The spring afternoon sun is bright and dazzling, illuminating people drowsy. The whole city seems to be immersed in a lazy afternoon atmosphere. Shen Mingde put the sun's eyes on the bridge of his nose, and he saw Yang Guangcheng in the co-pilot seat next to him squinting his eyes, but he was still sitting upright. And Xiao Jing, who was in the back seat, seemed to have emptied her brain, just staring out the window blankly. The interior of the car was so quiet that you could hear the slight sound of the mechanical parts of the car as it moved.

With the roar of the car engine, you can occasionally feel some bumps. Landing Building, the Teaching Building of the City Institute of Technology, the Municipal Institute of Heat-resistant Materials, those familiar high-rise buildings in the past gradually faded, followed by agricultural machinery repair plants, a certain fertilizer factory and other billboards that Shen Mingde had never paid attention to. Moments later, the billboards were replaced by the rows of man-made trees planted along the side of the road. Through the thin woods, he could see patches of farmland and plastic greenhouses. At this point, he realized that he had been born to live in an urban circle surrounded by machines and high-rise buildings, and this place was so foreign and primitive to him, that was the way of life of his parents and grandparents. The car passed through a mountain tunnel, but Shen Mingde felt like he had traveled to another time and space. The woods on both sides of the road became impermeable, and the gaps between the trees were almost filled with darkness. If it weren't for the heavy trucks whizzing by on the other side, he was worried about whether a prehistoric monster would have scurried out of the woods. About two hours after they set off, Shen Mingde saw the "Tomb River" whose name disgusted him. The river shone brightly in the sunlight. After crossing the bridge, they slowed down and looked for an entrance. And the entrance is very obvious, just below the top of the hill that can be seen over the woods. The woods took on the form of an arc-shaped gap, like a wound, revealing the way inside. Shen Mingde cautiously drove the car into the woods, and stopped at the end of the road, where the trees were sparse. Afterwards, switch to walking.

Apparently someone has been here, as evidenced by a few cigarette butts and plastic bags on the ground. The three of them said this in a row or not, as if they were walking in the depths of the woods. Soon they fell silent again, and the ground was thick with fallen leaves and branches, and some exposed stones made it difficult for them to move forward. Especially for Shen Mingde's leather shoes and Xiao Jing's casual flats with the surface of his feet exposed, it is a huge challenge. Yang Guangcheng walked in the front, constantly reminding them to pay attention to their feet and trying to memorize the state of the terrain. Shen Mingde checked the compass on his phone from time to time to ensure that they were heading 320° to 323° to the northwest. Xiao Jing followed closely behind them, looking around, hoping to find any clues.

"What's that?" Curious questions came from behind Yang Guangcheng and Shen Mingde. They turned around and saw Xiao Jing facing east sideways. She instructed the two of them to show it. Although following the direction indicated by Xiao Jing's hand, the two glanced at each other a few times, but they were still indifferent. Perhaps the time spent in the woods had numbed the two men's vision, and the oddly shaped branches and rocks were no longer enough to attract their attention. Or maybe these men are the purpose-oriented kind of people who target the "lake" and filter out the other woods that might be draining their energy. At the urging of Yang Guangcheng, they continued their silent journey. Is there really a scene in those horror movies? Xiao Jing pondered secretly. Although she had a self-deprecating expression on her face, she couldn't help but put her right hand on her left upper arm. She felt a little chilly, and she felt a little strained under her feet. The slope begins to rise slowly, and after a short walk, the angle begins to increase rapidly. The challenge at this moment is no longer the "carpet" made of dead branches and leaves on the ground, but the increasing slope and disproportionate physical strength. They lower their upper bodies to avoid the low-hanging branches, increase the stride distance, and then use the weight of the leg that steps out to support the weight of the whole body, and slowly retract the leg that falls behind, occasionally with the help of their hands. There are many fewer branches and leaves falling on the ground, and you can basically see the black, water-soaked land and the roots of large trees that look like dragon's claws sticking out of the ground. The color of the leaves has also dimmed, and it is not as green as it was when I first entered the forest. Occasionally, a few lightsabers can be seen, heroically slashing through the "branch and leaf armor" of the mountains and forests, and shining the first path light spots on the ground.

