Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I was taken aback. Had the child named Mao Mao really gone missing? I quickly stood up and saw the village chief hurriedly forcing a smile at me. "I'm sorry, leader. We haven't been very accommodating. There are some issues we need to deal with, so please forgive us."
At that moment, Old Wei also approached and whispered to me, "It seems we won't be able to leave today; we'll have to spend the night here."
I directly asked them, "Is there a child missing? Have you found her?"
Seeing that I already knew what was going on, the village chief didn't hide anything. He stepped aside and introduced the police officer behind him. "This is Director Zhou from the township police station. There are few officers at the station, and since there was no one available, the director came personally. He just arrived this afternoon." I shook hands with Director Zhou, exchanged a few pleasantries, but it was clear he wasn't an outgoing person; after a few polite words, he fell silent.
Old Farmer was already setting up the table, and the village chief quickly led everyone to sit down as they began preparing dinner.
The atmosphere during the meal was quite heavy; no one spoke much. It was Old Wei who tried to lighten things up by explaining the situation: apparently, a girl named Mao Mao had been playing outside yesterday morning and hadn't returned home. At first, her family didn't notice because children in mountain villages often run around and sometimes stay overnight at others' homes. It wasn't until after lunch that her family sensed something was wrong. They searched the village thoroughly but found nothing, which made them panic and report it while asking fellow villagers for help.
In the afternoon, the village chief along with Old Farmer and Old Wei had been searching nearby mountains but still hadn't found her. When the police arrived and understood the situation, Director Zhou suggested that while mobilizing people to search for her, they should also file a report. Considering how cold it could get in the mountains at night, they feared that if Mao Mao had fallen into a hole somewhere, she might not survive until morning. Therefore, they planned to continue searching with flashlights that night to expand their search area.
I frowned upon hearing this and suggested to Director Zhou, "A one-year-old girl can't run very far; I think she wouldn't go beyond five kilometers at most. I recommend we focus our search within a five-kilometer radius of the village center. We should pay special attention to places like ponds, caves, and wells where accidents could easily happen. What do you think?"
Director Zhou nodded thoughtfully and said quietly, "The villagers are searching too scatteredly; they're afraid of missing any spots. So tonight, while it's quieter outside, we can search again in hopes of finding something."
Everyone quickly finished their meal. The director turned to the village chief and said, "Let's gather everyone again soon; while it's not completely dark yet, we should split into groups and search thoroughly." The village chief nodded and prepared to go outside to broadcast an announcement. I then said to Old Farmer, "Since it's still early for bed, why don't I join you all in searching?"
Director Zhou waved his hand dismissively. "You're not familiar with this area and aren't used to walking mountain paths; it's better if you don't go. You might end up causing more trouble."
I thought about it and decided not to insist further. Old Farmer asked his son to stay with me in the Main Hall while he prepared tools like flashlights and ropes for the night search. Old Wei followed the village chief out but turned back before leaving to tell me, "We might not return early tonight; if you get tired, just sleep in the farm room. He'll set up a bed for you." I nodded at him.
People quickly dispersed, and soon I heard announcements echoing through the village as they gathered together. A little later, the village became lively with chatter until it fell silent again as darkness fully enveloped everything except for occasional dog barks breaking the quiet night.
Mother of Nong went back to her room, leaving just me and Nong in the Main Hall. The stillness of the night made me feel restless; when I was younger, I dreaded quiet environments—I preferred liveliness and hated boredom—I always wanted something to do. After sitting inside for half an hour without being able to stand it any longer, I asked Nong, "Are you familiar with the surroundings of the village?"
Nong nodded. I continued asking, "How about you take me for a walk nearby? We can help look for your sister and see if there are any nooks or crannies that might have been overlooked."
Nong glanced outside at the dark night without saying anything. I stood up and walked over to the door. "Nong, are you afraid of the dark?"
He shook his head again and turned back under the table in the Main Hall to pull out a flashlight which he handed to me. "Wang Squad Leader," he said earnestly, "I'm more worried about you being afraid of the dark." He then turned around and stepped outside.
Another inexplicable statement escaped his lips, and I chuckled bitterly, shaking my head as I turned on the flashlight to illuminate the ground beneath me and followed him out.
Once outside the gate, I glanced around. There was no moon tonight, and visibility was low; I could barely see three meters ahead. I had no choice but to keep the flashlight focused a meter or two in front of me to light the path. Looking up, I noticed Nong had already walked into the darkness ahead. I quickly called out to him, and he slowly turned around. As I approached, I caught a glimpse of blue light flashing in his eyes.
