Secret 1

Chapter 10 Despair (1)
2006年9月25日，上午8点09分。

But Ye Xiao gripped the severed hand even tighter.He stared blankly at the gas station that continued to burn, and really wanted to shout out the driver's name, maybe the poor soul could still hear it?

However, he didn't even know the driver's name!
The sockets of his eyes were suddenly moist, but he suppressed himself to hide the tears in his body.Yes, the driver accompanied the tour group all the way, but no one can call the driver's name, the world is really unfair!

This 40-year-old Thai man should have a wife and children at home, and he is still waiting for him to go home and enjoy the family happiness.But he was blown to death here, and his whole body was turned into fragments and dust——his skin, bones, and organs of his whole body were scattered on the surrounding land, perhaps in their How many people are on their clothes?And in the blazing air, there was his melted blood and body fluids.

"Fate—fate is so fucking cruel! A living person just disappeared in an instant."

Qian Mozheng sighed softly, his face was also blackened by the smoke.

"At least he still has a hand left!"

Ye Xiao suddenly felt that he had become a demon in hell, walking beside the raging fire with a severed hand.He found a large piece of broken plastic sheeting and wrapped the driver's severed hand in it.

Now I can't see that it is a severed hand. Outsiders may think it is fruit or snacks, right?He put the plastic package under his tuck and said coldly: "If we can go out, I will personally return this severed hand to the driver's family."

"Are you crazy?"

Sun Tzuchu said loudly that there was a big tear on the back of his shirt, but luckily it was just a scrape of skin.

"Okay, let's think about how it exploded?" Qian Mozheng approached the ruins of the gas station, and the flames had receded a lot, "When we came to see the shadow, the driver was also filling up the bus. It may be that he did not operate properly, or it may be that the gas station has long been a safety hazard. In short, the most unfortunate thing is that a little spark triggered a gasoline explosion, and finally even the gas station with people and cars was sent to the sky."

Yang Mou has picked up the DV again, and his beloved device is not damaged, this is because he pressed it tightly under his chest - he would rather be killed by the bomb than let the camera suffer a little injury.

"It may not be that simple! Have you ever thought about it? What if we are all in the car? Usually when refueling, most of the passengers are also in the car or moving around the car. If there is an explosion like that, Our entire tour group is finished! We can only discuss the cause of our own death in hell now."

Sun Tzuchu expressed his doubts. He kicked the broken bricks on the ground, and there was no joy on his face that he escaped from death.

"You mean this gas station has been tampered with long ago?" Yang Mou filmed the DV to record the terrible disaster, "So someone wants to harm us on purpose? Through this gas station, we will all be wiped out." ?”

"Yes, maybe it was a big conspiracy in the beginning, by getting us lost in the mountains, and then leading us into this ghost place, until the big explosion at the gas station."

Sun Zichu yelled almost madly, his spirit was about to collapse.

But Ye Xiao has recovered his composure.

"Stop thinking about it! Let's go back and find the big troops, and I will explain to everyone."

They stopped talking, and followed Ye Xiao to walk back, behind them was the scene of the horrific explosion.

Turn left at the first intersection, and soon came to the alley, the whole tour group was anxiously waiting for them.

Seeing the disheveled appearance of these five people, everyone's heart was suspended.The big explosion that happened just now has already reverberated throughout the city.The people who stayed behind also heard it and thought there was a war, so they hurriedly lay down on the ground to avoid air strikes.

At this moment, thick smoke was still floating in the sky, and everyone asked with lingering fear: "What happened just now? What happened to you?"

Sun Zichu still wanted to hide it, but Ye Xiao told the truth: "The gas station suddenly exploded, our driver, and our tour bus are all gone!"

Everyone was stunned by this news. They looked at the faces of Ye Xiao and the others, the dust and black smoke on their bodies, and combined with the sound of the big explosion just now, some people couldn't help but burst into tears—the tour guide Xiao Fang's words had just been heard. The death news, but just ten minutes later, the driver of the tour group was blown to nothing, so who will lead them out again?So who will be the next victim?
Except for the crying of the girls, there is the silence of the men.It's eight o'clock in the morning, and they are still trapped in this unknown city.Huang Wanran checked the wound on Sun Tzuchu's back. Fortunately, it was just a skin trauma, and it would be fine with some medicine.