Suddenly, Yang Guangcheng, who was walking in front, stopped and looked up at the two trees not far ahead. The other two looked at the other two as well, and between them was a rope tied between the two trees, about four or five meters above their heads. On the rope hung three spherical objects that were roughly the size of an apple from a twig and could be grasped by an adult hand. Shen Mingde didn't stay too long, and after taking a breath, he followed Yang Guangcheng again, muttering, "It seems that there are still people living here." ”

Xiao Jing followed closely and said with some reassurance: "I asked you to see this thing just now, and I thought you couldn't see it." ”

"I saw it, I just thought it was some kind of fruit on the tree, round and rumbling, I didn't care." Yang Guangcheng walked in the front and explained in a loud voice.

It seems that among the three of them, the oldest person has the best physical strength. They didn't pay any attention to the spherical objects hanging from them, and carefully chose the place where they landed on the slope, and spent the rest of their energy observing their surroundings. Almost simultaneously, the three of them realized that the spherical objects were gradually increasing within the range of their scans. I don't know if it's because they noticed those things, so they deliberately paid attention to or looked for them. Or is it the only one that really hangs on this road? They began to find the same spherical object hanging from the branches of almost every two or three trees, or on the ropes between several trees.

"Those may be the cages of the grasshoppers," Yang Guangcheng relieved, "I also caught them when I was a child, and I put them in the kind of cages that are made up." Yang Chuan also bought it for him when he was a child. ”

Shen Mingde also knew about such things as gnats and cicada cages. "If so, then why didn't you hear the scream?" He asked, puzzled. He didn't expect any answer, and he didn't intend to find one.

Xiao Jing looked a little cramped at the moment. From time to time, she gently stroked her shoulders with her hands around her chest, or touched her back. She's always been a little sensitive to little things like bugs. Zhou Tengfei once caught a praying mantis and brought it home and put it on the screen window of the guest room. The triangular face and the huge oval eyes all looked like alien creatures from the movies. The terrifying sickle-shaped forelimbs hurt to look at. After that, she closed the door of the guest room and refused to enter, until she saw Zhou Tengfei release the praying mantis into a flower bed in the community far away from their home.

She was always on her toes, looking around to see if any bugs were flying over. But when she looked up, she saw a scene that frightened her more than she imagined. On the tall tree trunks, more than 10 meters above their heads, and more than 20 meters above them, these "gnats cages" were hung everywhere. Those "gnatfish cages" swayed strangely with the breeze, and swayed strangely with the branches. Those things are like dreams, like stars in the sky, and like decorations on Christmas trees. In Xiao Jing's eyes, that thing was more like a bulging pustule on the toad's body. Maybe it wasn't like losing his temper in front of others, or maybe he didn't want to wake up the sleeping monster in the "Grasshopper Cage", Xiao Jing suppressed the urge to scream. But he was suddenly startled by a short exclamation from someone in front of him. The other two apparently noticed the sight as well.

The three of them walked along with each other, and no one wanted to wander through the woods decorated with such things.

"Could it be that those villagers caught the gnats and raised them here?" Yang Guangcheng looked curious.

"For sale? Just to listen to the screams, it's too much. Shen Mingde asked.

