Flores de durazno

Capítulo 20

Polyps that grow in the throat are usually benign, and it's rare to hear of them becoming malignant. But Ding Gen's is different. He has a tumor in a vital area, and judging from its grotesque appearance, it's definitely not a good thing!

All I can think of is to remove it immediately, but I'm in this dark place with only a diving knife that's hardly a scalpel. What should I do?

Ding Gen gestured to me about the surroundings, then pointed to his throat and made a pause gesture. I understood that he wanted us to quickly search the area to avoid leaving any hidden dangers for Sergei to ambush. As for his throat, we could leave it for later and deal with it once things calmed down.

I helped Ding Gen to a corner and sat him down against the wall. Zhang Liheng stood guard vigilantly beside him with a pistol. I took the opportunity to start searching around. Based on my estimation, Sergei was either a KGB spy or an intelligence agent from another country. After being shot, he should be trying to treat his injuries and wouldn't come back so soon. So I focused my main efforts on searching the interior environment, while also checking for any other doors, windows, or entrances.

Zhang Liheng's flashlight won't last much longer either. The most urgent need right now is for batteries. If we only have headlamps left, our situation will become extremely unfavorable.

The surrounding environment was indeed as Ding Gen had described, resembling a warehouse. There were many flatbed carts on the ground, as well as stacks of wooden crates and large sacks scattered everywhere. More than once, I discovered new corpses, neither Soviet nor Chinese. They were all skin and bones, their bodies not decomposed, displaying an eerie dark green color, and without any fatal wounds.

I looked around for a while and noticed that some of the people were wearing Japanese military caps, which are commonly seen in movies, and some even had mustaches. Moreover, most of them were carrying tools such as shovels. After pondering for a while, I finally figured out that these people were probably prisoners of war from the Kwantung Army who had been driven here by the Soviets for labor reform. After all, this is inland China. The Russians were probably afraid that using Chinese comrades would leak their secrets, so they were so cautious and careful to bring a group of Kwantung Army prisoners of war from Siberia to work.

Judging from the various postures these people took as they died, I strongly suspect that a sudden incident occurred here, and all the prisoners were killed in an instant. As for whether there were any survivors, I'm not sure, because no one collected the bodies, and no one sorted out the supplies afterward. Various tools, clothes, tents, and instruments were piled up like small mountains, and the most numerous were strange-shaped mechanical equipment. The pre-packed items were not unpacked and were neatly stacked in the corner. What happened?

I didn't find any batteries, but I did find a box of miners' lamps. I tried taking a few out and turning them on, but they all wouldn't light up. I guess the batteries had been stored for a long time and were all ruined.

Date: 2008-05-07 16:18:00

Finally, I discovered the most useful thing: a pile of oil drums, quietly standing in a corner. I checked, and there were at least twenty drums. I unscrewed the stoppers, and the smell was very familiar—it was the smell of the supply and marketing cooperative I used to go to when I was a child. But this was not the pungent smell of pesticides; it was the genuine smell of kerosene.

With a kerosene can, there must be a reason to use it. I immediately got excited and searched around. Sure enough, my efforts paid off, and I finally found a box of gas lamps. They were brand new and unused. I was so happy that I wanted to hum a little tune. I happily filled two of them with kerosene, click—and lit up the flat wick. Not bad, it would definitely work.

When I came to find Zhang Liheng, the little girl was standing there in a daze. When she saw the kerosene lamp I was carrying, she was overjoyed: "You're finally back! I was so worried! Huang Ning, come quick! There are cracks at the bottom of the wall, it looks like it's going to collapse. I just helped Ding Gen over there to sit down. Please think of something!"

I looked at the wall. I was so focused on settling Dinggen in that I hadn't noticed the strange thing about the corner. Not only was the color a little different, but when I tapped it, it was hollow. It also felt like a large iron plate, cold and hard. The most peculiar thing was that there was a big bulge that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment. There was a dark crack in the corner.

I placed the gas lamp on the ground, thinking that the wall couldn't be so strange as to be made into an impenetrable fortress. So I felt around the raised parts, and I knew what it was. I knew it was an iron gate, with some kind of coating on the outside. In some places, a large chunk could be peeled off with a fingernail.

