Uncanny Valley - Chapter 15
Zhao Liwen understood, took two steps forward, channeled his strength into his right arm, and suddenly swung it, the machete in his hand turning into a white light, heading straight for the target hidden high in the bushes!
The knife moved swiftly and rapidly, accompanied by a whooshing sound, and accurately pierced the person's heart. With a soft "thud," the person, subjected to immense force, lost their balance between the branches and finally swayed off the branch, falling towards the ground.
Without waiting for the chieftain's orders, Zhao Liwen quickly ran towards the crash site. Luo Fei watched his retreating figure with surprise: This man usually kept a low profile, but he was unexpectedly ruthless and bold, far surpassing Wu Qun, who often stood out.
The others followed, but they had only taken a few steps when Zhao Liwen's voice rang out from the forest: "Chief, this is a dummy!"
They quickened their pace and approached. There, they saw the "person" who had been in the tree lying among a pile of rotten branches and leaves. Zhao Liwen squatted down beside him, shining a flashlight to examine him closely. The machete that had been thrown earlier was now back in his hand.
Sure enough, it was just a mannequin roughly made of dry branches and weeds, but it was dressed in a full set of men's clothing, with clothes, pants, socks and shoes. At first glance, it looked rather strange.
Suddenly, Zhao Liwen bent down, brought his nose close to the dummy, and took a deep breath. While everyone was still wondering what was happening, Zhao Liwen looked up and exclaimed in horror, "Chief, these clothes are covered in blood!"
Bai Jian'e stared intently at the clothes on the mannequin, the muscles in his cheeks suddenly twitching, clearly unable to conceal the intense emotional turmoil within him.
Wu Qun also noticed something at this moment, and his face changed drastically: "These...these clothes are...are..." Perhaps he was too shocked, and he could only say half of his sentence before he could not continue.
With his remarkable observational skills, Luo Fei had already noticed something amiss. He helped Wu Qun finish his sentence: "That's right, these clothes are exactly what Xue Mingfei was wearing before he died!"
"Xue Mingfei's clothes?" Yue Dongbei's eyes lit up, and he squatted down to examine the mannequin closely. "Hmm, these large black stains are indeed dried blood, so this must be Xue Mingfei's blood too?"
No one answered, but everyone had the same thought in their mind.
"Who did this?" Wu Qun raised his flashlight and looked around in a daze and panic.
"Stop looking!" Bai Jian'e stopped him impatiently. "Let's move this dummy to the camp first."
Luo Fei glanced at his watch; it was 12:35 a.m.
The dummy was moved to the campfire, and Zhao Liwen added a large pile of firewood to the fire, making the simple campsite much brighter.
The crowd gathered around the blood-stained mannequin, falling silent as they pondered their own thoughts.
Zhou Liwei broke the silence first, frowning and looking at Bai Jian'e with a puzzled expression: "Could someone have been following us all along?"
Bai Jian'e remained silent with a dark expression, clearly in a very bad mood.
Yue Dongbei stood to the side, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He would shake his head and mutter to himself, ignoring the conversations of others.
Luo Fei then crouched down, carefully examining the dummy and its clothing. The dummy was crudely made, barely resembling a human figure, and the dry branches and weeds used were common in the jungle. The clothing was stained with large patches of blood, causing it to harden and clump, and it emitted a distinct bloody smell.
Luo Fei ran his hands over the clothes, leaving no corner unchecked. Suddenly, he seemed to have made a discovery, picking something out of his pocket and examining it closely. After a moment, he said, "I know the cause of Xue Mingfei's death."
"Oh?" This immediately piqued Zhou Liwei's interest. He crouched down and leaned closer to see what Luo Fei was holding. "This is... a leech?"
“Not bad.” Luo Fei nodded. “Although it’s just a shriveled and deformed fragment, it’s obvious that this is the kind of large leech that bit Mr. Yue.”
"So Xue Mingfei was bitten by these leeches, causing him to bleed to death?" Zhou Liwei suddenly realized, "No wonder there were no wounds on his body indicating blood loss."
