Chapter 3: Advancing into Western Regions

  Spent three days in the police station, found that people in the bureau wore different clothes, they didn't communicate much, with a flustered expression, in and out of the director's office, while the director sat in the office like a martial arts leader, issuing orders.

  The hidden bureau is just like its name, in the basement of a large building. The whole bureau doesn't have a single room with windows. It's hard to imagine that there would be such a grand underground palace under the building. The director told me that except for my living quarters, the dining hall and his office, all other places are off-limits to me, especially the west corridor of the hallway. I absolutely cannot go past it, even if curiosity is killing me.

  In the evening, Mother Director came to my room, still with that usual kind smile: "Are you ready? We're leaving tomorrow, dry food, clothes, tools - everything you need, I've already ordered people to prepare. Take a look and see if there's anything else you want to bring?"

  I shook my head: "I'm fine with just this backpack, I don't need anything else, thank you Director Mu, I just hope my parents and grandfather can all come back safely."

  "I'll be here waiting for your safe return," said Mother Director.

  "Aren't you going with us?" I asked.

  "No, I have more important things to deal with," he replied. For some reason, Director Mu seemed to be smiling when answering me, maybe it's just that I haven't been sleeping well these past few days, I thought to myself.

  Almost a sleepless night, the next day I took a plane to Urumqi, Xinjiang. After leaving the airport, several people from the Public Security Bureau picked me up outside the airport and we drove for almost two days before arriving at a village called Hutubi on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. The village was very small with only dozens of households and the houses were all very simple. The people from the Public Security Bureau took us to a villager's house that was relatively larger than the others. As soon as we entered, a fragrance wafted through the air. A round table was filled with food and five people sat around it while the hostess was still busy in the kitchen.

  "You must be Zhou Junyang, nice to meet you. My name is Kelamayi, I'm the owner of this house." A big-bearded man wearing a Hui ethnic minority hat introduced himself in fluent Chinese and extended his right hand for a handshake as a gesture of friendship.

  I hastily stretched out my hand and said: "Hello!"

  "Come, Brother Yang, I'll introduce you to a few companions. This is Li Long." Just as I was about to shake his hand, my entire right arm stiffened in mid-air, and my heart skipped a beat. I exclaimed in shock: "Lao San?"

  He seemed to have expected my reaction and smiled slightly, saying: "Second brother, you've finally arrived."

  "Go on, you little brat is actually a mole from the Bureau of Investigation, pretending in front of us for so long." I still can't believe it, my university roommate who lived with me for three years was actually the deeply hidden "Yu Ze Cheng".

  He shrugged and said, "It's just a coincidence, I need to go to college too."

  Karamay smiled: "You know each other? That's the best, we can cooperate more tacitly in the future." He pointed to a dark-skinned man wearing a strange long shirt next to him and said: "This is Fu Ma, we all call him Big Eye Boy." I burst out laughing, thinking: Imperial Son-in-law? Is there a princess? Aiyitu Princess? This guy's eyes are almost sewn together, this group of people really knows how to mock others.

  "Hello, young man. I am Xiao Xianren, you can call me Old Xiao." Said a old man with a Mediterranean hairstyle and a greasy face, who looked extremely sleazy, with a complacent tone, I forced a smile and nodded slightly.

  "This is Wu Zihan." Karamay continued to introduce. The person named Wu Zihan didn't even lift his head, staring blankly at my left hand, as if he hadn't heard our conversation. I quickly said: "Hello!" His pale face had no expression, still staring in the direction of my left hand. The atmosphere was a bit awkward, Karamay hurried to mediate: "Junyang, are you hungry? Hurry up and eat."

  My stomach had been growling for a while, and the hostess came over with a plate of yellow sauce, smiling at us and saying in broken Chinese: "No good dishes, everyone eat while it's hot."

  "Brother and sister, your words are wrong," Xiao Lao hastily said. "According to what I know, this dish is called Saiweizi Mulaba. Being able to eat it in this desolate place is already a great honor." He seemed to be savoring the taste as he ate a few more bites, casting a disdainful glance around him. I quickly took a bite, and it was actually just carrot sauce, but the flavor was rich and delicious. During the meal, except for Xiao Lao exchanging a few words with Kalamayi in their native language, almost no one spoke, everyone lost in their own thoughts as they finished the meal.

  After dinner, we went into the house and started discussing the expedition to the Western Regions. Karamay spoke first: "Everyone is a colleague of the hidden bureau, I am the guide this time, I'll speak first, it's not easy to enter the Ghost Valley, the first problem is how to find it, I think we should follow the plan we discussed before, does everyone agree?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

  "Wait a minute, Karamay guides, what's your plan? What do you need me to do? And where is Guizang again?"

  Karamay was about to open his mouth to explain, but Xiao Lao seemed to answer hastily: "Jun Yang's little friend, what is called the Ghost Mound Land is actually the place where the ancient country of Taiyue is located. If you want to talk about the wonders of Taiyue Ancient Country, it would take ten days and ten nights to finish speaking."

  "Jun Yang, just watch the plan for tonight, no need to do anything. If we need your help in the future," Karamay added, "Is that it? Does Brother Zi Han have any objections?"