Could it be that they've installed another horizontal hinge in the middle? I didn't dare kick the door hard, so I tried to push it to one side. I heard a series of clicking sounds from inside, the sound of the mechanism and hinges. Moreover, the part I was holding was a little loose. I quickly told Zhang Liheng not to stand at the doorway and to move aside. I then grabbed the protruding part and pushed hard. A round door creaked open.

A few drops of cool water rushed out with the humid air, just a gust, but the smell was extremely strong, hitting my nose directly—it smelled like years of accumulated excrement from a stinking ditch.

After waiting a while, when the smell dissipated a bit, I cautiously picked up the gas lamp and carried it to the doorway, peering inside. The iron gate was rusty and hadn't been opened for who knows how many years, so I figured Sergei couldn't possibly be hiding inside.

I stepped inside and immediately felt how cold it was. I was shivering. My wetsuit was already giving out; there were many small holes on my back from the leeches, and I felt freezing all over. This couldn't go on for long, so we decided to change clothes like Ding Gen did.

Thinking of Ding Gen, I felt a surge of anxiety again. The virus he contracted still has no cure. I know that every minute of delay will bring immeasurable danger. We must operate on Ding Gen's throat as soon as possible. I can't just watch my best friend die here without knowing why.

Without further ado, I immediately withdrew, picked up the gas lamp, and ran back to where I had been. I found some new clothes I wasn't wearing to change into, and told Zhang Liheng to wait for me to return and not to go in alone.

Soon, I found the clothes I needed. The packaging was still neat and the plastic bag was tightly sealed. When I opened it, I saw a woolen military uniform, and it was even an officer's uniform. As a male comrade, I didn't care about being embarrassed. I saw that Zhang Liheng's light was still there, so I quickly changed into the new clothes. Apart from a slight musty smell, it was quite warm.

After thinking about it, I picked out a cleaner set and carried it back.

I changed into my brand-new Soviet military uniform, which I hadn't worn in a long time since my discharge. I suddenly felt quite handsome and ran over, intending to banter with the young girl, but she looked unwell, her eyes hesitant, as if she had just been frightened. I took the gas lamp from her hand and said, "It's okay, this set is a bit small. I checked it, it's very clean, the plastic bag it came in with wasn't even torn. You should go change over there, it's inconvenient without that wetsuit."

Zhang Liheng shook her head: "I just find it very strange. I think I saw a familiar person inside the door just now. It's really strange, right? It disappeared in a flash. If you hadn't told me not to go in, I would have really wanted to chase after them to find out."

I laughed: "That's impossible. How could we know anyone here? Don't overthink it. Let's get this done quickly, go back, and get a good night's sleep. Everything will be fine then."

Zhang Liheng looked at me with confusion and said, "I also hope I'm seeing things, but it's real. You recognize that person, he looks like Lao Gu? What's going on?"

Chapter 55 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 55 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-05-09 11:00:00

"Old Gu? Wasn't he taken back by Shen Juan after he fainted? How could he be here?" I said with great doubt, "You must be seeing things. It's impossible."

Zhang Liheng still couldn't understand, but she listened to me and went to the shaded area, took off her wetsuit and put on a Soviet military uniform.

After changing my clothes, I told Zhang Liheng to wait a moment while I went in to scout things out.

After walking three or four meters, I reached the end of the room. This room is really small!

I raised the gas lamp and looked around. I was standing in a corner of the room, with walls on two sides. On one wall was a large map, and on the other wall was a tall metal cabinet. In front of the map was a square table, with chairs on either side. I tried to push it down, but it felt like it was fixed to the floor. Where was this place? Could it be the command center?

The thought that I might have stumbled into the enemy's lair excited me, and I leaned over to take a closer look at the map.

The map is hand-drawn with the topography of East Asia. There are several places marked with small red flags. Judging from their locations, there are two in Siberia, two in China, one each on the islands north of Korea and Japan, and some red and blue arrows pointing randomly to these places. It looks like a very useful military map!