"And there must have been a lot of leeches. These leeches sucked blood, then were killed and crushed, so Xue Mingfei's blood ended up in the Rain God statue and on these clothes!" Luo Fei said as he stood up and handed the leeches to Bai Jian'e: "Chief Bai, aren't you going to take a look?"
Bai Jian'e remained unmoved and simply chuckled, saying, "Leech, I already knew that."
Luo Fei was taken aback at first, then realized: Yes, yes! After the worship ceremony that day, Bai Jian'e would definitely check the mechanism of the Rain God statue, where he would most likely find the remains of leeches.
But Bai Jian'e gritted his teeth and said, "How Xue Mingfei died is not important. What's important is who did it and what their purpose was?"
Zhou Liwei nodded and said thoughtfully, "A blood-soaked idol, a skinned live snake, a straw man dressed in blood—his methods are getting more and more mysterious."
"What?" Yue Dongbei, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped to attention. "What did you say? A skinned live snake?"
"Didn't you see it just now?" Zhou Liwei glanced at him. "The snake that Chief Bai threw into the fire was skinned alive!"
"I know! I know what 'he' is doing!" Yue Dongbei shouted excitedly. "Hahaha, I'm a genius for integrating the past and the present!"
His laughter was completely out of place with the atmosphere. Bai Jian'e looked at him coldly and said, "Then tell me, what is he doing?"
"This is a symbol, and even more so, a warning—a warning of revenge, from that terrifying power that has been sealed away for so long." Yue Dongbei paused here, deliberately adopting a mysterious air.
Zhou Liwei disapproved of his attitude and snorted impatiently, "What symbolism? Just say it already."
With a sinister smile, Yue Dongbei uttered four words, one by one: "Peel-skin-and-stuff-grass!"
"What?" Luo Fei didn't understand, and the others also looked confused.
"This is a form of torture invented by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty," Yue Dongbei explained. "It involves peeling off the entire skin of the prisoner, stuffing straw inside the skin, and then displaying it to the public with a bamboo pole to establish authority."
In this situation, upon suddenly learning of such a cruel punishment, everyone involuntarily lowered their heads, looking at the mannequin made of branches and grass at their feet, their hearts filled with trepidation.
Skinned snakes, mannequins stuffed with grass—skinned and stuffed with grass! Is this truly the terrifying meaning these bizarre behaviors are meant to convey?
After a moment of silence, Zhou Liwei questioned Yue Dongbei: "Zhu Yuanzhang's cruel punishments. What does that have to do with your consistent theory of evil?"
“You only know one side of the story now,” Yue Dongbei replied calmly, having anticipated this. “The torture of skinning and stuffing straw was first created by Zhu Yuanzhang, but that doesn’t mean he was the only one who used it. Li Dingguo was also one of the users of this torture, and in Li Dingguo’s army, the punishment of skinning and stuffing straw was specifically applied to those traitors who betrayed their masters and went to the enemy.”
When he said the last sentence, Yue Dongbei suddenly emphasized his words and rolled his eyes at Bai Jian'e, clearly implying something.
Luo Fei's heart stirred: Bai Jian'e and the others' ancestors were all subordinates of Li Dingguo. When Li Dingguo was defeated and killed, these people did not fight hard, but chose to surrender to the Qing army.
Bai Jian'e's eyelids twitched suddenly, then he composed himself, suppressed his emotions, and said in a sinister voice, "Mr. Yue, do you think we would be interested in what you're saying?"
Yue Dongbei chuckled: "Whether others are interested or not doesn't matter, but you, Chief Bai, should pay extra attention."
Bai Jian's face darkened: "What do you mean?"
"At this point, we can't worry about saving face anymore. Forgive me for speaking frankly," Yue Dongbei said bluntly. "When Li Dingguo was killed by a coalition of forces, the one most deserving of the title 'traitor' among all his subordinates was his capable general, Bai Wenxuan. If I'm not mistaken, Chief Bai should be a descendant of Bai Wenxuan, right?"
Bai Jian'e coldly looked at Yue Dongbei: "That's right, I am a descendant of Bai Wenxuan. However, Li Dingguo is dead, and his subordinates have surrendered in disarray, which is not unusual. Isn't the word 'traitor' a bit too strong?"