This time, I was certain I hadn't imagined it.
After I caught up with him, Nong continued walking silently forward. I had no idea where he was headed, so I kept close behind him. What puzzled me was that Nong wasn't holding a flashlight yet seemed effortlessly able to navigate the village's paths, either stepping over or maneuvering around various obstacles. It appeared that his night vision was exceptionally good.
We walked in silence for a while, and I realized we hadn't even left the village yet. Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, "Nong, I remember your village isn't very big. Why have we been walking for so long without leaving?"
Nong paused at my question, looking around before responding slowly, "We don't need to leave the village; we can find what we need right here."
We stood at a crossroads within the village, and I was confused. I hurried to catch up with him and asked, "What can we find by just wandering around the village?"
Nong tilted his head toward me and asked, "Do you believe in Yin-Yang Eyes?"
I burst out laughing. "Nong, this is the second time you've asked me that. You don't actually have Yin-Yang Eyes yourself, do you?"
Nong fell silent again, turning his gaze back to a dark corner around a nearby bend. He softly said, "Have you ever felt that sensation in a closed room when suddenly your neck feels cold? Or when you're outside alone at night and get the feeling that someone is following you? But when you turn around, there's nothing there? Sometimes you wake up at night feeling like someone else is in the room with you, but when you turn on the light, there's no one there?"
"What do you mean? Are you talking about ghosts?" A chill ran down my spine as I listened; it felt like the temperature around us had dropped significantly. Suddenly shivering, I couldn't help but glance around. This was a crossroad in the village where every path ended in darkness, and now it was eerily quiet—there wasn't even a dog barking. Only Nong's low voice echoed in my ears, making me feel uneasy. I cleared my throat and said, "Nong, this isn't really appropriate right now."
"Wang Squad Leader," he said urgently, "I have a secret—a secret I've buried deep inside that I've never shared: I can see ghosts!" He looked at me again, and I clearly saw a flicker of blue light dancing in his eyes.
"I first started seeing these things when I was about twelve years old. At first, it was all blurry; as I grew older, it became clearer. But no one believed me—not even my mother. When I told them about it, everyone thought I was just imagining things or suffering from delusions. Do you know how lonely and scared that made me? Facing the supernatural world alone while they occasionally appeared before me with terrifying faces and gruesome deaths? I live in constant fear; I'm afraid to see them but never know when or how they might show up."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "That's why I want to join the military!"
"Join the military?" It took me a moment to grasp the connection he was making. Nong continued, "Wang Squad Leader, I've heard that military environments are filled with strong yang energy where many things won't appear; I've observed that whenever you're around—whether at my home or nearby—those things seem to vanish completely. This further confirms my thoughts. Also, being in the military keeps me far away from external disturbances in reality. So please help me; I really want to enlist!"
His urgency grew more intense as he spoke. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information he had just shared with me, all I could do was ask slowly, "So why are you dragging me around the village? Is it just to tell me all this?"
At that moment, a sudden chill swept through the intersection, causing me to shiver. Nong gazed in the direction of the wind. "I want to find Mao Mao, and I also want to confirm my abilities with you." I inhaled sharply. "You mean, Mao Mao is...?"
Nong nodded gravely. "I have a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. Something might have happened to Mao Mao. I'm thinking, if something did happen, she would definitely return to the places she knows well—places like home or the Village Square."
My mind was still trying to catch up. "What do you mean by 'return'?" I asked casually.
Nong quietly replied, "Her soul."
A chill ran down my spine. Last time it was about reviving the dead, and now it was about someone being able to see ghosts. I felt troubled; why did I keep encountering such things?
I looked at Nong, unsure whether to believe him or not. His expression was serious and solemn, and he didn’t seem to be lying. His gaze was resolute; this boy appeared to be strong-willed and capable of making his own judgments.
As I watched Nong, I suddenly recalled a movie I had seen years ago—Bruce Willis starred in "The Sixth Sense" in 1998. It told the story of a boy who claimed he could see dead people, and his psychologist had treated a similar case a year prior, only to be shot by a patient whose treatment had failed. The psychologist vowed to help this boy as best as he could. In the end, it turned out that the psychologist had already died during the shooting; he lingered in this world because his wishes were unfulfilled. Ultimately, the boy recovered and fulfilled those wishes, allowing the psychologist to disappear.
But I’m not a psychologist! And Nong doesn’t seem to have schizophrenia—how can I help him?
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
Comment 0 Comment Count