Thе саr slоwlу traveled аlоng the Nujiang Grаnd Canуоn. Тhе сlоuds transformеd into light veils winding around the emеrаld-greеn ovеrlаррing pеаks. Моuntаin villagеs high in the hills were hiddеn within thе pаle purplе mist and fog. Whitе foam flоаtеd оn thе rivеr's surfаce, аnd bеneаth thе irоn-chаin bridge sраnning both banks, thе turbulеnt watеrs roared intо the distancе.
Insidе thе cаr, it was quiet. Asidе frоm thе driver, еvеrуоnе hаd fallеn аsleеp. Whеn they rеaсhеd а cеrtаin sроt, Hippо stood up and had оnly taken а few steрs towаrd thе doоr when he saw Diao Zhuo rise and ask in a low voice, "Aren't you going to say a proper goodbye to her?"
"No," Hippo's voice was even lower.
"Aren't you afraid she'll curse you?"
"I won't be able to hear it anyway."
"Take care," Diao Zhuo extended his hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting you," Hippo shook his hand.
"Thank you."
"It's what I should do." Hippo walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, even Master Ba was fooled by me. How did you recognize me?"
Diao Zhuo gestured with his chin toward Hippo's shoes. "You taught me how to tie my shoelaces in Badanjilin."
"A single slip in a hundred precautions... You really kept your composure."
"And you don't dare eat mangoes."
"This... How did you know I'm allergic to mangoes?"
"In Qiangtang, when Ye Xun took all our food, Master Ba shared the remaining half-pack of dried mangoes with everyone—except you. At the time, I could guess that unless you were allergic, there was no reason you wouldn't eat it. The way you tie your shoelaces plus the mango allergy—I was one hundred percent sure that the so-called Ah Shui was actually you, Hippo."
Hippo gave him a thumbs-up. "With Master Ba and you, I'm at ease. In the future... please, please take good care of her."
Diao Zhuo understood. After getting off the bus, Hippo truly would never see them again.
Hippo walked to the minibus door, glanced back at Bayunye, who was sleeping soundly, smiled faintly, and stepped off lightly. He stood beside the vehicle, watching the minibus continue along the winding mountain road until it disappeared around a bend. In his mind, he recalled the moments he had shared with Brother Long and Bayunye over the years, feeling both wistful and relieved.
This man, who had taken the alias Hippo, turned and walked away, still choosing to carry the weight silently and alone for the sake of peaceful times.
Bayunye opened her eyes. She didn't look out the window, but she knew Hippo was leaving. She was not an inexperienced young girl; deep down, she knew that once Hippo's identity was exposed, it would lead to a permanent farewell. All gatherings must eventually disperse. People always have to move on from one parting after another and return to their respective journeys.
She remembered when the group left Qiangtang, a light snow had begun to fall. Today, as they left the primeval forest of Gongshan, a light rain started to fall.
The poet Hai Zi once wrote: Rain is a lifetime of mistakes; rain is joy and sorrow, meeting and parting.
By the time they reached the Gongshan Hotel, dusk had already fallen. Considering the Rescue Team and others were physically exhausted, the local police arranged for the statements to be taken the next day. No one bothered with formalities; they took their room keys and headed straight to their rooms, sleeping like the dead.
Bayunye didn't even know how she made it to her room. When she woke up the next day, her mind felt like a muddled mess. She realized she hadn't even showered the night before, hadn't turned on the lights, and had simply felt her way to the bed and collapsed, sleeping in her grimy clothes all night.
After showering, she went downstairs and saw that the others didn't seem to be up yet, but the police had already been waiting for some time. Bayunye spotted Brother Long sitting among the police officers and hurried over. Seeing that he wasn't handcuffed, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Long, you..."
Brother Long stood up, his expression surprisingly tinged with shame.Bayunye smiled, "You've lost weight."
He sighed, patting his noticeably smaller belly, "After last night's interrogation, I've got a rough idea of what those people do, what they did to you, and how hard you all worked to find me."
"You really were a tough one to track down, worthy of your reputation as a stubborn mule in the circle." Bayunye gave a thumbs-up, sitting casually across from a row of police officers. She brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead and recognized a few faces she'd seen before—no wonder those officers had seemed hesitant when questioning them earlier; it was all an act. She had even blamed them for not taking the investigation seriously enough. With a chuckle, she added, "To prove Brother Long's ability to kill with a single strike, I even assaulted a police officer."
