Chapter 20

The rest of the band was still watching them from not far away, clearly waiting for Ray to leave together.

Ray’s expression changed. He lowered his voice and said, “Why are you still watching that?”

Ning Qiuyan replied, “I want to confirm whether the video was faked.”

Over the past few days, Ning Qiuyan had looked up some information online and found that video compositing was actually quite easy. There were plenty of composite videos about superpowers, aliens, ghosts, and the like on the internet. If the technology was advanced, it was hard for non-professionals to spot any traces, but insiders could still find loopholes easily. Ning Qiuyan had learned some basic identification methods online.

The video must have been composited, he thought. He just needed to confirm it.

Ray’s attitude was different from last time, more serious. “Stop looking at it. It’s no good for you. I’ve already deleted the video.”

The band members called out to him, “Ray, let’s go! Hurry up!”

Ray turned to leave, but Ning Qiuyan, acting on impulse, grabbed his sleeve and whispered, “I want some too.”

Ray looked at him in surprise.

Ning Qiuyan said, “Huanle, I want to buy a little. You said it’s not a drug, right? I just want to know if it’s real.”

Ray shook off his hand and took a few steps back.

Snowflakes landed on Ning Qiuyan’s hat and shoulders, making him look pitiful and helpless-just like most people living in the Underground Plaza, all bearing lives heavy enough to crush them.

“I’ll contact you when I get back,” Ray said, then left with the band.

The group walked away, arms around each other’s shoulders. Ning Qiuyan also set off, braving the snow to head home.

Not long after he got home, he received a private message from Ray on social media. Previously, they had only followed each other on the app and didn’t have each other’s phone numbers.

Ray was very cautious, sending and then recalling messages as he went.

Ray: [Do you really want to buy?]

Recalled.

Ning Qiuyan: [Yeah. But I want to see the video first.]

Seeing this, Ning Qiuyan knew Ray had lied last time. Ray must have other ways to get it, or he wouldn’t have asked, and he seemed a bit eager to recruit new buyers.

Ning Qiuyan felt a bit disappointed in human nature.

Ray: [The video really is gone. We all deleted it. If it’s found, it’ll be a big problem.]

Recalled.

Reading this, Ning Qiuyan guessed the video really was gone.

He felt a little disappointed, but even more, he was relieved. Deep down, he was glad he couldn’t verify the video.

He didn’t want to talk to Ray any further, so he typed: [Forget it then.]

A minute or two later, Ray sent another message: [Are you testing me so you can call the police?]

Recalled.

If Ray kept pushing, Ning Qiuyan would have considered reporting him, but he’d have to convince the police that the kind of creature he described really existed.

Without the video, even he couldn’t be sure, let alone the police.

Ning Qiuyan: [I’m not.]

After his shower, he saw a new message from Ray: [If you’re really interested, I can take you to see it.]

Recalled.

Ning Qiuyan: [?]

Ray: [A living one. Do you want to see it?]

Recalled.

After a long while, Ning Qiuyan replied with trembling fingers: [Yes. When?]

Ray: [Tomorrow morning.]

He sent an address.

*

It snowed all night.

It was probably the biggest snow before spring arrived.

When Ning Qiuyan left home, he saw many neighbors shoveling snow in the neighborhood. People were working enthusiastically, making it quite lively. He carried his backpack, wore a thick hooded down jacket, and hurried past them.

The address Ray gave wasn’t far from Ning Qiuyan’s home.

When he arrived on foot, Ray was already waiting for him by a shabby but flashy off-road vehicle.

Seeing Ning Qiuyan approach, Ray tossed away his cigarette butt, patted the car door, and said, “Get in.”
Ning Qiuyan asked, “Where are we going?”

In the daylight, Ray’s face looked so thin it was almost out of shape. His smile made Ning Qiuyan feel a bit uneasy. “Relax, after knowing you for so long, do you think I’d sell you out? I’m still counting on you to sing a couple of gigs for me.”

Ning Qiuyan got into the car. The smell of smoke inside was strong, and there was a blanket tossed on the back seat-it looked like Ray was living in the car.

Ray asked him, “You didn’t tell anyone you were coming out today, did you?”

Ning Qiuyan shook his head. “No.”

Ray started the car and headed for the main road out of the city. On the way, he told Ning Qiuyan that the people in the car were his friends, and today they just wanted to tag along for some excitement. Ning Qiuyan noticed Ray seemed a bit overexcited; though he still spoke cautiously, he was clearly full of self-satisfaction.

Ning Qiuyan guessed something must have happened in the past few days.

He asked Ray what they were going to see, wondering if he’d misunderstood something last night.

Ray said, “You’ll know when we get there. I told them you’re my little brother. If you get scared, just stick with me, but don’t give yourself away.”

Seeing Ning Qiuyan was uneasy, Ray added mysteriously, “Xiao Ning, this time it’ll completely overturn your understanding of the world.”

The car left the city and entered a wide forest road.

Wutong City was surrounded by forests. The snow on the forest roads was blocked by the trees, so it wasn’t as thick as in the city center. Mist curled around the treetops, and the distant sky was gray, hinting that today wasn’t going to be a good day.

“There’s a car following us. It’s been behind us since we left the city,” Ray suddenly glanced at the rearview mirror. “You’re sure you didn’t tell anyone?”

Ning Qiuyan looked back and indeed saw a black sedan closely tailing them. His heart skipped a beat-he almost forgot there were people from Du Island around him.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” he told Ray calmly. “It’s probably just a coincidence.”

