Chapter 19: The Grim Reaper’s Feast (Part 1)
The heavy rain in the mountains finally ceased.
In spring, the thick snow covering the mountains began to melt under the sunlight, turning into streams that flowed into the creek behind the village. The once gentle creek swelled into a mighty river. Standing by the river to fetch water, Jiang Ruonan heard the sound of an engine starting.
This village was remote; usually, several months would pass without seeing any outsiders. But just as spring began this year, strange incidents occurred frequently in the village. The village chief, helpless, had no choice but to seek help from the outside. A few days later, some people were sent over to investigate, but things didn’t seem to go well.
Jiang Ruonan wasn’t too interested in these events. Balancing her shoulder pole, she slowly walked along the muddy path back home. As she passed the village entrance, she noticed the group of outsiders.
When they first arrived, there were four of them. Now, only two remained. One was standing in front of the car with the hood up, inspecting something, while the other sat in the driver’s seat, muttering curses. He noticed Jiang Ruonan from a distance and seemed even more annoyed.
“I’m telling you, this village is haunted!” the man in the car yelled, paying no mind to his surroundings. “How is it possible that we’re trapped here?!”
“Calm down,” said the other man, more patient, trying to soothe his companion. “Let me take another look. Maybe there’s another way…”
“Look at the car? Look at the car? What good will that do?! It’s your fault for not turning off the headlights! Now we’re out of battery! How are we supposed to leave? Crawl our way out?!”
“I told you, I turned off the headlights!” The other man sounded aggrieved. “The car turned them back on by itself!!”
“I don’t care who turned them on. If you had checked beforehand, this wouldn’t have happened!” the man shouted, slamming his fist on the steering wheel.
Jiang Ruonan, being a young woman, felt a bit frightened by the agitated man. Although burdened with the heavy shoulder pole, she couldn’t help but quicken her pace. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an old, withered tree standing near the two men. It had stood at the village entrance for years, and its branches were now filled with crows. Usually noisy, the birds were eerily silent today, merely perching on the branches, their beady black eyes fixed on the humans arguing below.
Jiang Ruonan felt an ominous chill. The sky grew darker; it looked like another heavy rain would fall by evening, with thick thunderclouds gathering overhead.
She thought to herself, the village chief was wrong. The elders were right – outsiders couldn’t quell the mountain god’s anger. Ever since these people arrived, the strange occurrences in the village had only intensified. There was no telling when it would end…
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a bright streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that shook the ground like a mountain collapsing. The sound startled Jiang Ruonan so much that she spilled some water from her buckets. Right after the thunder, a loud thud echoed, like something heavy had fallen.
Jiang Ruonan turned to see that the withered tree at the village entrance had fallen, crushing the car and the two men beneath it.
Her eyes widened as she saw a fresh pool of blood spreading over the dark soil. The sky began to drizzle, and raindrops the size of beans washed the blood into the earth.
—
Song Qingluo, in the end, never got to enjoy the meal Lin Banxia promised him.
Lin Banxia wasn’t surprised. He merely remarked on how difficult it was to find steady work these days, especially jobs with high pay and good benefits.
Song Qingluo, who had seen his resume rejected more than twenty times, wholeheartedly agreed.
After Liu Xi resigned, the unit quickly assigned Lin Banxia a new partner named Zhou Jitong, a recent college graduate who didn’t seem too comfortable interacting with people. On his first assignment, like many before him, he couldn’t hold back and vomited. Lin Banxia comfortingly patted him on the shoulder, saying that he’d get used to it after a few more times.
Typically, Lin Banxia would guide the new recruit for a while, but his vacation days were about to expire, so he decided to take time off and let the newcomer tag along with another group to acclimate.
With everything settled, Lin Banxia returned home and eagerly discussed travel plans with Song Qingluo. Initially, Song Qingluo hesitated about bringing Lin Banxia along, but Lin Banxia sensed his hesitation and began pestering him daily. Every day he’d come home and ask, “So, when are we leaving?”
Exasperated, Song Qingluo eventually handed Lin Banxia a contract. The contract meticulously outlined various terms, including pay, time, potential dangers, necessary precautions, confidentiality clauses, and even the beneficiary for insurance.
Song Qingluo insisted that Lin Banxia thoroughly review the contract before making a final decision.
After reading it carefully, Lin Banxia’s gaze lingered on the salary figure for a moment. Without hesitation, he signed his name and fingerprint, even asking if he needed to provide a copy of his ID.
Shaking his head, Song Qingluo glanced over the contract and asked, “Who did you list as your insurance beneficiary?”
“My cousin,” Lin Banxia replied.
“Is she your real sister?”
“No, just a cousin.”
Song Qingluo nodded, refraining from further questioning.