My heart skipped a beat. There were two small red flags in China, one of which was in western Zhejiang. It looked exactly like our location! I never imagined the Soviets were so insidious. We treated them better than our own family back then, and they still secretly did this to us!

The map was so damp it was barely sturdy. I tried to peel it off carefully, but it still ended up in tatters. I managed to fold it into a square and stuff it into my pocket. While doing all this, I remained on high alert because Zhang Liheng's claim about seeing Lao Gu had left a big question mark in my mind.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

On the way out, I saw many small square lumps protruding from the ground, each about ten centimeters high. Between the lumps was a black, foul-smelling liquid that made me frown.

After much effort, Zhang Liheng and I moved Ding Gen into the room. Ding Gen's face was dark green, comparable to those dead Japanese soldiers. He couldn't speak, nor could he move a finger. He seemed to be completely unconscious, and his body was getting colder and colder. If it weren't for his chest still heaving, he would be no different from a dead man.

I knew that if I didn't take action soon, he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, so I gritted my teeth and decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

I thought of Lao Gu again. That night, I used a knife to pick at his big toe. The parasite inside was similar to the one in Ding Gen, only in a different location. But it was precisely because of this difference in location that I was helpless and dared not use a knife to pick it at.

What should I do? After thinking it over and over, I finally came up with a solution.

Ding Gen kept saying he felt cold, which means this parasite is something that thrives in cold environments. Why don't I find something warm and put it on Ding Gen's Adam's apple to see if I can get it out of his mouth?

Without further ado, I went out to where the military uniforms were kept, found a military-style cotton-padded jacket, cut it open with a knife, and found that the cotton inside had already clumped together. I turned around and saw a covered tin bucket next to me, so I grabbed it and ran back.

I turned on the gas lamp and heated the cotton wad for a while until it felt warm. Then I carefully placed it on Ding Gen's throat. At this point, the little head had become much darker than when I first saw it, and the facial features were more clearly discernible. It sent chills down my spine.

Just to be on the safe side, I turned off the two gas lamps and shone only my headlamp on Ding Gen's throat. I also placed the tin bucket open beside me, just in case I couldn't kill the parasite, I could just stuff it into the bucket and suffocate it.

Zhang Liheng, holding a flashlight, prepared to pay close attention to Ding Gen's mouth as I had instructed. Once something emerged, she would suddenly turn on the flashlight, ideally exposing the parasite to the light so it would freeze for a second without reacting. Then I would have a way to pull it out of Ding Gen's mouth by the root!

The hot cloth had just been applied to Ding Gen's throat when the thing suddenly shuddered, followed by a few faint hissing sounds. Unexpectedly, the thing turned around, as if trying to shrink into Ding Gen's stomach. This was bad! He absolutely couldn't let that thing go inside; if it tore his internal organs to shreds, this once-living horse would truly become a dead horse!

I quickly grabbed the warm, tattered cotton and put it on Ding Gen's chest. Luckily, I reacted quickly enough. That little bump probably came up from his stomach. As soon as I chased it away, it turned around and started to wriggle upwards. After a while, it disappeared. It seemed to have reached Ding Gen's mouth!

Poor Ding Gen didn't react at all, letting that monstrous thing wriggle on his cheeks, forcefully pry open his lips, and stick out half of his body.

Ding Gen's lips moved slightly, and Zhang Liheng turned on her flashlight. Although it wasn't a very strong spotlight, it was still quite bright in the darkness, shining directly on the parasite that had poked its head out.

Just as I expected, the thing suddenly went dazed for two seconds. I reacted quickly, stabbing the knife directly into the center of the tumor. With all my might, I pulled it out with a whoosh—a small snake-like monster about half a meter long. It was dark green all over, smooth and slippery, and its head was a size larger than its body. It just kept circling around the tip of my knife, squeaking and struggling for its life.

I felt so nauseous I almost threw up. I didn't dare to put it on the ground or stomp on it, afraid it would burst and splatter some toxins. I just stretched my arm out as far as I could and stuffed it into the open tin can. After a series of chirping noises, the tin can finally fell silent after the lid was closed. I tightened the lid again, put it in a cloth bag, and threw it outside before I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Based on Lao Gu's recovery speed, I think Ding Gen will wake up soon, so I sat down on the ground, panting heavily, covered in sweat.

