Chapter 209: Invitation from Hell: Address and Key

If that were really the case, then maybe by going to his house, I could learn about his past. But no matter how I thought about it, it seemed unlikely.

Besides, if that were so, then did A Ning's two tapes also contain something? That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Leaning on the edge of the bed, I smoked one cigarette after another. Normally I only smoked one when I was feeling down, but now no matter how many I smoked, it didn't help—my heart still ached.

Looking back on the whole affair—from when I first received the videotapes to now, discovering what was inside them—only a few months had passed. Yet each additional discovery made things more confusing and complicated.

In fact, although I had discovered the secret of the videotapes, what really troubled me was the content of the tapes. Whether the other party was using the content as a cover or had just randomly grabbed two tapes, the content would definitely seize the viewer's full attention. And this content could not be faked. Someone like him wouldn't be familiar with how videotapes were recorded. So where did he get the tapes? I was sure there were more than just these few. Given the recording time of the tapes, recording a full day would require about eight tapes. The fact that one of the tapes he sent me was blank and the other had content showed that he had many choices when picking them out. That at least meant there might be other videotapes in that place.

Inside, "Huo Ling" and "I" were monitoring their own actions. Clearly there was an unavoidable purpose—it couldn't be just for fun.

Of course, what bothered me most were A Ning's two tapes. I had always prided myself on being an outsider, always thought of myself as an extra. The first time I followed Third Uncle was on a whim, the second time was forced by circumstances, and the third time I inexplicably followed orders. Every time, if I had just said "no," it wouldn't have involved me. So now that things had suddenly developed to the point where it seemed I was implicated, I felt completely lost.

However, Fatty's hint this time was like an epiphany. I already felt that my way of thinking about problems seemed too complicated. Perhaps it was precisely because of this habit of troubling myself that I turned what was originally very simple into something very complicated. Perhaps the matter itself, like this particular incident, had no twists at all.

I thought a lot, and then I remembered what Li Chenzhou had told me that day—that this matter might have a great deal to do with me. Thinking about how Third Uncle had meticulously plotted to deceive me—since he didn't want me involved, why did he let me follow him up the snowy mountain? Li Chenzhou's words actually made a lot of sense.

I also recalled my past. In my memory, there really wasn't a single thing that could have connected me to this matter. When I was a child, my father was ordinary and plain, always putting family first; my grandfather was a dominant figure, the backbone of the family; Second Uncle was tight-lipped and serious; Third Uncle took life lightly and was stubbornly mischievous. All of this formed my childhood memories. Although they all had different dispositions, they were all good to me. Even Second Uncle would only smile at me.

It could be said that while my childhood wasn't extremely happy, it was probably no different from the childhood of anyone my age—utterly unremarkable.

Then in recent years, my so-called college life was even more mundane, and my memories were clearer. There was definitely no experience of crawling around in a dark room dressed like a dead person.

I didn't sleep all night, just staring at the ceiling until dawn, letting my thoughts run wild. The more I thought, the more depressed I became. The whole affair was like a vast net covering me from above. No matter where I tried to go, I could only see countless holes, but the net's ropes blocked my way.

This situation was also determined by my personality—my indecisive yet persistent nature made things more and more complicated. Perhaps I shouldn't be so passive in considering problems. Sometimes I shouldn't wait for others to give me clues before I start pondering. For one thing, you never know if the clues others give you are true or false; for another, they are often not timely and come with a lot of interference.

Thinking about this, I suddenly frowned, recalling the advice my friend had given me before leaving. He said: "The reason things have become so complicated is that you keep insisting on getting answers from your Third Uncle. Think about it—since Third Uncle has lied to you before, he definitely doesn't want you to know certain things. So Third Uncle cannot tell you the truth. Lies beget lies. If you keep asking, you'll only end up feeling that nothing in the world is trustworthy, and the messy information will keep piling up. If you want to understand the truth, it's better to find the answers yourself. For example, you said the expedition team had ten or eleven people—check the relevant records from back then. That's much more feasible than trying to figure out whether what Third Uncle says is true or false."

Now that I think about it, he was indeed right.

Alright! I said to myself. Damn it, since this matter actually concerns me, then I won't trust anyone anymore. This time I won't tell anyone. I'll go to Golmud by myself and investigate what the hell is going on.