Chapter IV

Running to East Lake at night

On such a night when he couldn't see his fingers, Fang Xin was stopped by the screams behind him. He had to stop on the bridge and look back, only to see Xiaoxue getting a bicycle from somewhere, and was struggling to catch up on the bridge.

Fang Xin was naturally overjoyed, it was much better to have a vehicle than to run around with his feet. It's just that Fang Xin feels that this bike is quite familiar.

When Xiaoxue finally rushed to Fang Xin's side, Fang Xin saw clearly that it was not the one he bought for his daughter Lin Lin. It's still new and haven't ridden much.

Xiaoxue gasped and said, "Chase the thief, you won't take me with you. I'm glad I found this bike in your garage, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to catch up with you."

Xiaoxue walked on the avenue and rode a bicycle again. Therefore, it is quite easy to catch up with the new ones. It's just that I don't know, how can Xiaoxue know that they are on this road.

Now is not the time to pursue this. Fang Xin looked back and saw that the figure had already run past the traffic light and headed in the direction of Xiaomao Mountain. And after the traffic light, there are no street lights. Everything is wrapped up in darkness and nothing can be seen.

"There's no time." Fang Xinyi grabbed the bicycle, kicked his feet, and rushed forward. As soon as he started, he felt a sinking behind him, and a pair of slender little hands wrapped around Fang Xin's waist.

I heard Xiaoxue say in the back of the car, "I'm going too." Fang Xin was helpless, so he had to step forward desperately. Fortunately, the petite and delicate Xiaoxue sat in the back of the car and did not bring him much resistance.

After throwing off the traffic light, there is really nothing to see in front of you. I can only vaguely see the gray-white road, as well as the trees on both sides of the road that are chattering and making noises. As for the figure, it has long been gone.

Just when Fang Xin was worried, a bright light shot out from behind him. Fang Xin looked back, and he was even more overjoyed. It turned out to be Xiaoxue, and she actually brought a flashlight.

At this moment, Fang Xin's feeling was that he really wanted to pick up Xiaoxue and kiss him fiercely. Even so, it was impossible to express his ecstatic mood at the moment.

He loves Xiaoxue to death, and it's his lucky star.

Xiaoxue patted Fang Xin's back and said, "Drive, hurry up, hurry up. It's so fun, it's so exciting." As he spoke, his feet were still swaying up and down in mid-air.

If it weren't for this night, if it wasn't for chasing a thief. Fang Xin really wondered if he had jumped into the plot of the movie. Moreover, it is also a romantic love story. The male protagonist rides a bicycle, and the heroine, in the early spring after the rain, ripples together under the willow trees by the Taihu Lake.

I heard Xiaoxue say again: "Don't worry, with me, he won't be able to run."

And Fang Xin could only sigh in his heart, his excitement turned into helplessness, and turned into the motivation under his feet. He let out a low cry, "Sit tight, I'm going to speed up."

"Wait, where are you going!" After only taking two steps, Fang Xin was stopped by Xiaoxue again. When I looked up, it turned out that there was a fork in the road ahead. A small one leads to the Huayuanwu Cemetery on Xiaomao Mountain, and a large one leads to the Taihu Lake, which is the direction of Zhushan Resort. And Fang Xin was walking on the path, so Xiaoxue would stop him.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong. Do you think he'll go down this path? On my gut feeling, he's definitely going to go that way. Hurry up, don't grind. Believe me, take the avenue." Xiaoxue said it with a straight face, as if she saw it.

"Are you so sure?" Fang Xin still didn't believe it, although he had already turned the car towards the avenue.

"You're stupid, you're still a water-dividing forester. You don't want to think about it, it's a dead end, and when you get to the cemetery, you can only run up the hill. If he really chooses to climb the mountain, then we don't have to chase it at all. The mountain is so big, how will we know the way and where he climbed it from. It's all in vain if you chase it."

"That's not a dead end." Fang Xin argued, "In front of the cemetery is a fruit farm, and there is a path where you can get to this avenue."

"That's not right, he's made a big circle, and we can just intercept him in front."

That's right, Fang Xin thought to himself, why didn't I think of it! Or a woman's heart is careful.

Late at night, there was no one on the road. Fang Xin just rode desperately, stepping on.