Ray pressed his lips together, glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time.

Not long after, as if by luck, a massive truck loaded with timber suddenly pulled out from a logging site by the road. The pile of wood was several meters high, perfectly blocking them from the sedan behind.

Seeing this, Ray slammed on the gas, took a random turn at an intersection, and lost the sedan.

Ray cursed, then let out a breath. “Whether it’s a coincidence or not, being followed is just annoying.”

As he spoke, he tapped quickly on the GPS, preparing to head to their destination from another direction.

Ning Qiuyan glanced at the marked location on the GPS. It was a patch of green on the map, seemingly deep in the forest, with no notable landmarks nearby-a very hidden spot.

This made him feel a sense of danger and he began to have second thoughts.

Just as he looked away, his phone vibrated.

Lu Qianque: [Little Puppy, where are you going?]

Ning Qiuyan didn’t know how to reply.

Lu Qianque: [Wait a moment. Our people can’t see you now.]

At that moment, Ray looked over warily. “What are you doing? Who are you texting?”

Ning Qiuyan’s hand trembled slightly as he quickly switched off the screen. “It’s my Aunt, asking if I want to spend the New Year holiday at her place.”

Ray knew a bit about his situation and smiled. “Then your Aunt treats you pretty well.”

Ning Qiuyan responded with a sound.

Ray lit another cigarette, puffing away as he drove. “It must be tough being on your own. There’s trouble everywhere, hardly anything goes smoothly. You have to live, make money, and go to school. No wonder you’re in a bad mood. If it were me, I’d probably have broken down long ago… It’s okay to let loose once in a while. Doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

Every hopeless addict says things like that.

Maybe Ning Qiuyan was lost in some ways, but when it came to his bottom line, he was especially clear-headed. He couldn’t agree with Ray’s values, so he stayed silent and turned to look out the window.

After driving for thirty or forty minutes, they turned onto a bumpy path-their destination really was deep in the forest.

The road was muddy, the trees towered overhead, and the sky was so blocked that only a sliver of white could be seen.
They stopped in the forest, where there were already two other cars. Ray told him to get out; from here, they would walk.

Snow was melting on the treetops, dripping down in tiny droplets.

Ning Qiuyan pulled up the hood of his jacket. His fair face and clear eyes seemed completely out of place with what they were about to do. Ray felt a moment of hesitation, but desire quickly overcame conscience, and he dismissed the thought of telling Ning Qiuyan to go back.

The roadside had long been deserted, covered in slippery green moss. Ning Qiuyan nearly slipped several times, refusing Ray’s offer to help him.

They arrived at an abandoned pig farm.

No one knew how many years it had been since anyone came here. Everything was dilapidated; the walls of the buildings had collapsed, leaving gaping holes. Low sheds dotted the weed-choked grounds, some of their roofs already caved in under the weight of snow.

A few people were standing there, all unfamiliar faces.

Ray said to Ning Qiuyan, “I’ll go talk to them.”

Then he walked over first.

From a dozen meters away, Ning Qiuyan kept his hands in his jacket pockets, clutching his phone.

He saw Ray say something to those people, and then all of them turned to look at him. At that moment, his phone started vibrating, startling him. He was glad he’d set it to silent in the car.

The jacket pocket was large; Ning Qiuyan didn’t dare take the phone out, much less answer it.

He gripped it nervously, but it kept vibrating.

While those people turned away to discuss something, Ning Qiuyan quickly glanced down into his pocket, and his blood seemed to freeze-he was stunned.

The screen showed the caller’s name: Guan Heng.

It was as if the caller had a psychic connection with Ning Qiuyan; the moment he looked down, the call ended.

Immediately, a new text message popped up on the screen.

Guan Heng: [Come home immediately.]

Ning Qiuyan’s heart was pounding in his throat.

At that moment, a strange thought flashed through his mind: he felt Guan Heng knew exactly what he was doing.

Ray walked back toward him.

He stood there, unable to move his feet. In those low, dark sheds, something extremely dangerous lurked. Guan Heng’s message made him want to leave right away.

“I want to go back,” he said to Ray.

“Are you kidding?” Ray laughed. “You’re not that timid, are you? Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe.”

Ray told him to hand over his phone, and then they could go in together. Ning Qiuyan turned off his phone and gave it to Ray; at this point, there was no turning back.

He was brought before the others. Ray introduced him as his younger brother; the others seemed indifferent, perhaps not believing this boy, pure as a blank sheet, could pose any threat to them.

As he entered the shed, Ning Qiuyan felt a ringing in his ears.

He looked through the black iron bars, but what he wanted to see wasn’t hidden in the darkness.

They entered a filthy room. In broad daylight, an oil lamp was burning inside.

Ning Qiuyan noticed the reason: every window had been boarded up, not allowing a single ray of light from outside to enter.

-Just like Du Island.

“That’s not the one from the video. This one was caught not long ago, it’s fresh, and has been kept here all this time.” He heard Ray whisper excitedly in his ear, “With this one, as long as we figure out how to extract more of that stuff, we won’t need to look for a supplier anymore.”

Ning Qiuyan’s gaze fell on the rusted iron bed in the center of the room.

Someone was lying there, chained tightly to the bedframe, unable to move.

A bloody animal trap was clamped to the person’s right calf, and they were letting out weak, miserable cries, a pair of sharp fangs clearly visible in their mouth.

And their skin was as pale as Ning Qiuyan remembered.