"Surrender after a rout?" Yue Dongbei retorted bluntly. "Historical records show that Bai Wenxuan was immediately granted the title of Duke Cheng'en after surrendering to the Qing court. How could someone who surrendered after a rout receive such treatment? Anyone with a basic understanding of history can see that Bai Wenxuan's surrender must have occurred before Li Dingguo's defeat and death. Judging from the Qing court's subsequent rewards, Bai Wenxuan most likely made great contributions to the Qing army!"
Luo Fei and Zhou Liwei weren't very knowledgeable about history. Yue Dongbei's words were somewhat unexpected for them. Could it be that Bai Jian'e's ancestor, Bai Wenxuan, a trusted general of Li Dingguo, had truly betrayed his master and surrendered to the enemy?
Bai Jian'e's expression was complex, but he did not argue angrily, indicating that Yue Dongbei's analysis was most likely true. After a long silence, he said in a sinister tone, "So, according to Mr. Yue, this 'resurrected demon' is deliberately trying to cause trouble for me, Bai Jian'e?"
"First, your trusted confidant died mysteriously, then the worship of the rain god nearly destroyed the Bai family's centuries-old prestige, and now the metaphor of 'skinning and stuffing' has appeared. Who do you think all this is aimed at?" Yue Dongbei became more and more excited as he spoke. "It's certain that this is just the beginning. 'He' will follow us all the way to the Valley of Terror, and that terrifying power will reappear step by step. 'He' wants revenge. Although we can't see 'him,' there's no doubt that 'he' is right beside us!"
A night breeze blew by, carrying a faint "whooshing" sound, seemingly echoing Yue Dongbei's words. The campfire flickered, casting shadows on everyone's faces, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
After the wind died down, the forest was silent, and the cold air seemed to freeze.
Suddenly, Bai Jian'e raised his head, looked at the vast night sky, and burst into a burst of wild laughter: "Hahahaha..." The laughter continued, first loud, then hoarse, and finally revealing a hint of ferocity.
His laughter abruptly stopped more than ten seconds later. Then, he gritted his teeth, paced around the dark jungle, and said fiercely, "Come on! No matter who you are or what you are, I, Bai Jian'e, am waiting for you right here!"
The shouts echoed through the jungle, seemingly trying to reach every dark corner.
"……waiting for you……"
The echo lingered for a long time. Was it an echo, or a mysterious response from the dark world?
Chapter 18: Tongue Removal
Facing the mysterious force hidden in the dark jungle, Bai Jian'e showed no fear. After all the commotion, he needed to sleep, but he specifically asked Wu Qun and Zhao Liwen to take turns on night watch. "Zhao Liwen, keep watch for two hours, then Wu Qun. You two light some campfires and keep your eyes wide open! If anything happens, shout the alarm. I want to see who can do anything to me, Bai Jian'e! Officer Luo, you two go back to sleep too!"
After saying this, Bai Jian'e lay back down on the bedding, closed his eyes, and appeared calm and composed.
Who can know whether, deep down, he is as calm as he appears on the surface?
Luo Fei and the other two returned to their tent. After crawling into their sleeping bags, no one spoke again, but the events that had just occurred made it impossible for any of them to fall asleep quickly.
Luo Fei stared wide-eyed, his emotions a complex mix of wariness, confusion, astonishment, and even a hint of excitement.
A rare adversary has appeared; his evil claws have been extended, and the aura of sin is gradually spreading...
Who is "he"? What does "he" want to do?
Luo Fei couldn't provide an answer. He now regretted not investigating the Dragon King Temple at Mi Hong Village—a grave mistake. There should have been some clues there, even just a footprint or a hair, which would have been crucial. At the very least, it could have helped him determine who his "opponent" truly was.
However, to be fair, Bai Jian'e would absolutely not have allowed anyone else to enter the Dragon King Temple. Yes, they all underestimated the "blood-soaked" Rain God within the Dragon King Temple. Before that night, Luo Fei had always held the view that what happened in the Dragon King Temple was merely a power struggle within Mi Hong Village targeting Bai Jian'e personally, and that he didn't need to get too involved in this unrelated vortex.
