Volume 2: Corpse in the Yin Mountains Chapter 3: A Call from Hell

  Faint moonlight, terrifying dolls, thrilling dreams. I really feel like I'm being stared at by the god of death, no, not the god of death, but the god of terror. Except for the sound of breathing and the ticking clock, there is no other sound. The streets that were once bustling with cars and people have also become desolate. Suddenly, I feel isolated in a separate world, waiting for death.

  "Ringing, ringing, ringing," the phone's ringtone wasn't scary, but if it rang at this moment, any normal person would be startled, and I was no exception. My body trembled, and I hastily turned on the light. The clock pointed to 2, 2 o'clock in the morning. I picked up the phone and saw that it still showed a jumbled code, without displaying the caller's number. After thinking for a moment, I pressed the green button and put the phone to my ear. A hoarse voice came from inside, making my fear reach its peak. A numb, electrifying sensation spread throughout my body, and I almost threw the phone away.

  "Lin, little brother, are you okay?"

  "Liu, Liu Wei?" I stuttered.

  "Yes, it's me."

  I get nervous and like to smoke, I don't know if it's the nicotine inside or just a habit of holding a cigarette, anyway smoking makes me relax. I held the phone with my shoulder, lit a cigarette, and didn't speak for a long time. Liu Wei didn't rush me either. After taking two puffs, I asked "Is that phone expensive?"

  Liu Wei seemed taken aback, then replied "I'm fine, Lin brother, why ask this?"

  "I know the local call is 20 cents, long distance is 60 cents, and international long distance is probably 3 yuan! How do you charge for this phone call?" I spat out a mouthful of smoke, without waiting for Liu Wei's response, I continued to say "How did I not know that hell and the human world have laid telephone lines?"

  "Haha, Lin younger brother is joking," Liu Wei said with a smile on the other end of the phone, "I'm now being pursued by the organization and can only fake my own death."

  I tossed the cigarette in my hand into the ashtray, I'm not stupid either. As soon as I heard his voice, I knew I'd been played by him again. He arranged for me to go just to increase the credibility of his death. I asked coldly, "Liu Wei, why did you make such a fool of yourself?"

  "Lin, little brother, you misunderstood. When I escaped from the organization, I accidentally entered a secret room and there were sixteen terrifying dolls inside, this is just one of them."

  I was stunned, the organization Liu Wei mentioned should be in Japan, otherwise he wouldn't have been so respectful to those two Japanese people, and how did they know what I looked like, why did they make a terrifying doll that looked just like me? After thinking for a moment, I asked "Where are the other dolls?"

  "Time was pressing, I only had time to take yours, the others I didn't touch. Also, I just put the doll in the hidden compartment, those mechanisms were added by the organization's killers." Liu Wei said.

  "Did you all see that?" I asked further.

  "Hehe, I installed an infrared camera inside the pendant lamp."

  I'm too lazy to get entangled with him on this, so I changed the subject and said "Say, what's the matter that you're looking for me?"

  "Lin, don't you wonder why someone would make a terrifying doll in your likeness?" Liu Wei asked.

  I lit another cigarette and said, "I'm really curious, if you know, can you tell me? What kind of organization are you people? Like the Mafia or the Black Dragon Society? And what about Old Man Zhang's affairs? I want to know everything."

  "Haha," Liu Wei dryly chuckled on the other end of the phone, saying "What organization we are, I can't say. Moreover, I don't know much myself. Zhu Baozi and I are just peripheral members. As for Mr. Zhang, I'm even less familiar with him. If it weren't for the organization sending me to contact him, I wouldn't have known he existed. And your secret, I hope we can uncover it together."

  "Do you want to work with me?" I asked.

  "Uh-huh."

  "But I don't want to," I immediately refused him.

  "Why?" Liu Wei seemed somewhat anxious.

  "Because you're untrustworthy," I sneered coldly.

  "Lin, you can't take things personally. What happened in the ancient tomb back then was also something I had no choice but to do. Now I can only rely on you, how could I possibly kill you? Moreover, I saw that behind the terrifying doll that was left for you, there were two words written on a wooden sign: 'Failure'. And now Zhang Lao is also in a precarious situation." Liu Wei said with a slightly threatening tone, but what he said was exactly what I wanted to know, especially those two words - what did they represent?

  I thought for half a day, until the cigarette burned my fingers, I came back to myself and said "I agree, how can I help you?"

  "Tong Tu," said Liu Wei, "three bronze rabbits running, their appearance you have seen, very special."

  I nodded and said "I've seen it, but you also need to show some sincerity. Now it's like you haven't told me anything."

  "Sorry," said Liu Wei, "it's not that I didn't mean it, but these things I really didn't know. But don't worry, I've already started investigating now and will definitely give you news before you get the BenTeng."

  I thought to myself and could only say "Alright, it's settled then, where are you now?"

  "I am in hell." Liu Wei replied.

  "Damn it," I cursed, "You're not afraid of death, are you? Go lay down some phone lines for hell, make sure they're long enough. If they're not, I'll burn some more for you tomorrow."

  "Haha, Lin, I'm indeed in hell. After I've investigated clearly, I'll contact you. Don't leak the news that I'm still alive, or else we're both in danger. Good luck!" He hung up before I could respond.

  Listening to the busy tone on the phone, I was in a state of extreme confusion, wide awake, looking at that terrifying teddy bear, I felt uncomfortable, jumped out of bed, walked over and kicked it with one foot, muttering in my heart: "You scared me just now, do you dare to get up and fight me?!" After kicking it twice, I went back and trampled on it wildly.

  "Ouch!" I jumped up, clutching my foot in pain. It took me a while to recover, and when I did, I picked up the creepy doll and felt it with my hand. On its belly button, there was a small, thumb-sized hard object. With some effort, I tore it off, and a green jade block fell to the ground. I was stunned - this jade block gave me a very familiar feeling, and its color was identical to that of my half-jade pendant. I quickly picked up the jade block and rushed back to my bedside table, took out my half-jade pendant, and compared them. There was no doubt - they were from the same piece! Liu Wei hadn't lied to me; this creepy doll indeed had a deep connection with me. My real half-jade pendant was green, with black specks inside and extremely fine bumps on its surface - something you couldn't find on the market.

  I sat blankly on the sofa, with my legs crossed, smoking one cigarette after another, until dawn. When I heard someone opening the door, I turned my already sore neck and saw Shi Tou walking in with breakfast, putting it casually on the table, sitting beside me and asking "What's wrong?"

  I handed Stone a cigarette and told him what had happened. After listening, Stone sat there smiling.

  I looked at him in puzzlement and asked "What are you laughing at?"

  "The stone replied, 'You think these are useless. What's most important now is to find the tomb of the Tang Dynasty grave robbers. The answer will be found out, not thought out.'"

  I gave a thumbs up, "I think you can go be a philosopher now."

  "We were trained to be extremely ruthless, and we can't afford to make any mistakes, or it would lead to fatal danger. The habit I've developed over the years is that only what I see with my own eyes is the most real."

  I stood up and stretched, patted him on the shoulder and said "Alright, let's have breakfast!"