Shen Mingde quickly rinsed the shampoo foam off his hair. During this time, no matter how irritating his eyes were from the foam of the shampoo, he would always keep one eye open and keep an eye on the open door of this bathroom. Attracted by the movement in the bathroom, Nini turned her head to look at the doorway and walked leisurely. This scene was also seen in Shen Mingde's eyes, and he also deliberately adjusted the water temperature to the bottom, although the water temperature in the shower was a little cold, but this would not produce water mist to obscure his vision.

dragged his tired body from the police station and was taken away by Chen Huaizhi. After some conversation, Shen Mingde took the bus back home. During this time, he has been vigilant and tries to avoid leaving himself alone. The daytime sun reassured him a little, and he planned to take a bath and take a nap to regain his strength. The warm water from the shower head massaged his head and shoulders with great force, and the sensation gradually relaxed him. Yang Chuan's killing had a great impact on him, especially the terrifying scenes seen from the surveillance video, which made it difficult for him to stay calm. Zhou Tengfei still has no news, maybe he also ....... Shen Mingde became very pessimistic, he felt that he would also be killed, and so would Yang Guangcheng, and everyone involved in this matter would have to die, just like Zhang Baoshan and his son.

Shen Mingde suddenly seemed to think of that strange lake again. The story of Gao Bowen in Yushugou, the story of Wang Yajuan, the moving girl, and today's story of Chen Huaizhi are all related to that lake. What is certain is that the lake should exist. With the help of the power of the so-called "Yamamira Okami", the lake seems to have an incredible ability. For a while, Shen Mingde felt that everyone in the world could see that lake, except for himself. I couldn't help but laugh as if laughing at myself.

All of these people's stories refer to that lake, and all of them seem to have completely different stories. For example, the alpine apricot in Gao Bowen's story is a "sacrifice". In the story of Wang Yajuan and Chen Huaizhi, she became the "town girl" who suppressed evil spirits. Another thing that Shen Mingde minds very much is the ending of "Sixth Uncle". Gao Bowen did not mention the life or death of the "sixth uncle", but only said that he was imprisoned in a mental hospital. Wang Yajuan's statement seems to be the same as the ending that Shen Mingde himself investigated, the "sixth uncle" died in the Yongning Rehabilitation Home. However, just now, he got another shocking piece of news - the "sixth uncle" is still alive. At this moment, he had no idea who he should believe. From Shen Mingde's current point of view, Gao Bowen should represent his own faction. And Chen Yongyi and Chen Huaizhi represent another faction. And Wang Yajuan seems to be supposed to exist as a neutral faction. But she's been locked up in the basement all year round, is what she knows exactly what is going on outside? Even Gao Bowen only knew that the "sixth uncle" was imprisoned in a mental hospital, and seemed to know nothing about his later transfer to Yongning Rehabilitation Home by Chen Yongyi. Perhaps Chen Huaizhi's message in this regard is correct. After all, the home of recovery is his own turf. It was there that he hid the "sixth uncle" and announced the news that he had died.

So, why did Chen Huaizhi help me meet the "sixth uncle"? Although he has not had much contact with Chen Huaizhi, Shen Mingde has been warning himself that this Chen Huaizhi is definitely not a "benevolent" person. What exchanging information, what helping oneself, and what rescuing Takayama Apricot should not be true. Shen Mingde felt that Chen Huaizhi's purpose was obvious, that is, to bring down Gao Bowen. The father and son of the Chen family, with the help of the "sixth uncle" and Gao Shan Xing, must have mastered the secret of the lake, as well as the knowledge of sacrifice. Helplessly, this Gao Bowen is a stumbling block between them and the lake. The believers by the lake played the role of "policeman". They maintain the peace of the believers outside the forest. Through Chen Huaizhi's story, those who have attained "immortality" are considered "believers in Shanmiluo". And "believers must not harm believers" should be obeyed just like the law. Shen Mingde has not yet attained "immortality" and has become a so-called "believer". So did he become the weapon of the Chen family's father and son to deal with Gao Bowen? However, why did Chen Huaizhi let himself go to see the "sixth uncle"? Could it be that the old man would tell him some secrets that would destroy Gao Bowen? Could it be that the Chen family's father and son couldn't hire a killer to kill Gao Bowen?

