novelsite Chapter 59 Burdened, Beneath the Statue
Chapter 59 Burdened, Beneath the Statue
The mountain wind, carrying moisture, felt like a rag soaked in cold water being slapped on my face.
Ye Jianguo stood at the crossroads halfway up the mountain, his leather jacket billowing in the wind. He glanced back at Da Lu, who was about to crawl into the dilapidated temple.
"Comrade Da Lu, the census work requires meticulousness, especially in places involving faith. Observe more, take more notes, be patient, and be cautious."
Da Lu adjusted his glasses, his chubby face jiggling. "Don't worry, team leader, I know what I'm doing. I'll make sure I get all the details of the 'household registration' checked."
After watching Da Lu enter the temple gate, Ye Jianguo turned around and led Chen Hua to continue climbing to the top of the mountain.
The mountain road became steeper and steeper as it went up, and the trees on both sides grew crooked and twisted, with branches growing out of place, looking more and more like countless withered arms.
"Team Leader Ye," Chen Hua said, walking behind, his voice low but tinged with barely concealed sarcasm, "the folk customs of Shuangshan Village are truly 'simple and honest' in a touching way. How come we've been running all over the mountains for only two days?"
Ye Jianguo snapped a dead branch with a crisp "crack": "Going to the countryside is about getting close to the grassroots. Since we're here, it's normal to encounter difficulties. Less complaining, more doing. As public servants, we have to act like public servants."
Chen Hua pursed his lips and swallowed the swear words that were about to come out: He's too immersed in the role. I don't know if he's really keeping his composure or if he's just putting on an act.
The two continued climbing in silence. After about ten minutes, the atmosphere began to become awkward.
Logically speaking, given their physical condition, this level of mountain path should only be slightly strenuous. However, Chen Hua felt as if his legs were filled with lead, and every step he took required a huge amount of physical strength.
Even more strangely, the heaviness on my shoulders was gradually increasing—at first it felt like I was carrying an extra backpack, then like I was carrying a bag of rice, but now, I vaguely felt like I was riding a person.
"Huff..." Chen Hua's breathing became heavy, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
She looked up at Ye Jianguo in front of her.
Ye Jianguo's back was no longer upright; his spine was bent and his neck tilted forward unnaturally.
The two stopped at the same time with perfect understanding and looked at each other.
Chen Hua's pupils contracted sharply. In the reflection of Ye Jianguo's pupils, she saw what appeared to be a blurry black shadow crawling on her shoulder.
Chen Hua's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and her hand instantly reached for her waist, exuding murderous intent. She instinctively wanted to use a tool.
Ye Jianguo quickly took a few steps back and reached out to stop her.
He slightly moved his stiff neck, his expression remaining calm.
"Comrade Chen Hua, it's normal to experience some altitude sickness at such a high mountain."
As Ye Jianguo continued to lie, he gestured with his eyes to his back and above his head.
"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. This is the pressure that comes from the 'grassroots' level."
Chen Hua gritted his teeth, feeling the cool touch on his neck, and finally stopped moving, but the killing intent in his eyes intensified.
The two, carrying heavy loads, moved step by step toward the mountaintop.
……
The dilapidated temple halfway up the mountain was eerily quiet.
Da Lu stood in front of the statue and pushed up his glasses that had slipped off his nose.
This two-bodied statue, one headless in a white robe and the other in a red robe with two heads, looks incredibly sinister. Moreover, the texture is just like human skin, as if it might come to life at any moment.
"Don't scare yourself." Da Lu took a deep breath, suppressing the fear rising in his heart, and circled the altar twice.
His intuition was always accurate; the first time he came here, he sensed that there was something beneath the statue.
He rubbed his hands together, then took a folding stick from his tool bag and wedged it into the gap in the base of the statue.
"rise!"
Da Lu gritted his teeth, his fat muscles tensed, and his face began to turn red.
"Squeak!"
"boom!"
He actually managed to pry the clay statue, which weighed several hundred kilograms, to one side, revealing a dark entrance underneath.
A strange, rotten, damp smell wafted over.
"Cough cough cough..."
Da Lu covered his nose and brushed away the dust in front of him.
"Is this a secret passage?" He adjusted his glasses again, his greed overcoming his fear.
Who knows, maybe there's a hidden side quest ahead that can improve your rating and earn you more points?
He took out his flashlight, and the beam of light pierced the darkness.
First, there is a downward stone staircase covered with slippery moss.
He carefully descended the steps, his footsteps echoing in the narrow space.
After climbing about twenty steps, a rusty iron gate appeared ahead, slightly ajar.
He reached out and gently pushed open the iron gate; "creak—"
As the flashlight beam swept across the space behind the door, goosebumps erupted all over Da Lu's body in an instant.
A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and he froze on the spot.
Behind the door was a huge cellar filled with corpses, densely packed together, like dried salted fish.
They were pierced through their bodies with iron hooks and hung in rows on the roof.
All the corpses had one thing in common—two heads.
In the very center, there was a huge chopping board, with dark bloodstains and scattered needles and threads on it.
This is a little-known sewing workshop.
……
On the back hill, the wind rustled through the weeds, making a whispering sound.
Lu Dan and Zhang Min stood facing each other across two small mounds.
Zhang Min lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands. She could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the "honest" A Dan opposite her.
"Adan, what do you think we should do?" Zhang Min finally couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling slightly. "Everyone's busy, what should we do?"
Lu Dan's lips curled into a playful smile: "Sister Zhang Min, stop joking."
Lu Dan strolled leisurely to Yao Yao's grave, kicked the broken wooden sign with his toe, and said, "Does this even need asking? Since we're here for a 'census,' we should naturally invite the 'residents' out for a chat."
He turned his head, staring into Zhang Min's evasive eyes, his tone suddenly softening: "After all, Sister Zhang Min should know the rules here. Team Leader Ye has worked tirelessly for this census, we won't forget his hard work, will we?"
Zhang Min's body trembled violently, and all color drained from her face. She looked up in terror, her lips trembling, "What are you talking about? I don't understand. We...we are simply doing our duty to serve the people at the grassroots level."
Seeing Zhang Min's reaction, Lu Dan's suspicions were pretty much confirmed.
At first, he just felt that Zhang Min's disappearance, as the only surviving member of the census team, was too sudden and without any reason.
Unexpectedly, this slight probing caused the census officer to give himself away.
It seems that the Zhang Min in front of me is very likely the original version of the insane one. If that's the case, she's a living intelligence database, since she probably has memories of the night.
Lu Dan was too lazy to waste any more words with her, and he had no patience for any psychological counseling.
He bent down, plunged his hands directly into the soil, and began frantically digging.
"Since we're here to serve the people, let's get to work!"
Lu Dan grabbed a handful of rotten soil, tossed it aside, and shouted without looking up, "Don't just stand there, Sister Zhang Min, come and lend a hand. The 'residents' here live quite shallowly; let's try to get them out to see the sun before dark."