But the situation only got worse. What's more, this seems to be just the prelude; the real drama has only just begun.
Could it be true, as Yue Dongbei said, that everything is closely related to the rumors of the "devil" in the "uncanny valley"?
If that's the case, then this mysterious "opponent" actually followed me from Longzhou? That's terrifying! It means that although I haven't even seen a shadow of the "opponent," and I don't even have any evidence to prove that the "opponent" actually exists, the "opponent" can see almost every pore of my body clearly!
The deeper Luo Fei thought about this path, the more horrified he felt.
However, he liked the feeling—a thrilling sense of challenge.
Yes, he is a natural hunter, and the terror and secrecy of his "opponent" only further awaken the instincts flowing in his blood.
A good hunter must know how to lie in wait when the prey has left no trace.
Luo Fei is in this situation now. He has enough courage, enough wisdom, and enough patience.
Now that the "opponent" has followed us into the jungle, his purpose is unlikely to be merely to reveal a hidden meaning of "skinning and stuffing"; he will certainly take further action. That will be the best opportunity for a hunter to strike.
Following this line of thought, the problem becomes simpler. Luo Fei's current task is to determine the "opponent's" next objective in order to prepare for defense and counterattack.
According to Yue Dongbei's analysis, Bai Jian'e seems very likely to be the next victim, but how credible is that fat man's analysis? His whole theory is so absurd.
Moreover, could the so-called "skinning and stuffing" be just a smokescreen laid by the opponent?
Outside the tent, the campfire flickered, and Zhao Liwen's figure could be vaguely seen. He stood upright, and any sound in the darkness would make him alertly turn on his flashlight to investigate.
Although Bai Jian'e and Wu Qun had already lain down, Luo Fei noticed that as long as Zhao Liwen reacted, they would also rustle and turn over.
No one was asleep; everyone was on high alert.
Luo Fei felt relieved; he didn't need another pair of eyes now. So he decided to put his thoughts aside and get a good night's sleep. He needed to be well-rested to face the unknown and perilous journey that lay ahead.
When Luo Fei opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. He looked at Zhou Liwei and Yue Dongbei beside him; the two were still fast asleep.
Luo Fei knew they might fall asleep very late, so he decided not to wake them for the time being. He tiptoed out of his sleeping bag and came to the tent.
A moist, fresh scent filled the air, a scent unique to the jungle. Luo Fei took a few deep breaths and felt a sense of clarity wash over him. His mind snapped out of sleep and became exceptionally alert.
Bai Jian'e also appeared to have just finished his business and was tidying up his bedding. Wu Qun, holding a machete, remained on alert; Zhao Liwen was busy extinguishing the nearly dead campfire.
"Officer Luo, you're up pretty early." Bai Jian'e greeted Luo Fei casually as he came out.
"It's not early, it's not early. I slept soundly inside. It's just that you all had a hard time." Luo Fei said politely for a moment, then walked up to Wu Qun and patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, it's dawn now. You should relax too."
Wu Qun looked at Luo Fei without saying a word, his eyes twitched nervously, but he gripped the knife in his hand even tighter.
Bai Jian'e turned to look at Wu Qun and waved his hand, "Why are you pointing a knife at Officer Luo? Put it away! Everyone's water bottles are empty, go get some water."
"Yes!" Wu Qun replied, put his machete back at his waist, picked up everyone's water bottles, crouched down and disappeared into a nearby grove of trees, heading towards the waterhole.
"Hehe." Luo Fei looked at his retreating figure and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The chieftain's words still carry weight."
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhou Liwei and Yue Dongbei woke up one after the other. A moment later, they crawled out of the tent and, just like Luo Fei had done, greedily inhaled the fresh jungle air.
"Ah, it's been so many years since I've felt this way." Yue Dongbei stretched and exclaimed contentedly. Then he looked at Bai Jian'e and said, "Chief Bai, please don't take offense at my words last night."
"The external enemy is unknown. We don't need to worry about these trivial internal matters." Bai Jian'e's attitude seemed indifferent.