Brother Long widened his eyes in surprise, and a young officer among them quickly waved his hands, "That doesn't count, doesn't count!"
The elevator doors slid open and closed as the members of the Beidou Rescue Team filed out. After a night's rest, they had regained their usual robust and spirited appearance. Diao Zhuo led the way, clean-shaven and looking sharp and handsome.
Bayunye raised her hand and waved, snapping her fingers—her signature gesture for greeting guests.
Diao Zhuo's first glance was already on her; he didn't need her to signal her location.
"Any news about Da Qin?" Bayunye asked with concern.
Walking toward her, Diao Zhuo replied, "He had an infected wound and a high fever last night. The hospital just called—his vital signs are under control, and he's recovering."
As he drew closer, Bayunye tilted her head and smiled, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Xiang An laughed heartily, "That wasn't sleeping, that was passing out!"
Tan Lin rubbed his temples, "I don't know if it's leftover toxins, but I kept having nightmares all night, running in my dreams. Waking up felt like I'd been beaten up."
Qi Zi stretched lazily, "If Diao Zhuo hadn't woken me, I could've slept longer. But I never expected Diao Zhuo to actually not..."
"Not what?" Bayunye deliberately covered her nose, "Haven't showered yet?"
Qi Zi burst out laughing, "I never thought Diao Zhuo would leave you alone in an empty room."
"Good wine needs no bush," Bayunye blurted out inexplicably.
Everyone looked confused, seeking an explanation.
Diao Zhuo thought to himself, if you can't handle poetic phrases, don't just spout nonsense.
"Uh... a good dog doesn't block... no, no... how does it go?" She looked troubled, as if struggling with the final math problem on an exam. Diao Zhuo probably knew what she was trying to say but deliberately didn't help, leaving her racking her brains. "How can one have it both ways, neither betraying the Buddha nor forsaking the beloved?"
"Master Ba, you're not cut out for pretending to be elegant!" the others chimed in unison.
Diao Zhuo gently patted her back, "As long as there's affection, it doesn't matter where you sleep."
Bayunye pointed at Diao Zhuo as if she'd caught him red-handed, "He's even more vulgar than me, and... and it doesn't even rhyme!"Once everyone was seated and idle chatter had concluded, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a leader among the public security officers said, "We have largely completed our investigation into Renlong Duoji's case. Some of his actions were illegal, and we will handle them according to the law. He Zhengren regained consciousness in the middle of the night and identified Li Haozhang as the person who stabbed him. He confessed to everything he had done, and his account of the previous car accident was largely consistent with Zhang Chenguang's. As for the chip that Renlong Duoji seized and kept hidden on his person, after decryption, we discovered it contained data on the Beryllium-Bearing Ore Belt and several related research papers. The contents have not yet been publicly disclosed by our country, and the asking price on the dark web reached tens of millions, with more than three sellers involved. Fortunately, Renlong Duoji intercepted it midway; otherwise, if it had leaked abroad, our country's development in this area would have been compromised. We have confirmed that the source of the data has been destroyed by He Zhengren. It can be said that, at present, this is the only copy within the country."
Bayunye recalled that before the Spring Festival, when she went to the orphanage to clean, Mu Ye had told her about the whereabouts of the eldest sister's old computer—perhaps the data was not the only copy after all. Grandma Ba seemed to have known long ago that there was something unusual in the old computer. Before her passing, she had instructed that all the information be copied onto a portable hard drive, which was stored inside her urn. As for the old computer's main unit, it had already been destroyed. If the police failed to obtain the data He Zhengren intended to sell, they would have no choice but to open Grandma Ba's grave and retrieve the hard drive from her urn. For this reason, she had been hesitant, as she did not want to disturb Grandma Ba without first confirming whether the hard drive contained important files.
Whether it was the experts and Grandma Ba acting intentionally or Brother Long unintentionally, many people had risked their lives to protect the nation's interests.
Bayunye pursed her lips, thinking that Grandma Ba's grave need not be opened, allowing her to continue resting in peace. She looked at Brother Long and asked, "Where exactly did you hide the memory card?"