Thinking of this, Shen Mingde couldn't help but shudder. The Chen family father and son seem to have a lot of information, but this information is useless. Because only Gao Bowen can have direct contact with those believers in the village by the lake. Perhaps, this is what Chen Huaizhi means when he says "his life is in the hands of others". "Believers cannot kill believers", and Gao Bowen cannot kill people who have already attained "immortality". However, he may kill those who are "non-believers", those who have seen the lake or who know too many secrets. Isn't this how Yang Chuan was killed? Aren't you also the target of their hunt now? And Xiao Jing is not either......

Shen Mingde rushed out of the bathroom before he had time to dry the water on his body, picked up the mobile phone placed on the bedside table in the bedroom and dialed Xiao Jing's number.

The prompt tone of "The user you dialed has been turned off" was like a basin of ice water splashed on Shen Mingde's head. Immediately after that, he contacted the company. When he wiped the water off his body, his mobile phone showed Zhou Tengfei's current home address and landline number sent by the company. He didn't bother to sit down, and after dialing the landline number, he kept walking around the bedroom. After a long five or six seconds, the calm voice of a slightly older woman came from the other side of the phone. After a brief self-introduction, the woman told him in an easy-going voice that she was Xiao Jing's mother, who was sleeping in her bedroom. Shen Mingde was still a little nervous, and repeatedly asked Xiao Jing's mother to check on her daughter's condition. Moments later, Xiao Jing's mother returned to the telephone and informed Shen Mingde that her daughter was still asleep. Xiao Jing's mother guessed that it was probably because of Zhou Tengfei's disappearance that Xiao Jing lost sleep last night, so she slept until now. Shen Mingde relaxed a little, and after getting the consent of Xiao Jing's mother, he visited Xiao Jing's home at noon that day.

Under the warm welcome of Xiao Jing's mother, Shen Mingde sat on the sofa in the living room. Perhaps because it is well maintained, it is difficult to guess the age of Xiao Jing's mother. Shen Mingde thought that he would probably be a few years younger than his mother. Her elegant temperament and figure that are not too bloated so far may have also been inherited to Xiao Jing. Xiao Jing's mother talked generously, and not long after entering the door, after a few words of greeting, Shen Mingde felt that he was already familiar with her. After about a few minutes, Xiao Jing pushed the door out of her room. She wore a loose cotton and linen plaid shirt and casual jeans, but her slightly powdered face could not cover her haggard face. Maybe because it was in her own home, maybe it was by her mother's side, Xiao Jing changed her elegant, decent, rational and mature image in Shen Mingde's heart, leaned on the sofa as if she was a little coquettish, and casually hugged a cushion around her chest.

Ms. Xiao's mother seems to have learned some details about Mr. Zhou's disappearance, and she hopes to find out more. Shen Mingde heard from Xiao Jing's words that he didn't want his mother to worry. He tentatively asked Xiao Jing's mother if she was afraid of the mountains. Under the guidance of Shen Mingde, Xiao Jing's mother recalled what she had felt and heard about her disgust with the mountains. After that, Shen Mingde told Xiao Jing's mother about Zhou Tengfei's disappearance and how they searched for him several times. In the meantime, he cleverly hid the parts that were too bizarre and weird, and deliberately exaggerated the possibility of getting lost in the mountains and forests. In the end, Shen Mingde attributed Xiao Jing's fear to fatigue and excessive mental pressure to comfort Xiao Jing's mother.