Lin Banxia didn’t mind, explaining a bit about his family. He shared that his cousin was a kind person but had a rough life due to his aunt’s family’s preference for sons over daughters. If anything happened to him, he’d only worry about her.
Acknowledging his words with a simple “hm,” Song Qingluo stored the contract and informed Lin Banxia to be ready to depart in three days.
Thrilled, Lin Banxia nodded eagerly. He didn’t know where they were going or what he’d be doing, but it didn’t bother him.
Or rather, there wasn’t much he cared about.
Ever since Li Su had joined them for a late-night snack, he’d become a frequent visitor, either bringing things over or coming to mooch meals. Occasionally, he even brought along Li Ye.
Under Li Su’s influence, Li Ye had shaved his dense beard, revealing a sharply contoured, distinctly Western face with striking emerald-green eyes. Wherever he went, he drew plenty of attention. Unfortunately, he seldom smiled, giving him an unapproachable demeanor. Despite this, many women still sought his contact information.
Song Qingluo was thoroughly fed up with these freeloaders. He would have kicked them out if he and Lin Banxia weren’t about to leave soon.
Jile Shui, oblivious to the real purpose of Lin Banxia’s trip with Song Qingluo, assumed they were going on vacation and asked Lin Banxia to bring back a local specialty.
“Is there a local specialty there?” Lin Banxia asked Song Qingluo.
“Yes,” Song Qingluo replied.
Just as Jile Shui smiled, he heard Song Qingluo’s next words: “But you probably wouldn’t want it once you see it.”
“… Never mind, I don’t need anything,” Jile Shui muttered, recalling the various strange items in Song Qingluo’s collection and deciding not to delve further.
Waving goodbye, Lin Banxia took his luggage downstairs and loaded it into Song Qingluo’s car, asking, “So, where are we headed?”
“Don’t you even know where we’re going?” Song Qingluo replied. “Aren’t you afraid I might sell you off?”
Lin Banxia laughed. “Who’d buy me?”
With a deadpan expression, Song Qingluo gave him a look.
Lin Banxia instantly went silent, nervously asking, “We’re not doing anything illegal, right?”
“Heh.”
“…”
“Just kidding,” Song Qingluo replied, though his tone wasn’t entirely reassuring.
Lin Banxia hugged his small suitcase tightly, feeling uneasy.
Despite the joke, Song Qingluo did explain that they were heading to a remote mountain village, reachable only after a ten-hour drive due to poor road conditions.
“Just us two?” Lin Banxia asked.
“No, two of my colleagues are already there. We’ll meet up with them directly.”
“So… what will we be doing there?” Lin Banxia asked.
In response, Song Qingluo handed him a document, which Lin Banxia began to read carefully. It contained detailed information about the village.
The village was situated in a mountainous region near the province’s border, surrounded by rugged terrain with very limited access to the outside world, only recently connected by a dirt road. Due to its isolation, the village was quite insular, with little interaction with outsiders.
But just as spring arrived this year, the village’s peace was shattered.
People began to die in the village. At first, everyone thought it was accidental, but as the deaths increased, each more bizarre than the last, the villagers sensed something was amiss and sought external help.
They reported it to the police, who conducted a preliminary investigation. Realizing the situation was beyond their scope, they escalated it, layer by layer…
People in the village began to die one after another. At first, everyone thought it was just a series of accidents. However, as the deaths increased and the ways people were dying became more bizarre, the villagers finally realized that something was very wrong and started seeking help from the outside.
They reported it to the police, who conducted a preliminary investigation. But soon, the police realized this was beyond their capability to handle, so they escalated it step by step until it eventually reached Song Qingluo’s team.
According to the files, Song Qingluo’s team had already sent a first group over, but things hadn’t gone well. All four members had lost contact, and it was now presumed with a high likelihood that they had met a fatal end.
With no other choice, Song Qingluo had to go in person.
Lin Banxia held the files in his hand, feeling as if he were reading a horror story. He remarked, “The village has only around five hundred people, and already a tenth of them are dead?”
Song Qingluo cast him a glance. “This report is from a week ago.”
Lin Banxia asked, “Could it be that there’s a crazed killer hiding in there?”
Song Qingluo replied, “I don’t know.”
Lin Banxia said, “That doesn’t make sense. Could a serial killer silently kill so many people? What’s your guess?”
Song Qingluo said, “It could be something that affects human consciousness. Just a wild guess; we’ll only know when we get there.”
Lin Banxia nodded.
The car got onto the highway, moving steadily forward. Song Qingluo drove for most of the day. Worried about fatigue, Lin Banxia insisted on driving the first part of the night.
Song Qingluo agreed, but he didn’t sleep either, sitting beside Lin Banxia and making casual conversation.