Yang Guangcheng replied confidently: "It should be for eating." This thing is also called pot-bellied oil. I've heard that in some places, when the mother grasshopper produces seeds, they are skewered and roasted and eaten, and the butterflies are full of oil and water in their stomachs, and the roasted seeds are clucking when you bite them. Others pinch off the head of the grasshopper, boil it with the condiments, and then put it in a jar to marinate. ”

"Are you sure it's a gnats in that cage?" Shen Mingde had to interrupt Yang Guangcheng's "Dark Cuisine on the Tip of the Tongue" program, and he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Yang Guangcheng stopped, observed the nearest "gnather cage" to him, and then said half-curiously, half-jokingly: "Why don't we pick one and take a look?" ”

Under Xiao Jing's strong persuasion, Yang Guangcheng gave up the idea of researching it. No matter what was inside, this thing hung all over the trees, making Xiao Jing feel creepy. Shen Mingde casually took a few photos with his mobile phone, and he felt that these things were not "gnats and cages" at all. On closer inspection, these spherical objects are sometimes woven from tree branches, and the weaving process is simple and rough, and from time to time you can see the small branches that expose the sphere, and the weaving is impermeable to the wind, and the sunlight is not seen through the gaps, and it may not even be a cage, just a ball made of thin branches.

The slope under their feet was increasing, and they could only move forward on all fours. As I climbed to a higher level, the line of sight that had been obscured by the trees just now widened. Gradually, you can see the dazzling leaves reflecting the sunlight again. When they saw a cloud elegantly levitating in the blue sky, Shen Mingde stopped everyone's steps.

"I think we've missed the lake." Shen Mingde gasped.

Others have noticed this. They turned and stood on the gentle slope, some leaning against tree trunks, others sitting on exposed rocks, greeted by the sun that had begun to set on their cheeks.

"This is supposed to be the western slope of the mountain, how did you go up the mountain?" Yang Guangcheng remorsefully questioned.

Xiao Jing asked, "Then are we walking in a straight line?" ”

Shen Mingde checked his phone and said, "The direction shown by the compass is." ”

"How can you believe something like a toy?" Yang Guangcheng said: "But I feel like I'm moving in a straight line. ”

Xiao Jing said with a different point of view: "There will always be some deviations in the angle when we walk, especially in this kind of place where there is no fixed reference. And when we went uphill just now, weren't we also choosing a better route? Every time it deviates from a straight line, the distance is long, and in the end, it will become a huge error and bypass the lake. ”

I don't know if Xiao Jing's theory is correct, but this is the best explanation they can find so far.

Yang Guangcheng spoke again: "I don't see that the range of the western slope is not large, isn't the lake at the foot of the mountain?" Then look along the western slope and you will definitely find it. ”

"I think we should go back and look out for any clues about the lake as we go down. It's getting late, and we're not wearing any gear. Shen Mingde refuted the above proposal.

"My son doesn't have any equipment, so do you want him to stay here for another night?" Yang Guangcheng really wanted to say this, but when he looked at Xiao Jing, who was leaning on the trunk, and Shen Mingde, who was sitting on the ground, he swallowed it back.

Xiao Jing asked, "Can you find the car?" ”

"It's not difficult, as long as it's in the right direction and there's a positioning system on board." Shen Mingde got up as he said and beckoned the two to go down the mountain.

When descending the mountain, Yang Guangcheng looked for the traces of the lake very carefully, moving very slowly, and deliberately deflected a little direction to the west. He didn't want to go back the way he came, but wanted to pass the lake on this new route. They were delayed on the way, and the forest gradually darkened. As when they came, they still had to walk through the woods full of "gnatfish cages", which made Xiao Jing feel uncomfortable. He hoped to find Zhou Tengfei quickly, but she really didn't want to look for it at night, in this mountain forest where strange objects were hanging. In the daytime, when it is bright again, she can at least control her emotions. She believes that Zhou Tengfei, who often travels alone and has a strong ability to survive in the wild, will be able to survive in this mountain forest for another night. Maybe she's lost sometime, maybe his phone has fallen into the lake. She kept comforting herself.

At around 8:30 p.m., Shen Mingde's car returned to the city. She wanted to send the two back to her residence in person, but they politely refused. For the two of them felt that they had caused him a lot of trouble, so they went their separate ways. Shen Mingde didn't insist, when he opened the door and entered the house, he felt that he was really tired from this day.