Xiao Jing's mother seemed to accept Shen Mingde's explanation and did not ask any questions. Then he comforted Xiao Jinglai again, hoping that she could cheer up. Then, Xiao Jing's mother strongly invited Shen Mingde to stay and have dinner before leaving. Seeing that Shen Mingde did not resolutely refuse, she got up and went into the kitchen. When there were only two people left in the living room, Shen Mingde quietly told Xiao Jing about Yang Chuan's killing, and hoped that she could treat the matter calmly. However, to his surprise, Xiao Jing's reaction was cold, or rather a little indifferent. Maybe it's because events like murder are inherently unreal to ordinary people. It may also be that Xiao Jing has become numb to the deaths of others after experiencing these days. Even if it was the latter, Shen Mingde didn't want to criticize Xiao Jing's reaction. When you are in deep danger, is it important that the life or death of others is important? He felt that the more important thing now was to protect Xiao Jing. He hoped that Xiao Jing could discuss a countermeasure. However, Xiao Jing just lowered her head, hugged the cushion tighter, and muttered her dream:

In the dream, she saw huge silhouettes, but it didn't matter. But later, she was again in the forest, next to the village. She saw Zhou Tengfei leading her up the dirt road in the middle of the village, and she knew that she couldn't go over, she shouldn't go because it was a trap. But her body followed his back uncontrollably and slowly. The doors of the houses on both sides of the road opened, and a strange person walked out of almost every house. She can't say anything strange, she just thinks that those people are different from herself, and different from the people in this world. Silently, slowly, they walked down the dirt road. It felt like going to a solemn ceremony, yes, like attending a funeral, the atmosphere was solemn and depressing. Suddenly, in front of her, a bald man glanced back at her. She saw the man's face, and she knew it, the abyss-like look that was the old man in the village who was blocking her way. She stopped all of a sudden, everyone stopped, they all looked back together, those eyes ......"

Xiao Jing whispered slowly, I don't know how long it took. Her mother stepped out of the kitchen and placed two dishes on the table not far from the door. The appearance of her mother seemed to wake Xiao Jing up from the memories of the nightmare. She dropped the word "That's it" as if with a sense of gratitude, then got up and helped her mother with her work. Shen Mingde didn't know if Xiao Jing's grateful expression was for listening to her, or if her mother had pulled her back to reality from the memories of her nightmares. But he felt that Xiao Jing, like himself, had been stimulated a lot by this experience.

The dinner was still very hearty for the three of them, although they were all ordinary home-cooked dishes, but they made Shen Mingde have an appetite. At the dinner table, he did not hesitate to praise him. Hearing the praise, Xiao Jing's mother felt a sense of satisfaction that her cooking skills were recognized. In order not to worry her mother, Xiao Jing also took small bites of rice with her heart, and then swallowed it like a medicine. After the three of them talked for a while, Xiao Jing's mother put forward her own idea. She felt that Xiao Jing and Shen Mingde had done their best, and they had done what they had to do. Although things have not yet come to fruition, they are beyond their capabilities. Leave the rest to the more professional people in the police. Moreover, between the current psychological state of her daughter Xiao Jing, she felt that she should leave the city for a while. It's better to go to a place away from this event. Shen Mingde also felt that this was a very good proposal, so he agreed. In his opinion, this incident should not be resolved in a short period of time, and since it cannot be solved, it is more effective to evade. From the conversation with Chen Huaizhi, Shen Mingde believed that the people who killed Yang Chuan were those villagers. Even though they have some strange abilities, if they escape to a farther place, they may not be able to find it at all, and even if they do, they may not be able to go. After being isolated in that village for so long, they may not even have valid documents, isn't "Sixth Uncle" an example? Xiao Jing was silent, looking a little at a loss, perhaps it was the sentence "Even if you stay here, what are you going to do next" moved her. She nodded in agreement, saying that she would be serious.

Shen Mingde seems to have not appeared in the company for several days. In the afternoon, he came to the office, took care of a few things, and then hid in his office and bored himself reading the news on his phone. Today's news seems to be very rich, and it seems that a lot of things are happening in one day. The situation in the Middle East has deteriorated once again; The joint archaeological team is missing and the search is fruitless; The stock price plummeted; Latest movie releases and more. However, all these news headlines made Shen Mingde feel bored. He wondered, isn't there enough news happening around him?

Just now he contacted Yang Guangcheng and learned that Yang Chuan's autopsy results had come out. However, the content that the police can reveal to Yang Guangcheng is very good, and it is estimated that they have to take care of the emotions of their families. At the same time, the police gave Yang Guangcheng a plausible explanation for the incident. It is said that it was the work of extremely murderous bandits for a while. They hid in abandoned villages in the mountains and forests. It was precisely because his position was witnessed by Yang Chuan and Zhou Tengfei that he had to carry out the operation of killing people and destroying people. Obviously, Yang Guangcheng does not believe this statement. Because they all remember what they saw on the night of the crime.