Brother Long raised his faint eyebrows and pointed to his ear.
"You didn't hide it in your ear like Sun Wukong, did you?"
"Exactly," he nodded repeatedly, looking somewhat pleased with himself.
Diao Zhuo, sitting beside Bayunye, cleared his throat. "This data on the Beryllium-Bearing Ore Belt was the trigger for the geological team's car accident back then, something a whole vehicle of experts defended with their lives. Although it's unclear how He Zhengren found it, please ensure this data is promptly handed over to trustworthy personnel."
"You can rest assured about that," the middle-aged public security officer assured them.
"Were the two bodies found in the forest also part of Red Beard's group?" Bayunye seized the opportunity to ask, adding a complaint, "Although Kong Gan abandoned us halfway, he should have stayed put until you arrived to handle things, right?"
The young police officer looked puzzled. "We found the bodies, but what are you talking about... Kong Gan?"
"The guide who led our team into the mountains, Kong Gan," Xiang An quickly explained.
The young officer said seriously, "The guide for your team had diarrhea before departure and never came. However, since Ge Mingliang and Fat Monkey were with you, we felt reassured and didn't arrange for a guide. I don't know who this Kong Gan you're talking about is..."Bayunye and Diao Zhuo exchanged glances for a few seconds, feeling as if a cold wind had swept through. Unwilling to give up, she described Kong Gan's appearance and attire. "This man was very familiar with the roads and even carried snake-repelling medicine. If he hadn't run off midway, I would have been quite impressed by his navigation skills."
"Kong Gan... Wait, I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before," a police officer beside the young man stroked his chin. "Right, I once read an old case file about a mentally unstable man who died on a mountain. Even the forensic examiner couldn't determine the cause of death. That man was named Kong Gan!"
Goosebumps rose on Bayunye's arms, while Xiang An's mouth hung open in shock. Diao Zhuo frowned, equally puzzled.
Tan Lin cautiously asked, "Have we been hallucinating from the very beginning...?"
"A ghost!!" Xiang An couldn't hold back a scream. "That Kong Gan was a ghost!"
"Pfft—" The young man chuckled mischievously. "Hey! I was just messing with you! Kong Gan actually waited until we arrived at the scene before leaving. He told us how dangerous the place you went to was and shared stories about what happened in his village before..."
Bayunye, still shaken, looked utterly speechless.
With an expression of trying to make amends, the young man said earnestly, "We've transported both bodies back. One died from a venomous snake bite, and the other from severe head trauma due to a high fall. Both were Red Beard's accomplices. The one bitten by the snake was covered in a green fungus that only parasitizes corpses infected by a specific snake venom. If not treated in time, within a few days, the entire body would turn into the 'Green-Haired Corpse' described in novels."
"You should definitely investigate the Grave Mound Mushrooms!" Several people chimed in, recounting their hallucination experiences once again.
"We searched deeper into the general area described by Renlong Duoji and you, but we didn't find any such mushrooms," the young man added sincerely, "This time, I'm really not lying."
"How could there be none? We suffered so much because of them!"
"Brother Long was dug out from the Grave Mound Mushrooms."
"If Diao Zhuo hadn't realized we were hallucinating, we might still be trapped in the mountains, becoming fertilizer for the Grave Mound Mushrooms."
"Officers, I assure you, the only time I, Renlong Duoji, failed to complete a planned route was because of those damn Grave Mound Mushrooms..."
The young man shrugged. "We brought law enforcement recorders, so we’re not lying. We didn’t find them because they simply weren’t there. Not only did we not find the Grave Mound Mushrooms, but we also didn’t discover any Japanese military remains or fighter jet fragments. As for the masks you used, the test results just came in this morning—no toxic substances were detected. I think you might have been too exhausted and misperceived things."
Everyone exchanged glances, sinking into a prolonged silence.
The mysterious Grave Mound Mushrooms, like the Heavenly Lake in Qiangtang and the moving Hai Zi of Badanjilin, became an indelible memory and lingering knot in everyone's hearts. Perhaps these things possess a certain spirituality, appearing only at special times to special groups of people—impossible to investigate or verify. After all, there are far too many unsolved mysteries in this world.
OpenNovel