There was a path ahead, and it didn't just extend from the fruit farm! Fang Xin was in ecstasy, but Xiaoxue had already moved the beam of the flashlight to the path, hoping to find some clues.

However, in the area that the aperture of the flashlight could reach, there was a blank space. There is nothing but the lush fruit trees that line the road.

Xiaoxue reluctantly moved the flashlight back. At this moment, in the shadow of the aperture, about twenty or thirty meters away from Fang Xin, a figure suddenly flashed. Xiaoxue quickly adjusted the position of the flashlight, hoping to catch more.

Unfortunately, as if playing hide and seek, the figure just flashed and disappeared into the darkness.

"Found him, Fang Xin, catch up. Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Xiaoxue screamed. And that person's reaction was also extremely fast, and the moment the flashlight hit him, he quickly hid in the darkness and couldn't find it.

Of course, Fang Xin also saw it, but he became distressed. Because, in front of him, he was facing a slope that was close to four or five degrees and about thirty meters long.

He rode it alone, and it was still very difficult. Now that there is a light snow sitting behind him, it is even more difficult. By this time, his ass had moved away from the stool, and he shifted his weight to his feet, and he used his strength to suckle, and he struggled to the high slope.

After the high slope, further on is the Zhushan Resort. At this time, the resort is silent in the night, like a sleeping baby, and does not want to be disturbed.

On the avenue at a glance, the figure in front of him loomed, and Fang Xin was chasing after him. But I don't know what Lu Dao is for, that person's physical strength is quite good, he has been running for so long, and he has always maintained a distance of dozens of meters from Fang Xin. This made Fang Xin surprised and admired at the same time.

After the resort, the man began to stop running along the avenue. He turned into a mountain trail and ran in the direction of Xiaomao Mountain.

When Fang Xin bypassed a high slope again, a small village appeared in front of him. But the strange thing is that the small village that has passed midnight is actually brightly lit, and almost every house is lit up.

This village is called Donghu Village, there are only about 20 households, and it is the easternmost small village in Fenshuilin Town.

Donghu Village can be described as surrounded by mountains and rivers. In front of it, less than 100 meters away is Taihu Lake. And behind, just walk a few dozen meters, and you will come to the foot of Xiaomao Mountain. Two are surrounded by trees, and the whole village is sunk into green. It's picturesque and perfect.

The current road is the only road leading to Donghu Village, and there are no branches.

Therefore, when Fang Xin saw that person running towards Donghu Village, he became worried. Because he knew that once the man fled into Xiaomao Mountain, it would be impossible to chase him again.

No matter how small Xiaomao Mountain is, it is also a mountain, and once you go up the mountain, it is in the dark night. There can be many options and many ways and routes to escape.

That is to say, Fang Xin and Xiaoxue could only watch and were at a loss.

Approaching Donghu Village, Fang Xin slowed down. A strange scene appeared. He saw that in Donghu Village, the lights of every household were all on, and it was bright.

Not only that, but the villagers of Donghu Village all came out of their homes one by one as if they were not going to sleep. And, it's not hard to see that everyone's destination is the same. They all went to a house in the second row of the village.

Fang Xin also saw it from a distance, and the family's house was crowded with villagers inside and out. Everyone was talking, and everyone had a heavy face. But what exactly is being discussed, Fang Xin is too far away to hear clearly.

Xiaoxue had already gotten off the back seat of the bicycle, and she also saw this strange sight, so she asked Fang Xin: "What's wrong with them, they don't sleep at night, and they also met thieves?" Could it be that person?"

"Impossible." Fang Xin corrected her thoughts and said, "His purpose is obvious, he is here for this piece of silk, and he will never make any more extraneous branches. What's more, judging from the current situation, something had already happened here before we came, and it alarmed the entire village."

"Then are we still chasing?" Xiaoxue asked.

Fang Xin sighed and said, "How to chase, he must have fled to the mountain, and he will definitely not be able to catch up. I'm just wondering, who is that person? Why do you want to steal silk?"

"Another point, is that person the murderer of Hang Haiyan!"

"I didn't expect that. However, the possibilities are enormous. He could have killed someone, sneaked back to my house, and stole silk. Perhaps, the purpose of his killing of Hang Haiyan was to distract us." Fang Xin said.