What the hell is this?! I stared at Ding Gen, speechless for a full five minutes. Ding Gen's complexion was slowly improving; it wasn't as dark as before, and his lips were gradually regaining some color. However, he hadn't woken up yet.

I composed myself, stood up, and said to Zhang Liheng, "We shouldn't stay here any longer; we need to find a way out quickly."

Chapter 56 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 56 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-05-10 01:26:00

I composed myself, stood up, and said to Zhang Liheng, "We shouldn't stay here any longer; we need to find a way out quickly."

Zhang Liheng held a gas lamp near Ding Gen's head and said worriedly, "How is Ding Gen? That thing was really disgusting. I never thought that tiny bit of bacteria could be so terrible inside the body. What if Ding Gen doesn't wake up?"

I shook my head helplessly and said, "I don't know what to do either. I just think that getting rid of this parasite isn't a bad thing for now. As for whether there will be any aftereffects, it's hard to say. I can't guarantee anything."

Seeing Zhang Liheng's worried expression, I could only comfort her, saying, "Forget it, don't think too much about it. Let's take it one step at a time. Old Ding suffered this ordeal because he was trying to save me. It's all my fault. We need to quickly check if there are any vaccines or anything like that here. This kind of bacterial weapon is still in the laboratory. Surely there must be some drugs to counteract it!"

I picked up a gas lamp and began to look around the stinking iron house. Zhang Liheng pointed to the ceiling and said, "Huang Ning, look up there, isn't there another door?"

When I looked up, I was surprised to find that there was indeed a hidden space above me. There wasn't just one door, but many doors, all controlled by winches, lined up one after another. There were doorplates nailed on the doors, and although I couldn't see the words clearly from the height, they looked like letters. What kind of doors were these?

I was a little confused. Who would put a door on the roof? Is it an architectural style, a stupid mistake, or is there some other meaning behind it?

Looking down through the doorway above me, I discovered a new problem: the roof wasn't square, but rather a circle with a concave curve. Since entering, I had been careful of the things on the floor and walls, neglecting what was above me. Who knew that such a peculiar scene would be revealed upon closer inspection? My curiosity was immediately piqued.

I told Zhang Liheng to keep an eye on Ding Gen and call me immediately if there was any movement. I grabbed a gas lamp and headed toward the metal cabinet, hoping to find some files or something.

Upon closer inspection of the wall after the map was removed, a small winch embedded in it was revealed, making me wonder what kind of place this was and what the reason was for building so many doors.

I tried to pry open the small winch with a knife, but it wouldn't budge. I didn't dare to force it open, so I decided to give up on the idea of unscrewing it for the time being.

Stepping back to examine the metal cabinet next to me more closely, I saw that the dark green cabinet door was rusty, one of the handles was missing, and it was covered with wisps of dirt. I had no idea what was hidden inside.

It would be best if it contained documents, or perhaps some bottles and jars. Looking at the iron door that hadn't been opened for many years, surely it wouldn't be filled with those damned bacteria and viruses again? I've been so troubled by a series of bad luck that I'm quite hesitant about whether I should open the cabinet door and rummage through it.

This iron house has so many doors and a map hanging on it. Further away, there seems to be an iron bunk bed. It must have been a place where people used to live. The possibility of a deadly virus appearing here is much smaller. I wrapped my clothes tighter and decided to open it to take a look anyway.

Grasping the last remaining doorknob, I strained to both sides. With a creak, the iron door slowly opened a crack, but it got stuck after only half a palm's width. It couldn't be opened any wider, probably because the hinges were badly rotten and rusted shut.

I shone the gas lamp through the crack and looked inside. The cabinet, which was about the height of a person, had no partitions or folders in the middle. It seemed to be empty, with nothing inside.