  Wu Zihan nodded slightly, his eyes still dazed. He suddenly seemed to think of something and turned his head to look at me, asking: "Where did the bracelet come from?"

  I was taken aback for a moment, and it wasn't until I saw him staring at my left hand that I reacted: "Oh, you're talking about this? It was given to me by my grandfather. He was in good spirits that day." I smiled wryly.

  Xiao Lao adjusted his glasses and carefully examined the bracelet on my left hand, as if suddenly enlightened: "This chain is quite unique, it seems to contain a talisman, you've discovered it too, haven't you, Xiao Han?"

  Wu Zihan remained silent and expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything. Xiao Lao's face looked somewhat unpleasant.

  "It's 7 o'clock now, at 9 o'clock tonight, we'll start taking action. Now prepare the tools, Brother Junyang, you must stay by my side to avoid getting hurt." Karamay said.

  At night, the six of us headed deep into the desert. Dark clouds blocked out the moonlight, and it was almost pitch black in the desert, with only occasional calls from unknown animals breaking the silence. "Why doesn't he turn on his flashlight?" I complained to myself. Wu Zihan was walking at the front, and I really wondered how he could tell which direction we were going.

  After walking for about half an hour, Wu Zihan whispered: "We're here." I was just about to yawn when my whole body stiffened like my jaw had dislocated. In the distance, there were two things flashing red light, about the size of eggs. My intuition told me that they were a certain animal's eyes.

  At this time, I don't know who turned on the flashlight and shone it on that thing. It was only for an instant, but those blood-red eyes disappeared into the darkness. Although the time was very short, I saw the true face of that monster clearly. It was as tall as a person, with a pair of large wings behind its back, no head, and those blood-red eyes were on its chest.

  "Damn it, let it get away!" Lao San cursed, he drew a long military knife from behind his back, cut a small wound on his left hand, and let the fresh blood flow out. He used the blood to draw a large circle on the ground, stepped inside, and made a sound similar to cicada chirping with his mouth.

  Before long, I felt the sky was dark and oppressive, with something hovering above my head. They kept making a sound similar to cicadas chirping "tsee tsee". I suddenly felt like I had lost all my abilities, everything in front of me was pitch black, my nose couldn't smell anything, I couldn't make any sounds, and could only feel my stomach churning like the ocean, with only the sound of "tsee tsee" in my mind. I started vomiting violently, feeling like I was going to throw up my entire stomach. At that moment, someone grabbed my hand, and a warm current flowed through my body like a sweet dew. With the faint light from the flashlight, I saw it was Wu Zihuan.

  Xiao Lao chuckled and said, "Jun Yang, my young friend, you've been affected by this foolish creature's sonic curse. Calm your mind and quiet your breath, like I am doing now, or else you'll end up vomiting out all five of your internal organs."

  Karamay shouted to Lao San: "A Long, that's enough, you're attracting too much trouble." Lao San walked out of the blood circle. The strange creature hovering in the sky earlier dived down towards him with scarlet eyes. Fu Ma suddenly shouted: "Left upper, three!" Lao San held his military knife and swung it horizontally to the left. Three monsters fell to the ground, their eyes gradually dimming.

  "Right above us, there are two!" Fu Ma continued to shout. Lao San placed his knife on the top of his head and the two monsters quickly flew away. I held a flashlight in my hand, wanting to help shine it on where the monsters had flown off to. Suddenly, Fu Ma turned towards me and shouted: "Jun Yang, be careful! They're going to attack us from both sides!" Lao San rushed over to my side, and I was face to face with the monster. In an instant, I was caught off guard. The monster's face was full of sharp teeth, its eyes were blood-red, and it seemed like I was standing in a pool of blood. I swallowed hard, so scared that I forgot how to run. Lao San quickly blocked my way, swung his knife, and the two monsters' eyes went dark. The strange noise seemed to have disappeared, and Lao San began to dig out the monsters' eyes with his military knife.

  Karamay patted me on the shoulder and said, "Scared you silly, Brother Junyang."

  "My lower lip trembled as I replied: 'N...nothing, what...is...this...thing?'"

  Xiao Lao Ma suddenly became spirited: "This thing is called Tian E Ren, it's a guardian monster of the ancient country of Dai Yu."

  I tried to move my numb legs and asked, "What's the point of killing them?"

  Karamay said: "Their eyes have a connection with the ancient country, you will know in a moment."

  At this moment, the bloody Lao San has already processed his eyes and gave each of us one. It's a red bead about the size of a big thumb nail, Xiao Lao put the bead in the palm of his hand, closed his eyes and said: "It's really amazing, I can sense the direction of that ancient country."

  I also learned from everyone's example, putting it in my hand, closing my eyes, but except for a piece of darkness, I couldn't feel anything. "Why can't I feel anything?" I looked at everyone with doubt.

  Karamay said: "Maybe you hurt your eyes just now, use mine." He put the beads in my hand.

  I tried again, but still nothing, however Karamay sensed it with it. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Wu Zihan walked up to me, grabbed my left hand, and his face showed no expression: "There's a ghost in your bracelet."