Xiaoxue shook her head and said, "I don't agree with your point of view. This man is not mentally ill, and it is impossible for him to kill someone for a piece of silk. Besides, we were attracted by the cry of the little girl when we went down the stairs. In other words, if the little girl didn't scream, we wouldn't know that Hang Haiyan was killed at all. So, I think the murderer and the thief should be two different people."

Unconsciously, the two of them entered Donghu Village while talking. At this time, there are still sporadic people coming out of the house and rushing to the house where the accident happened.

Fang Xin's eyes suddenly lit up as he saw a familiar figure passing in front of him. He immediately shouted: "Du Zijuan?"

The person named Du Zijuan immediately stopped, looking for prestige, and couldn't help but shout: "Fang Xin? How are you? Why are you here so late?"

Fang Xin smiled, didn't answer her words, and asked instead, "You guys...... What's going on? What happened? The whole village was shaken."

Du Zijuan sighed and said helplessly: "Something's wrong, something big. Come with me, I can't tell." As he spoke, he led the way ahead.

Fang Xin and Xiaoxue followed behind, and they also wanted to know what happened to this village, in the middle of the night.

After walking for a while, Fang Xin seemed to remember something. He whispered to Xiaoxue, "I finally understand now."

Xiaoxue was puzzled: "What do you understand?"

Fang Xin said: "Do you remember, the little girl once said that during the time period of Hang Haiyan's death, we judged that two people had been to her house. One of them, whom the little girl knows, is Hang Haiyan's classmate, named Du Zijie."

As soon as she heard the name, Xiaoxue still had an impression. At the same time, she also thought of Du Zijie and Du Zijuan just now, as if there was only a word difference. She hurriedly asked, "Did that girl have anything to do with Du Zijie just now?"

Fang Xin said cautiously: "At that time, when I heard the name Du Zijie, I felt very familiar, but I couldn't remember it for a while. Just now, when I saw Du Zijuan, I immediately thought that he was Du Zijuan's elder brother, my own brother."

"So coincidentally?"

"It's such a coincidence." Fang Xin continued, "Du Zijuan and I are classmates, so I have met Du Zijie a few times before I have an impression of him."

Xiaoxue said: "Unexpectedly, we chased the thief, but instead chased Du Zijie's clues."

"It just so happens that let's investigate this Du Zijie and see if there are any clues left. I just don't think it's easy, there must be something hidden behind it. I don't know if Du Zijie is in the village."

"Ask Du Zijuan, you won't know the way."

"We can't ask, we can't startle the snake, let it be!"

I don't know what happened in Donghu Village tonight, and the whole village seems to have come out and rushed to one place. Even if it's the New Year, it's never been so lively.

Fang Xin and Xiaoxue followed behind Du Zijuan, and there were villagers who rushed over one after another. As they passed by the two of them, they were greeted with surprise and amazement. At the same time, it is not difficult to see that all the villagers are very nervous and even afraid. I don't know if this fear was brought by Fang Xin or something else. In short, looking at the eyes of Fang Xin and the others, there was always something wrong.

There are only about 20 families in Donghu Village, except for a very few bungalows, most of them are two-story small buildings. And, judging from the appearance, the decoration is not bad. From this point of view, the living standard of the villagers in Donghu Village is quite good.

It was in this context that most of what Fang Xin saw were middle-aged and elderly villagers, as well as some children. There are very few people who are so young like Du Zijuan.

Not only that, but the area of the entire Donghu Village is also extremely small. From the outside, it looks like it is surrounded by Xiaomao Mountain, and only one corner is exposed to face Taihu Lake. Therefore, there are only two rows of houses in the entire Donghu Village.

The two of them followed the panicked villagers and followed Du Zijuan from an alley in the middle to the house in the back.

As soon as they passed, Fang Xin and the others were stunned by the scene in front of them.

I saw that in one of the houses, inside and out, all the villagers who came were standing up. From the living room to the outside, you can only see the heads of people of different heights. Even the alley next to the house, where only one person can pass through, is crowded with old men and old women.

Everyone is talking about it, and when you open your mouth, you and I don't know what the villagers are discussing. Not only that, but from this room, there were faint voices of women crying and men sighing.

