"Let's forget about it," Luo Fei replied after a moment's thought. "He invited only me, and it would seem a bit petty for two of us to go. Besides, the other party might have some doubts. As long as I'm careful, nothing should go wrong. Heh, have you forgotten that I'm a policeman?"

“That’s true, but this is a dangerous place, so it’s best to be absolutely sure.” Zhou Liwei lowered his head and thought for a while, then had an idea. “How about this? You go to the appointment alone, and I’ll find a secluded place to watch from afar. This way, it won’t make the other person uncomfortable, and if anything unexpected happens, I can still help.”

“I think this is the best way!” Yue Dongbei echoed, and it was rare for the two of them to agree. “We’re about to enter the ‘Valley of Uncanny Things,’ so we shouldn’t cause any unforeseen problems or create any other trouble.”

Seeing that his two companions were so insistent, Luo Fei nodded, which was considered tacit approval.

After dinner, the rain intensified again, pouring down as if the sky were leaking. Luo Fei had hoped the rain would ease up before nine o'clock, but things didn't go as planned. Around eight-thirty, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and prepare to set off in the rain. As per the pre-arranged plan, Zhou Liwei would follow behind him at a distance.

When Old Wang saw Luo Fei and his companion arrive at the door of the east room and begin to put on their raincoats and hats, he raised his voice from inside his room and loudly instructed, "In this weather, you'd better stay away from the river."

Because of the sound of the rain, Luo Fei couldn't hear clearly, but Old Wang's tone was obviously very serious, so he quickly asked, "What? What did you say?!"

"Heavy rain, watch out for flash floods! Stay away from the river!" Old Wang walked to the door of the main house and repeated loudly.

Seeing Old Wang's concerned expression, Luo Fei couldn't help but think of Master Zheng, the gatekeeper at Nanmingshan Police Station. That snowy night, when he was about to go up the mountain alone, Old Zheng had also been quite worried. And then there was Sun Fachao, his landlord on Mingze Island. It was these ordinary people, their kindness and simplicity, that gave meaning to each of his adventures.

A warm feeling slowly welled up in his heart, but Luo Fei was never good at expressing himself in this mood. He simply made a knowing gesture, then turned on his flashlight and plunged into the torrential rain.

It was already pitch black, without a trace of light. Relying solely on the dim light of a flashlight, we proceeded cautiously along the muddy mountain path. The river seemed to be not far from the path; the rushing water could be clearly heard. Rainwater from this area eventually converged into this river, making its flow quite strong.

He didn't encounter a single person along the way. In this vast expanse of heaven and earth, Luo Fei suddenly felt so insignificant. Occasionally, he would look back and see faint lights flickering a hundred or two meters behind him. Luo Fei knew that Zhou Liwei was following him from afar, and only then did the loneliness in his heart ease slightly.

As Luo Fei approached the western entrance of the village, he finally understood why Old Wang had given him that particular instruction before he left. Topographically, this section of the road was nestled in a narrow mountain valley. At the valley's entrance, the mountain path split into two: one cut through the valley, almost touching the riverbed, while the other wound its way up, right next to a terraced field.

With Lao Wang's reminder, Luo Fei naturally chose the upward path. A little further on would lead out of the village; this should be the agreed-upon location. Luo Fei stood by the roadside, shining his flashlight in the direction he had come from. This way, the man coming from the village would easily spot him.

A moment later, Zhou Liwei followed. He didn't greet Luo Fei and went straight into the depths of the terraced fields. After walking about thirty or forty meters, having found a suitable spot to lie in wait, he turned off his flashlight, and his figure disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace.

Luo Fei glanced at his watch; there were still eight or nine minutes until nine o'clock. That person should be arriving soon, right?

However, things did not go as smoothly as Luo Fei had imagined. As time passed by, the mountain road remained dark and deserted.

Soon, it was past nine o'clock. Luo Fei frowned and muttered to himself, "What's this guy up to? Is he going to break his promise?"

While they were still confused, they suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from the distant mountains, as if something unusual had happened.

The sound was deep and muffled, not particularly loud, but it carried an indescribable force, as if a thousand horses were galloping down from the sky. Luo Fei was taken aback at first, but after listening intently for a moment, he suddenly realized what was happening and was shocked: the flash flood had indeed erupted!

Suddenly, the sound grew much louder, aggressively approaching the ravine. Although Luo Fei was on higher ground, the sheer force of the noise made him instinctively retreat several steps away from the river, simultaneously raising his flashlight to shine upstream. The river was flowing with rainwater, initially appearing normal, but as the rumbling grew closer, suddenly a white light burst from the ground, and a massive wall of water crashed down from the sky, slamming into the ravine!

Although Luo Fei was dozens of meters away, he was still almost suffocated by the astonishing force of the flood. About a second or two later, a loud "boom" was heard from the ravine below, water splashed, and the echo lingered for a long time before finally returning to calm.

Luo Fei was still not recovered from the terrifying scene until someone gently patted his shoulder from behind, which suddenly brought him to his senses.

"Officer Luo, are you alright?" It was Zhou Liwei who spoke. He must have been shocked by the force of the flash flood, and since the agreed time had passed, he couldn't help but step out from the shadows.

Luo Fei let out a long sigh and exclaimed, "What a powerful flash flood!" Then he carefully took a few steps toward the edge of the ravine and raised his flashlight to look at the riverbed below.

As expected, the mountain path that had been clinging to the riverbank was completely submerged by the flood. Zhou Liwei had also arrived at this moment. The two exchanged a glance, both secretly filled with fear. If Old Wang hadn't warned them beforehand, and if they had been careless and waited in the ravine, they would probably be dead by now.

After a long while, Zhou Liwei seemed to remember the purpose of his trip and asked, "Officer Luo, the time has long passed. Should we still wait?"

Luo Fei shook his head: "If he intends to break his promise, there's no point in waiting any longer. Let's go back first."

After saying that, he looked up into the dark distance, lost in thought.

Chapter Fifteen: Historical Events of Mopan Mountain

This was the last day of their stay at Ni Hong Village. According to the plan, they would set off tomorrow for the Valley of Terror deep in the jungle. In the morning, the rain finally subsided a bit. Because they had arranged to have a pre-departure meeting with Bai Jian'e, the three of them didn't get up too late.

Luo Fei finished his breakfast as quickly as possible, then said to his two companions, "I'll head north first, then we'll meet up with Bai Jian'e."

"North? Are you going to find the person you asked to meet yesterday?" Yue Dongbei guessed.

Luo Fei nodded.

Zhou Liwei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then hurry back. Many things here are more convenient with you around."

"Don't worry," Luo Fei replied, and quickly walked out the door.

When we arrived at Old Sun's house, we saw the owner coming out of the house, seemingly preparing to lock the door and leave. Judging from his clothes, he was probably heading to the fields.

"Is that guest not here again?" Luo Fei asked with some disappointment when he saw that the side rooms were also locked.

"A guest?" Old Sun was taken aback. "Oh, he's already gone."

"Gone?" This was completely unexpected for Luo Fei. "Where did they go?"

Old Sun shook his head blankly: "How would I know? Since you've come to this place, you must have gone into the woods, right?"