No one noticed the package that Ye Xiao tucked away—the driver's severed hand was wrapped in it, and it was quietly stuffed into his suitcase.

"Without a car and without a driver, what should we do?"

The eerie silence was broken by the establishment, clad in an expensive slack shirt, clutching his 15-year-old daughter's hand.

Xiaotian, who was leaning against Yang Mou, cried and said, "Let's escape quickly."

Then, she and Yang Mou dragged their luggage back to the residential building, looking for a room to change out of their smoky clothes.

"How to escape? Do we have to rely on us to walk? And dragging so much luggage? Even a marathon runner will probably die of exhaustion on this mountain road!"

Li Shu held up his glasses and said, "I suggest that the large troops stay here temporarily, it's better not to act rashly, and let a few capable men go out to ask for help."

"I agree!"

Ye Xiao and Qian Mozheng both changed their clothes and quickly washed their faces.

I don't know who murmured again: "It would be great if there was a car."

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the alley, a Toyota car was parked there alone - Tu Nan was the first to run to the car, he took off his sunglasses and looked inside the car window, and then asked, "Which of you can put Is this car door open?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, who could open the locked car door except the thief?

"I can!"

Tong Jianguo, the oldest member of the tour group, came out, which surprised everyone.He walked quickly to the car, took out a small thing from his pocket, and skillfully inserted it into the keyhole of the car door.With a few twists of his fingers, he easily opened the door.These movements are not at all like elders in their 50s, but more like a sea thief and a sea thief.

Out of professional sensitivity as a policeman, Ye Xiao carefully observed Tong Jianguo's movements while searching for the wanted criminal's photos in his mind.Under the watchful eyes of a dozen or so people, Tong Jianguo had already sat in the driver's seat of the Toyota.Of course, there was no key in the car, so he took out some tool and drilled the key hole under the steering wheel.Then he lowered his head and fiddled for a while, there seemed to be the sound of electric fire colliding, and then the engine started.

This is a standard car thief's action - Sun Zichu whispered to Ye Xiao: "This old guy has to guard against it!"

Qian Mozheng sat in the passenger seat, while Ye Xiao and Sun Zichu sat in the back row.They let the tour group wait in place, and they must not leave and walk around—just like Monkey King drew a circle for Tang Seng.

"Have you checked the fuel tank?" Sun Zichu wiped the dust off the seat. "This car looks like it hasn't been moved for a long time. Is there something wrong?"

Tong Jianguo pointed to the dashboard and said, "There is still enough oil. As for whether it is dangerous, you can only know if you drive it!"

After finishing speaking, he stepped on the accelerator and slowly drove onto the deserted street.Ye Xiao looked back at everyone, the girl named Ding Ding stood at the alley, watching them disappear at the crossroads.

But instead of turning left, the car turned right into that avenue.Qian Mozheng, who was in the co-pilot's seat, shouted, "Where are you going? We have to go out of the city to find a way out, instead of heading in."

"Since we've arrived here and have a car to travel around, why don't we take a closer look at the city, maybe we can meet other people." Tong Jianguo's tone was unusually calm, "I also want to see what the gas station has become. ?”

The speed of the car gradually increased under his feet.But after all, this Toyota has been "resting" for too long. It wobbled and rattled when it was driven, and the engine also made an asthma-like sound.Sun Tzuchu held the handle tightly and said, "It's better to slow down! I don't want to be killed in the car again."

In a blink of an eye, we arrived at the ruins of the gas station, and the flames were basically extinguished, but thick smoke still emerged from the pile of tiles.Surrounded by remnants of the explosion, it was a mess, as if it had just experienced an air raid.

Tong Jianguo didn't get out of the car, but just rolled down the window and paused for a moment. There was something special in his eyes, as if this scene was familiar.Then he stepped on the accelerator and continued to drive forward, muttering: "May our driver rest in peace."

Many buildings around the gas station were damaged by the explosion to varying degrees. Either the walls were shaken to open cracks, or the window glass was shattered.The car drove forward for several hundred meters before the house returned to its original state.It is full of shops and businesses of all kinds, and there are many kinds of goods in the windows.Banyan trees and kapok trees were planted along the roadside, and a night of heavy rain made them come alive, just like many cities in southern China-but there were no people in sight.

The four people in the Toyota car all looked around carefully.Suddenly, Tong Jianguo slammed on the brakes and shouted, "There's a cat!"