Fang Xin and Xiaoxue also wanted to squeeze in and find out. However, there are so many people that two people can't squeeze in at all. However, they saw that Du Zijuan was also outside the crowd, poking her head out and looking in.

Originally, Fang Xin wanted to ask Du Zijuan what happened in their village. called twice, but Du Zijuan didn't hear it at all. His voice was completely drowned out by the villagers' chatter. Fang Xin had no choice but to give up and wait for the development of the situation.

I don't know how long later, in that house, I suddenly heard a deep man's voice: "Okay, everyone don't talk about it. Be quiet, give me a silence."

It worked, and soon all the villagers stopped talking. This also includes half-year-old children and old people who are over the age of six.

Fang Xin carefully looked at this man who spoke sonorously and powerfully. Judging from the appearance, he looks forty or fifty years old, with a shaved beard, and looks particularly energetic. A pair of godly eyes, scanning every bit present. The stature is not high, it is estimated that he is in his early sixties at most. However, the body is very strong.

Seeing this scene, Xiaoxue asked Fang Xin in a low voice: "Who is he, so troubled?"

Fang Xin was at a loss, where would he know who that person was. He shook his head, poked Du Zijuan by the way, and waited for Du Zijuan to turn around, and then he asked in a low voice, "Who is that person?"

Du Zijuan replied, "Village Chief." Fang Xin suddenly realized, no wonder he spoke so magnificently, it turned out to be a leader.

After calming down, the village chief spoke and said, "Just tonight, two strange things happened in our village in a row. The first half of the night is the wife of the fourth family, and the second half of the night is the seven-year-old granddaughter of my second sister-in-law's family. We also called the police, but the police haven't even seen a shadow so far. I don't think we can afford to wait. Action must be taken to find out why this strange thing is happening. Whether you are dead or alive, you have to find people. Guys, what do you say?"

The villagers began to talk again. And Fang Xin and Xiaoxue were even more foggy when they listened.

After a while, the chatter grew quieter. The village chief then said: "If everyone has no opinion, let's go and look for it separately to see if we can find some clues. It's not a matter of gathering here, let's all disperse. Stay safe, remember, don't act recklessly, if you really find any clues, come back immediately and inform me, everyone will act together. I'm at my second sister-in-law's house, and I'm not going anywhere. Also, the older and the younger don't join in the fun. Come back and stay alone, you can't help much."

The village chief's words were very effective, and after a while, the people were almost scattered. At this time, there were only a dozen or so left in the house of the village chief's second sister-in-law.

The second sister-in-law of the village chief was a woman fifty miles away, and the cry came from this woman. At this time, as soon as the villagers left, her mournful cry became even louder. There seems to be no better way than to vent the pain in my heart with crying.

Du Zijuan walked into the house at this time and found a bamboo chair to sit down.

Xiaoxue asked Fang Xin in a low voice, "Do we want to go in too?" The answer was no, Fang Xin shook his hand and said, "We're outside, let's hear what's going on." Xiaoxue agreed and said no more.

Inside the house, the village chief had already sat down, sighed long and said, "Second sister-in-law, don't cry. Everybody's gone out to look for it, and they'll definitely find it, so don't be sad."

The second sister-in-law of the village chief was already crying, and the crying spread throughout the village. Everyone present was infected, and even the air became very oppressive and heavy.

The village chief sighed heavily, turned his head and asked the older man on the side: "Second brother, tell me the specific situation!" Did you see it with your own eyes, what is it?"

The older man looked at the village chief with a tired face. He lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "If only I could see it, I would know what was going on, and I would know what my granddaughter had been taken away by. But I didn't see anything, and in the blink of an eye, my granddaughter was gone. She slept soundly, that is, she didn't cry or make trouble, as if the world had evaporated, and disappeared."

Immediately after, a man in his thirties on the other side also said, "Yes, yes, this is also the case with our bells. The village chief, Suzuko slept right next to me, and I only heard a scream. Then my bell was gone. I got up and turned on the lights when I heard the scream, but even then I didn't see anything. Too fast, I ...... I don't know what the hell it is."

The village chief turned around and asked the man, "Ah Si, you really didn't find anything?"