Around five or six in the evening, they arrived at their destination. Instead of going directly to the village, Song Qingluo booked a room at a small inn in the nearby town, where they rested for the night.
The next morning, while Lin Banxia was still drowsily asleep, Song Qingluo quietly led a man and a woman into the room. Both wore civilian clothing but showed a distinct respect toward Song Qingluo. The man glanced at Lin Banxia, who was lying in bed, and whispered, “Mr. Song, is this your monitoring partner?”
Song Qingluo gave him a quick look and replied calmly, “Yes.”
Half-awake, Lin Banxia heard the word “monitor” and was immediately alert. He feigned sleep, hoping to overhear more.
Meanwhile, Song Qingluo started conversing quietly with the newcomers. They introduced themselves briefly; the man was He Huaian, and the woman was Mou Xinsi, both with substantial work experience.
“What’s the current situation?” Song Qingluo asked directly after learning their names.
“We’ve confirmed two deaths,” He Huaian said. “The last messages from the remaining two included news of their deaths.”
“How did they die?” Song Qingluo asked.
“One from severe allergic reaction, the other from drowning,” He Huaian replied. “The one who died from an allergic reaction was reportedly bitten by a poisonous insect in the area, which triggered an allergic response, and he didn’t make it.”
Song Qingluo pondered, “And the one who drowned?”
He Huaian said, “This one’s more unusual. It seems he went missing while out alone. When they found him, he was lying face-down by the water. There were clear signs of struggle nearby, but no trace of any assailant…”
“Were they monitors or recorders?” Song Qingluo asked.
“One was a monitor, the other a recorder. Since two people died, those on-site felt something was off and planned to recall the remaining two, but then they lost contact entirely. Now, both are unaccounted for. Based on past cases…” He Huaian sighed. As a recorder himself, he understood that recorders, who were usually just regular people, had a high casualty rate. But if a monitor died, it was a different matter.
“What was their final message?” Song Qingluo asked.
He Huaian replied cautiously, “The last message said the village had severe issues, possibly influenced by more than just abnormal phenomena; there might also be signs of human intervention…”
Song Qingluo nodded, acknowledging the information. He then scheduled their entry into the village for the next morning. He Huaian and Mou Xinsi nodded and quietly left.
Song Qingluo continued reviewing documents, checking for any overlooked details. “If you’re awake, you might as well get up,” he said.
Lin Banxia poked his head out from under the covers. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Song Qingluo replied. “I didn’t mean to disturb your sleep, but this town is small, and I didn’t want anyone overhearing our conversation.” He glanced at Lin Banxia. “Did you sleep well?”
“Pretty well,” Lin Banxia said, a good sleeper wherever he went.
“Let’s grab some breakfast,” Song Qingluo said. “We can take a look around too.”
Lin Banxia nodded. He quickly got dressed, and they went into town for a casual breakfast. The town was isolated, and Song Qingluo observed his surroundings before buying some necessities. Casually, he inquired about the village. Perhaps because of his pleasant appearance, the shopkeeper, an older woman, warmly responded, smiling. “Young man, why are you asking about that village? It’s poor and remote; not many people want to go there.”
“Has anything unusual happened there recently?” Song Qingluo asked.
“Something unusual?” The woman looked around before lowering her voice. “I’ll tell you, but don’t spread it around. My grand-nephew works at a funeral shop, and apparently, that village ordered dozens of coffins a little over a month ago… it’s very strange.”
“Oh, is that so?” Song Qingluo responded.
“I don’t know why you’d want to go, but I’ll advise you,” the woman said. “It’s not an easy place to get to, and those who go there rarely come back. If you’re just curious, maybe don’t go.”
Song Qingluo smiled, thanked her, and left with Lin Banxia.
As they walked away, Lin Banxia mused, “What kind of situation would lead to so many deaths in a month? Either a natural disaster or human intervention. But even a serial killer wouldn’t be able to cause so many sudden deaths—could he somehow make someone die from an allergic reaction?”
Song Qingluo said quietly, “Not necessarily.”
Lin Banxia’s curiosity only grew.
They spent the rest of the day in town, gathering supplies and refueling the car, before heading into the mountains early the next morning.
Before leaving the inn, Song Qingluo took out two dice, one black and one white, and handed them to He Huaian and Mou Xinsi, saying softly, “Routine procedure.”
The two didn’t seem surprised. He Huaian picked up the dice, rolled them across the table. The round dice tumbled before coming to a stop, showing black 3 and white 4. Song Qingluo nodded, signaling Mou Xinsi’s turn. She, a bit more anxious, took a deep breath and tossed the dice. They landed with black 4 and white 5.
“What’s going on?” Song Qingluo’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Mou Xinsi.
Mou Xinsi, nervous, replied, “I-I’m a bit tense… didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Just didn’t sleep well?” Song Qingluo asked.