Xiao Jing seemed to be really ready to go. It is estimated that she will spend a relatively long vacation at the house of a relative in the south. Although Xiao Jing and her mother revealed Xiao Jing's destination to Shen Mingde when he left their house. Shen Mingde didn't ask either. Because he thinks that the fewer people who know Xiao Jing's whereabouts, the better.

That mysterious lake still haunts Shen Mingde's dreams. On an A4 piece of paper, he listed all the people he knew had seen the lake. From this information, those who see the lake are basically divided into two categories: one is those who believe in the existence of the lake; The second category is people who have accidentally fallen into the lake. For the first way, Shen Mingde doesn't think that he can have that kind of simple faith like a child. But according to the theory of the second way, as long as you are unconscious, it is estimated that you can find the lake. Although he seemed to have found a way to solve the puzzle, Shen Mingde was still a little jealous in his heart. Especially when he recalled the night Yang Chuan was killed, it made him feel even more creepy. Shen Mingde intends to put these thoughts on hold. However, when he looked at his right wrist, Shen Mingde realized that the real horror he was facing should be right in front of him.

Shen Mingde left the office. He took some things with him, jumped in the car and sped off to the wonton mountain outside the city. He decided to give it a go. It's a big deal to leave the city like Xiao Jing. He even came up with the idea of emigrating. On Wonton Mountain, the first way he thought of was to follow the example of Zhang Baoshan and his son, and roll down the western slope. However, when he came to the western slope of the wonton mountain, he gave up on this idea. He really didn't think that a man like himself, who was nearly forty years old, could accomplish such a crazy thing.

After that, he led a newly purchased dog into the forest. This is a local dog that was bought from a local villager when passing by Ligou County just now. Shen Mingde easily found the village with the sound of running water, which was still full of fog. He did not go into the village, but wandered around it. The purchased dog obviously did not have a high degree of run-in with his new owner, and kept "complaining" along the way. After entering the dense fog of the woods, it looks even more restless. Shen Mingde tightened the walking belt and dragged the dog in one direction, but after a few steps, the dog stood in place and barked wildly. He pulled the dog up and continued forward, but it took a few steps back timidly. After barking a few times, the dog desperately broke free from the walking belt, leaving Shen Mingde alone and running away by himself. At this moment, he felt that if those villagers could kill Yang Chuan in that strange way, maybe it would not be a miracle to hide in the fog. After standing for a while, Shen Mingde also turned around and left.

Shen Mingde, who was unwilling to admit defeat, took out a drone from the car and returned to the mountain forest again. However, this solution still disappointed him. When he operated the drone into the forest, the signal seemed to be jammed. Therefore, he could only come to the western slope of Wonton Mountain to operate. The drone "buzzed" over the woods, and its camera swept almost every corner of the western hillside. However, there is still no trace of the lake on the monitor of Shen Mingde's console. Shen Mingde was enveloped by a sense of frustration and returned to the company in discouragement.

He rested in his office for a while. Suddenly, on a whim, Shen Mingde bypassed his desk and turned on the large-screen TV placed on the wall of his office. Then, he connected the TV to the drone with a video cable, hoping to try to find clues to the lake by playing back the footage. A huge ultra-clear screen shows the drone as it slowly takes off, followed by the lush green forest. A few birds in the woods were frightened and flew off into the distance. After watching a few close-up shots, Shen Mingde lost patience. He operated the remote control, playing the video at two, three, and five times, and then he pressed the freeze frame button hard. With a "snap", he dropped the remote control in the corner of the office, picked up his phone and walked out of the room. When he walked to the front desk, he instructed the staff to help him tidy up his office before driving away.

A young woman in uniform quietly entered Shen Mingde's office with cleaning utensils. As soon as she closed the door, she was attracted by the huge TV screen hanging on the nearby wall, and she stared at the picture on the big screen with admiring eyes, and exclaimed, "What a beautiful lake." ”