Qian Mozheng in the front row also saw it: "That's right, it's a black cat that ran past our car."

Ye Xiao looked to the left, the cat probably ran into the alley.

"Black cat?" Sun Tzuchu's lips turned purple, "It's unlucky to run into a black cat while driving, but luckily it's broad daylight!"

At this moment, a flock of black birds flew across the sky, and Ye Xiao happened to catch them. He knew what kind of birds they were - crows.But he didn't say it, just watched the crows disappear on the roof.

The car continued to drive forward, the straight street seemed endless, and the wheels splashed the stagnant water from last night from time to time.Qian Mozheng said indifferently: "This city is really not small!"

Just when Tong Jianguo was about to turn right, Ye Xiao said loudly: "No, if you turn the corner, you might get lost!"

The steering wheel paused, and Tong Jianguo looked back into his eyes and said, "Okay, keep going straight."

They quickly passed the intersection. On the deserted street, Ye Xiao saw a video store and immediately shouted: "Stop!"

Following the screeching sound of brakes, Ye Xiao was the first to jump out of the car, and the other three followed him.The audio-visual stores on the street have small facades, just like their counterparts in many cities in China, with the latest movie posters pasted on the door.

The poster that made Ye Xiao jump out of the car was "Initial D" - a photo of Jay Chou, Edison Chen and Shawn Yue playing side by side.

"What's wrong? So neurotic?"

Sun Tzuchu patted him on the shoulder.

Ye Xiao didn't answer, but went straight into the video store.This narrow shop is long and does not exceed fifteen square meters.Beside the wall is a long row of audio-visual shelves, exuding a plastic smell, probably due to the long-term lack of air circulation, and the smell of DVD plastic film.Most of them are American films, followed by Hong Kong films, Japanese and Korean films, and a large number of TV series.Especially among the dazzling Korean dramas, "Dae Jang Geum" is in the most eye-catching position.Of course, there are also some Chinese TV dramas, such as "Chinese Divorce" and "Han Wu Da Di".However, there are very few Thai films, only a few horror films and historical films. There are also a variety of CDs on the shelf, ranging from mainland Hong Kong to the United States and Europe.The covers of these DVDs and CDs are all in traditional Chinese, and most of the titles are also Hong Kong translations. It seems that they are made with Hong Kong and Taiwan versions.

The other three followed suit, carefully scanning the video store, which had posters of American films 24, War of the Worlds, and House of Wax on the walls.

"Oh my god, '120 Days of Sodom' is still on sale here!"

Sun Zichu saw the film at the bottom of the shelf, smiled wryly and shook his head, thinking that the owner of this store is bold enough.

Ye Xiao walked out of the video store and said, "Let's drive the car out of the city."

They all got back in the car, Tong Jianguo turned the Toyota around, stepped on the accelerator and drove straight back.Sun Tzuchu asked Ye Xiao softly: "What happened to you just now? Are you so interested in this video store?"

"Because the video store in a city can best reflect the local popular information. And the posters hanging at the entrance of the video store are usually the latest movies. The release time of "Initial D" was June 2005, at least It shows that this video store was still operating normally in June last year. Considering the hysteresis effect in remote areas and the posting cycle of this poster, it can continue until July or August of 6."

Grandson Chu nodded again and again: "Yes, I look at the DVDs on the shelf, most of them are movies from the first half of 2005, and the most recent ones were released last summer, such as "War of the Worlds". But there are indeed no movies from the second half of last year on the shelves. , like last year's Halloween schedule "Chain Saw 2" can't be seen."

"Maybe, since then, there will be no one in the video store!"

"That was about exactly a year ago, but why?"

Just when Ye Xiao and Sun Tzuchu were confused, the Toyota wobbled and drove faster and faster, and in a blink of an eye, it drove out of the avenue into the city.Tong Jianguo pointed to the mountain road in front of him and said, "This is the way we came in, should we drive directly up?"

"Yes, go up!"

The engine roared heavily, and the car drove up the slope with difficulty.Tong Jianguo's driving skills are good, several people grasped the handles, and soon drove up the slope.

Looking back at the whole city, it was a different scene compared with yesterday afternoon.Yesterday was in the heavy rain, and everyone was in the fear and loneliness of being lost. When they suddenly saw such a strange city, they were both excited and curious.However, looking at this pile of deathly silent buildings at this moment, it is even greater despair.The location of the gas station was faintly visible, and some black smoke was still rising.The sky after the rain is still gloomy, covering the huge basin, while the surrounding mountains are hazy and green so that people feel panic.