Mou Xinsi forced a smile. “Yes… really just didn’t sleep well.”
Song Qingluo retrieved the dice without another word.
Mou Xinsi, afraid that he would dismiss her, hastily added more assurances. Song Qingluo, however, remained silent, his cold gaze shifting to He Huaian.
“Mr. Song,” He Huaian said quietly. He couldn’t bring himself to call Song Qingluo by his first name. “She’s my new partner, her previous partner had an incident recently… so her mental state might be a bit affected.”
“Aren’t you afraid something might happen to her in the village too?” Song Qingluo asked calmly.
He Huaian fell silent.
“Let her go back,” Song Qingluo said. “It’s for her own good.”
He Huaian glanced at Mou Xinsi, who whispered, “Mr. Song, please let me go. I really need this money.”
Song Qingluo looked at her, said nothing, and turned to leave. Lin Banxia, not wanting to be approached for help, quickly followed him into the car. But before getting in, he offered a word of caution, saying that money could be earned anytime, but life was more important—though coming from him, it might not have been all that convincing.
In the end, Mou Xinsi got in the car.
Song Qingluo drove, with Lin Banxia in the passenger seat, while He Huaian and Mou Xinsi sat silently in the back, looking uneasy. The atmosphere was tense. Lin Banxia, wanting to lighten the mood, quietly took out a bottle of cola from his bag, opened it, and held it up to Song Qingluo’s lips.
Song Qingluo gave Lin Banxia a sidelong glance but still took a sip. “What made you think of buying this?”
“I saw it at a shop, so I bought it,” Lin Banxia replied.
“No grilled sausage for yourself?” Song Qingluo asked, taking another sip.
“There wasn’t any at the shop,” Lin Banxia said, sipping the cola himself.
Only then did the coldness in Song Qingluo’s gaze dissipate somewhat.
The road to the village was narrow and muddy, passable by only one car. The recent rains had made it even worse. Fortunately, Song Qingluo was driving a high-clearance SUV; otherwise, they might have been in trouble.
According to the information, the village was a four-hour drive from the town under good weather and road conditions. But given the circumstances, reaching it within four hours seemed unlikely. The winding, narrow path demanded full concentration from the driver. Lin Banxia refrained from disturbing Song Qingluo, quietly playing on his phone. Then he suddenly remembered something, “Is there cell service in the village?”
“Cell service?” He Huaian answered. “There’s service, but it’s spotty, especially in bad weather.”
“The two missing people have been gone for four days, right? No further messages from them?” Lin Banxia asked.
“None,” He Huaian replied. “The village chief used to be in contact with the outside world, and he’s the one who reported the situation initially. But as the signal deteriorated, we also lost contact with the chief… no one’s been ablealso no one to communicate the situation with the outside again.”
Lin Hanxia curiously said, “You go to this kind of place? Aren’t you afraid?”
He Huaian glanced cautiously at Song Qingluo and said, “Actually, following Mr. Song… does feel quite reassuring.”
Lin Banxia chuckled, “So, you’re still afraid?”
He Huaian nodded.
Lin Banxia comforted him, “Sometimes, being afraid can be a good thing.”
Fear is humanity’s most basic defense mechanism. The fear of the night is merely an inherited instinct passed down from our ancestors. Predators that emerge at night could easily tear apart the fragile human body. And so, humans have ingrained the fear of darkness into their very bloodline.
Lin Banxia was also capable of fear, but by the time he felt it, everything was already over. It was a blessing in a way, as it kept him from drowning in fear, but also a curse, as he couldn’t always tell where danger might lie.
While Lin Banxia was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a timid voice from Mu Xinsi in the back seat, “Mr. Song, didn’t Mr. Lin forget to roll the dice? We haven’t recorded it yet…”
Lin Banxia was taken aback.
Song Qingluo replied, “He doesn’t need to.”
Mu Xinsi asked, “Really? Are you sure?”
Song Qingluo affirmed, “He doesn’t need to.”
Mu Xinsi looked a bit surprised, likely wondering why Mr. Song, who always followed the rules, would make an exception.
Lin Banxia sat quietly beside them, holding a bottle of Pepsi, looking like a wooden dummy, occasionally fiddling with his phone. After an hour or two, he noticed the sky outside was darkening, as if it was about to rain again.
“Song Qingluo, it looks like it’s going to rain again,” Lin Banxia remarked. “Should we drive a bit faster?”
Song Qingluo glanced outside, acknowledged with a grunt, and pressed down hard on the accelerator.
—
Author’s Note:
Song Qingluo: I’m quite worried about my colleagues.
Lin Banxia: What’s wrong?
Song Qingluo: The weather’s getting cold. I wonder if their coffins are warm enough.
Lin Banxia: …