"No, village chief, if only I could see it." As he spoke, Ah Si also lowered his head, with a helpless expression, "Alas! I don't know what happened to my bell?"

"That's weird, it's weird." The village chief doesn't seem to have a choice.

It happened suddenly, and there was no clue to it. Came without a trace, went without a trace, and left no trace of the mission. Two living people disappeared for no reason. The most important thing is that it has disappeared completely, as if there is no such person in this world.

The entire Donghu Village, tonight, fell into an unknowable shadow all at once. No one knows what happened to the road and what it happened for.

Ah Si continued: "I saw a dark shadow, and I don't know what it is. Probably...... Probably about the same as a tiger. But it's hard to say, because I only see a dark shadow, and I can't see anything."

"Dark Shadow?" The village chief pondered, "What kind of dark shadow?" Ah Si, what are you seeing?"

Ah Si said nervously: "Village chief, I said it, I only saw a black shadow. And I now even wonder if my eyes have seen at all. Because...... Because the shadow was gone. I didn't have time to react, I didn't seem to see anything."

"Did you see which direction the shadow was going?" The village chief asked.

Ah Si shook his head, and the room fell silent all of a sudden, and everyone stopped talking. At the end of the day, they simply haven't found any reason to explain it all. In other words, they don't know anything, they can't do anything.

And it wasn't until this time that Du Zijuan remembered that there were still Fang Xin and the two of them, and looked in the direction of the door. Seeing that Fang Xin was still standing at the door, he beckoned to the two of them, meaning to call them in.

Of course Fang Xin wouldn't go in, he wasn't from Donghu Village, and he was still a little self-aware.

Du Zijuan saw that Fang Xin and the others were reluctant to come in, so she whispered a few words to the man beside her. And the man seemed to have been paying attention to the village chief's conversation and didn't notice the outside. At this time, listening to Du Zijuan's words, she also looked towards Fang Xin. His eyes were full of joy and doubt.

Xiaoxue also didn't seem to notice the man until this point. And when he saw the man get up, he was coming towards them. She asked Fang Xin, "Who is he?"

Fang Xin said coldly: "Du Zijie!"

"Du Zijie? Is that the murderer of Hang Haiyan?" Xiaoxue was full of surprise.

Fang Xin hurriedly shushed and stopped Xiaoxue: "Don't talk nonsense, let him hear. At most, it's just suspicion."

Xiao Xue didn't say anything more and shrank behind Fang Xin.

At this time, Du Zijie had come to the door, followed by Du Zijuan. As soon as Du Zijie saw Fang Xin, he immediately smiled brightly, stretched out his hand, and shook Fang Xin with a friendly hand. is like an old friend who hasn't seen him for many years, in fact, Fang Xin is not very familiar with Du Zijie.

Du Zijie smiled and said, "Fang Xin, I see, my memory is okay!" As soon as I saw you, I remembered that you came to my house to play with Zijuan. You haven't seen each other for ten years, haven't you?"

"That's right, that's right." Fang Xin said perfunctorily, "It's been ten years. I didn't expect to see you today."

"By the way, why did you come to our village so late today?"

Fang Xin thought in his mind, there were some things that could not be said to people. For example, about silk and bronze seals. After careful consideration, Fang Xincai said: "It's hard to say, my family is a thief. I finally caught up here, and I disappeared. No, I just ran into Zijuan, so I came over together."

"What treasure do you have in your family, but it is remembered by the thief." Du Zijie quipped.

Fang Xin made a helpless expression: "To be honest, what's missing, I haven't had time to see it, I just care about chasing the thief. I'll have to go back and check what's missing."

"With you, you're in good spirits!"

Fang Xin smiled bitterly twice, and when he saw that there was no one around, he asked curiously, "Du Zijie, what happened in your village?" I don't think it's weird."

Du Zijie didn't answer immediately, he first looked at the village chief and a few people in the house. Then he said to Fang Xin: "Let's go over there, it's inconvenient to talk here." It's mysterious, like it's espionage.

Out of the west end of the village, there are several small mounds of earth, extending over, connecting with Xiaomao Mountain. As far as the eye can see, the Xiaomao Mountain behind the village is shrouded in darkness, like a giant dragon in a deep sleep. It's hazy and not very tangible.