Undeterred, I carefully scanned the area from top to bottom again and finally spotted a handbag at the bottom of the cabinet, about knee height. The canvas material was quite tightly wrapped around the bag. I suppressed my nervousness, reached in with my knife, pried the handbag open, and pulled hard until I reached a gap. In the light, I could see a five-pointed star on it, but the bag was too big to fit through the narrow gap.

I was just wondering whether I should force the cabinet door open for him when the handbag, which I had already picked up at the gap, suddenly twitched back and was pulled back by a force!

Damn it, something in the cupboard was wrestling with me, and it almost made me scream when I wasn't paying attention.

Date: 2008-05-10 02:05:00

I quickly stepped back a few paces, calmed myself down, and tried to recall if there was anything else next to the handbag when I saw it. Unfortunately, I was too excited at the time and couldn't remember anything at all. I patted my head and suspiciously approached the cabinet door again. This time, I learned my lesson and squatted down to look directly at what was under the handbag.

You won't be surprised if you don't look, because once you do, you'll be shocked.

The strap of that satchel was being held tightly in someone's hand. When I tugged at it, the person's arm moved closer to the cabinet door along with the satchel. When I loosened my grip slightly, the person's arm pulled the satchel back. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was another person who had been dead for a long time. As usual, the body had not decomposed, and the bent arm still had some elasticity.

The bag seemed very important; this guy hadn't thrown it away even when he hid in the metal cabinet, and he wouldn't let go even after he died, still clutching the bag tightly. I sighed, looked around the cabinet and saw there was nothing else inside, then stood up and kicked the cabinet door hard. After a few bangs, the door opened, and the guy inside rolled out along with the bag.

Seeing that this guy was completely dead, lying motionless on the ground, I breathed a sigh of relief. But when I looked at the clothes he was wearing, I couldn't help but feel a chill.

Chapter Forty

In this place, I have seen the uniforms of soldiers from the Republic of China era, the uniforms of Soviet officers, and the military caps of Japanese prisoners of war, but the clothes worn by the person in front of me are completely different from those I have seen before.

He was still wearing a military uniform, but it felt both familiar and awkward. He wore a green cotton Zhongshan suit and a liberation cap without a cap badge. It looked so familiar because there was a rectangular badge on his chest, which was very blurry from being soaked in water, but the words "Chinese People's Liberation Army" could still be made out. Could this person actually be one of our own?

But this uniform wasn't the Type 65 with three red dots that I wore before I was discharged. I looked at it from left to right and confirmed that it was an old uniform from the early days of the People's Republic of China. Although it was put on in a hurry and one of the buttons was fastened in the wrong place, it was definitely the style from when the military uniforms were first standardized in 1950.

What's going on here? I'm completely baffled. I can't believe there are such capable comrades who could penetrate so deep behind enemy lines and infiltrate such a crucial location. My heart is immediately filled with respect.

Looking at the young man's face, I silently saluted. Rest in peace, comrade. It's so unfair to die here like this. I'll check your pockets to see what important intelligence you were carrying, at least to find your name. I will not let you rest here in obscurity.

I carefully examined the person. The body was still elastic, and the face was dark green, which strongly suggested that the person had died of poisoning. Just in case, I first opened the bag and emptied out all the contents, carefully examining each item one by one.

The shoulder bag is made of canvas, simple and durable, with a zipper at the back that's very difficult to open.

The contents of my handbag were scattered haphazardly on the floor, which stunned me; it contained everything imaginable.

The flat, oval-shaped kettle was empty, two whole loaves of black bread were as hard as rocks, and there were also wild daylilies, black fungus, dried meat, matches, antifreeze, a waterproof flashlight, and several inconspicuous small glass medicine bottles, which were murky and only had some stains inside. I couldn't tell what they were for, and they didn't look like bacterial vaccines, so I just threw them aside.

There were also a few national grain coupons with a face value of one jin (500 grams), wrapped in a ball of loose RMB. The RMB was completely different from the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers' Great Unity Banknotes I use now. The numbers were arranged in reverse from right to left, and the amount was written in capital letters in the four corners. It was an old banknote from the early days of the People's Republic of China that had been abolished. Then I found two flashlights with brass casings that were made into flat squares. There were also some square dry batteries wrapped in plastic next to them.