On the other side of the mountain road, the tunnel was in front of their eyes.

This deep tunnel, the tunnel that led them to this place, has a big black mouth, which seems to be a "black hole" that can swallow time and space.

"This hole scares me." Sun Tzuchu suddenly grabbed Ye Xiao's clothes and said, "Yesterday was like an exit to life, like the birth canal where a fetus is born in the mother's womb, but today it's like the entrance to hell!"

But Ye Xiao didn't answer, just stared blankly at the front and said, "Go in, we have no choice."

Tong Jianguo continued to step on the accelerator, and the Toyota turned on its headlights and slowly drove into the dark tunnel.

Black, all engulfed the car.

They entered an endless passage, and in the pitch-black world, they could only see the light a few meters ahead.

This reminded Sun Tzuchu of the comic strip "Later Journey to the West" that he read when he was a child. There is an episode called "Escape from the Mirage": The four young travelers saw a beautiful city and walked into the city gate only to find that there was a deep cave inside. The deep bottomless pit turned out to be the esophagus of a mirage, and it went all the way to the five internal organs temple in its stomach, and it was almost digested!
Could it be that the city seen at this moment is also a mirage's illusion?The so-called buildings and shops are all fake?They have all been sucked into the belly of the demon, and have already become delusional ghosts?
Although he was still thinking wildly in his head, his eyes were staring straight ahead.At the same time, several people heard strange sounds coming from the front continuously, like something colliding, echoing thickly in the rocks.They looked at each other and didn't know what was going on. Is there anyone else in front of them?Or some special situation?
Tong Jianguo held the steering wheel tightly, and drove through a few curved corners, when something suddenly jumped out of the lights——

At this time, Qian Mozheng almost jumped up and shouted: "Brake!"

But the car still rushed forward, and Ye Xiao, who was in the back row, saw the large stones scattered in the tunnel in front of him.Those stones were densely piled up, and when the car was about to hit it, Qian Mozheng pulled down the handbrake.

The Toyota came to a stop trembling violently, the front wheels almost hit the rock pile, and Tong Jianguo's forehead was also dripping with cold sweat.The headlights have clearly illuminated the front—countless stones piled up until they filled the entire tunnel.A stone wall formed at the end, firmly blocking them.

"It's so dangerous, if we drive up, it will definitely be over!"

Qian Mozheng also wiped off his cold sweat, carefully opened the car door and jumped out.He took a large flashlight and shone around the cave wall.The tunnel has been severely damaged, and the vault is completely out of shape, exposing the original rock thousands of years ago, and water is constantly dripping from the top of the head, like an ancient karst cave.Ye Xiao and Sun Zichu also jumped off, and only Tong Jianguo was struggling to reverse.

The three men climbed onto the rock, and the front was completely impassable. The huge rock blocked the way, and no human power could move it.In this dark tunnel, it seems that someone has cut it with a knife, and it seems that a blood vessel is suddenly blocked, which may endanger life at any time.

"What's going on here? When we came in yesterday afternoon, wasn't the tunnel still in good condition?"

Ye Xiao sat on a big rock, with the headlights illuminating his face, he asked coldly, "Do you remember the loud noise last night?"

"Yeah, the whole building is shaking. We all suspect an earthquake?"

"No, it's not an earthquake!" Qian Mozheng looked carefully at the rock, and then touched the accumulated water everywhere, "It's a landslide!"

Sun Tzuchu was stunned: "What? Another mudslide?"

"It's more terrifying than mudslides! Mudslides are nothing more than mud and rocks falling down from the mountain, while landslides may be the collapse of the entire mountain, which is a serious geological disaster."

Qian Mozheng has many years of experience in field photography, so he has naturally encountered similar things, and he can judge the cause from the environment in the tunnel.

"Is it because of the heavy rain last night?"

"Well, the geological conditions in this area are very similar to Yunnan, Guangxi and other places in China, and karst terrain is widely developed. This tunnel is probably originally a karst cave, and people transformed this natural karst cave into a tunnel. Otherwise, the length of this tunnel and the The depth is difficult to excavate with modern technology! Last night's heavy rain kept water seeping into the tunnel, overwhelming the top rock and finally causing the mountain to collapse."

(End of this chapter)