Du Zijie sat on the mound with his buttocks, and he motioned for Fang Xin and Xiaoxue to sit over as well. Fang Xin shook his head, and Xiao Xue could only stand along. But Du Zijuan also sat on the mound with her ass.

At this time, Du Zijie spoke: "Fang Xin, you don't know what happened, something strange happened in our Donghu Village. You also heard it just now, two people, inexplicably missing. No one could see what it was."

Fang Xin frowned and said, "I listen to what you mean, these two people should not be missing, but, as if they were taken away by some creature."

"You think the same way I do, and so do I. Think about it, if it was a human who did it, the first thing to know was what to do. Secondly, that creature moves so fast that no one can see what it is. So, it's definitely not something that people can do."

"Creatures?" Xiaoxue also asked worriedly, "Sounds like the plot of a horror movie. Have you ever thought that maybe it was artificial?"

Du Zijuan raised her head and said, "It can't be artificial, although we didn't see what that thing was, but there were still a few villagers who heard the strange sound of that thing. Sort of, they say...... It's like a pig's cry. It's weird, it's indescribable."

"Pig crow?" Fang Xin wanted to laugh, but he still held back. He said: "Could it be that there are wild boars on this Xiaomao Mountain?" I also grew up in the foothills, how come I've never heard of it."

At this time, Du Zijie said: "Don't listen to Zijuan's nonsense, I also heard this voice, it is definitely not a pig's cry. But it's really hard to say what it is. Zijuan is right, it is indeed weird. It's a very uncomfortable sound."

"Purpose?" Fang Xin continued, "It doesn't matter what that thing is, whether it's an animal or a plant. There should always be a purpose for what you do. Could it be that they are hunting for food?"

Fang Xin's conjecture scared the two girls so much that they couldn't help but scream. Xiaoxue complained: "Don't talk nonsense, it's weird and scary."

"If that's the case, then the bell wouldn't have died long ago. And also...... And the people in our Donghu Village, aren't they all going to be monsters' meals." Du Zijuan pulled the corner of Du Zijie's clothes and asked nervously, "Brother, what should I do?"

Du Zijie said very calmly: "I have also thought about the situation you said, it is unlikely. First of all, if it was predation, but in two places, there was not a trace of blood. Besides, even if you are sleeping soundly, if you are bitten by an unknown creature, you will definitely scream in pain. And yet we didn't hear anything. That thing, coming and going without a trace, like a ghost."

"Has this happened before?" Fang Xin asked again. He was also very curious about it. Truth be told, he had always suspected that the nightmare surrounding the town of Watershed Forest was not over. Just yesterday, in the space of a whole day, they encountered something terrible that they had never been exposed to before. Among them are the most terrifying monsters he can't even imagine.

Du Zijie shook his head and said, "Tonight is the first time it has happened, so everyone including the village chief is very cautious. Strangely, though, we called the police in the first place. However, it is strange that most of the night is almost over, and there is not even a shadow of half a policeman!"

Fang Xin smiled coldly and said casually, "They won't come."

If Fang Xin's idea is correct, then the watershed that looks calm on the surface is actually not calm. As for the police, Fang Xin didn't have much hope. Like yesterday, they relied on themselves and a little bit of luck.

"What did you say?" Fang Xin said casually, but Du Zijie heard it like a tailwind. Fang Xin had no choice but to say, "It's nothing." He didn't want to explain too much until things were figured out. What's more, who would believe what happened to them if they didn't experience it firsthand.

Fang Xin smiled and sat down beside Du Zijie. He suddenly had an idea, while the people of Donghu Village were busy looking for some creature, he took the opportunity to sneak to Du Zijie's house, maybe he could find some clues about Hang Haiyan. After all, Du Zijie had been to Hang Haiyan's house during the time of the crime. So far, suspicion of Du Zijie cannot be ruled out.

Thinking of this, Fang Xin propped up the small mound with both hands and looked up at the starless night sky covered by dark clouds.

Suddenly, his hand touched something and it felt sticky. Fang Xin curiously took it to his nose and sniffed it, there was a faint fishy smell.

This kind of taste, Fang Xin didn't know before. But just yesterday, he smelled too much, too much, and it was bloody.

"Xiaoxue, flashlight!"