Chapter 492: Rescued Again

I don't know how I made it back to Banai. After we returned to the lakeside, we were rescued by Jude Kao's team. Several of us were carried off for emergency treatment, and I was put on a respirator.

My exhaustion had exceeded what my body could bear. They gave me many sedative injections to relax my muscles, and my masseter muscles were almost completely numb. After that, a lengthy treatment to flush my lungs and neutralize the alkaline gas was performed. They mixed a gas into the oxygen I was breathing; inhaling it felt like breathing in vinegar.

I only fell asleep that night, and after sleeping for over ten hours, I was awakened by the sting of a needle. I found Jude Kao's team was transporting us out of the mountains. I immediately remembered Xiao Hua's situation and told them about it. They promised they would send someone to look for him.

After that, I have no memory of the separate medical treatments. Undeniably, the ecstasy of escaping from the Zhang Family Ancient Building diluted the grief over Panzi's death. But later, when I calmed down and thought of Panzi, I always felt it couldn't be real.

Xiao Hua was found the next day. His people got in touch with the Xie family. Xiao Hua was taken away immediately. I didn't see Xiuxiu, and Old Mrs. Huo's head was also missing. I don't know the exact details, but I heard that Xiuxiu had completely broken down.

I don't know how Fatty explained it, but this time it was like this: so many of us went in, and only Poker-face and one severed head came out. Because of this, the Huo family and the Xie family will develop accordingly. I think there must be many people who will hate me, but right now I have no energy to think about that.

The locals prepared many herbal medicines for us, and taking them seemed to have some effect.

About five days later, I was able to get out of bed and walk. When I went out to sunbathe, I suddenly saw something that surprised me: I saw Poker-face already fully dressed.

"What does he want to do?" I asked the person beside me.

"He's leaving."

Leaving? Where is he going?

I felt a jolt of fear and thought, 'I finally managed to rescue you, where are you going?' "Help me over there," I said to the person beside me. They lifted me up, and I went to Poker-face and asked him, "What the hell do you want to do?"

Poker-face looked at me and said calmly, "There's no time left. It's coming to an end." "What the hell do you want to do?" I said.

"I have to complete the final step of something," Poker-face said. "I don't have time." He packed his things into his backpack.

I looked at the person beside me: "You're just letting him go like this? Even as a doctor, you can't let a patient leave so hastily. Where's your boss? This guy knows a lot of things. Call your boss over, tie him up and interrogate him!"

"He's fine now. His body is much better than yours," the person beside me said. "Besides, our boss has already—"

I looked at him. He sighed: "After all, he's old. His time is almost up." "Jude Kao has already gotten what he wanted," Poker-face said, tightening his backpack.

"He can finally leave in peace."

"What things?" I asked.

Poker-face said, "Two rings. Sometimes people don't just seek immortality; they also seek death."

I didn't understand, and Poker-face didn't want to explain further. I yelled, "Fatty, where the hell are you? Little ge is about to run away!"

"It's no use. He's already been here once. That fat guy has already given in," the person beside me said.

"I have to go the rest of the way alone. You can no longer accompany me. It's too dangerous, and this has nothing to do with you," Poker-face said, slinging his backpack on and walking out.

So this is the result? I was stunned. A wave of inexplicable anger rose in me, and suddenly all my expectations and worries vanished. I turned around, shaking my head. I thought, 'Damn it, whatever will be will be.'

I walked back and happened to see Fatty coming out of the house. He must have heard me shout. Seeing my expression and the silent young ge beside me, he probably knew what had happened. I walked up to him. He patted me and said, "You can't force what isn't meant to be. After all, we're outsiders. We don't have the right to force little ge to live the way we want." "How are we considered outsiders?" I said. "If we're outsiders like this, then who's an insider? Do you have to lie down and die inside to be considered an insider?"

"Your story isn't necessarily little ge's story," Fatty said. I looked at his expression; he didn't seem upset at all. I asked him, "Did little ge say something to you?" Fatty shook his head: "He wouldn't even tell you, so why would he tell me? But we know little ge. Whatever decision he makes must have a good reason. That reason is beyond our reach, and there's no way to stop him."

I sighed. The two of us sat on the corridor of the stilt house, watching Poker-face walk farther and farther away. My mind gradually calmed down.

"Will he ever come back?" I asked.

Fatty said, "When he disappeared suddenly before, did you ever worry about that?" I shook my head: "Back then, we just noticed he was gone; there was no farewell. This time, he refused to let us come along for the first time. I think something is different." Fatty said, "Nothing is different. Just pretend you never saw him leave." I turned to Fatty and asked, "What are your plans?"

Fatty gave a sigh: "I have lots of plans. Either go back to Beijing and live a stable life, depending on whether that New Moon Hotel matter has been settled. If I still can't go back, I want to stay here for a while. Look after my little wife. Anyway, the scenery is nice here, the air is good, and the girls are pretty. With my savings, I can live like a big shot here for many years. What about you?"

I was silent. I didn't know. I didn't know when it started, but once I stopped searching for answers to the riddles, my life lost all meaning.

Actually, my life never had much meaning. I just stared blankly, worrying about next month's utility bills, then pondered the meaning of my existence. Thinking about it, I gave a bitter smile. My life had become like this. I had nothing to say.

"I don't know. I'll have to think it over," I said to Fatty. "But I'll wait until everything settles down. I probably know some of the riddles now, and a lot I can deduce. I've already figured them out. I feel this matter will soon come to a conclusion. I'll wait for things to slowly calm down and see what rocks finally emerge from the water." I was telling the truth; I really had a premonition that this matter was nearing its end. Fatty patted me: "Anyway, no matter what, you'd better get your face changed back first."

I touched my mask and thought of Panzi again. I felt all my worries sink: "I don't care anymore. This face still has some use in the end."

After chatting with Fatty, I returned to my room. I thought this was the end. I couldn't remember much of the whole process in the Zhang Family Ancient Building. It just felt like before — at this point, everything should calm down.

But I was wrong. Then another thing happened. Although this thing no longer had much to do with the development of the story, I still had to write it down.

On the third day after Poker-face left, Yuncai died.

At the time, I vaguely heard a commotion outside. I got up and heard someone say a girl had died.

I didn't realize it was Yuncai at all. I already thought it was impossible for anyone else to die. Under these circumstances, everything was so settled. We had all come out, and yet someone still died.

Yuncai was dead. They found her body in the stream. She had been shot, the bullet passing through her lung. At the time, she must not have died immediately. Instead, she escaped into the stream and was carried downstream.

All the villagers believed it was Jude Kao's people who did it, and they had a fierce conflict with Jude Kao's men. I really hadn't reacted yet; too much grief left me just staring blankly at the pale corpse, without any expression.

I knew who did it. It was that ghostly figure, the one with the collapsed shoulder. I suddenly remembered the figure I had seen earlier on the second floor of Agui's house.

That ghostly figure. He had been watching us from the start. Who had opened the second-floor door for him? I couldn't ask Agui at this moment, but I knew that besides Pan Ma, the ghostly figure and Agui must also have some connection. Agui might not know who he really was, but there must have been some exchange of benefits between them.

Perhaps Yun Cai was the person Agui sent to make contact with this ghostly figure. Yun Cai wasn't really that interested in us; she pretended to be innocent and hung around with us, perhaps only to spy for that ghostly figure.

Now, that ghostly figure wants to erase many things. Yun Cai knew too much, so he erased her. I think if I go to that cave again, I definitely won't be able to see him anymore.

I feel like nothing has much meaning for me anymore. Why would anyone continue to kill such a lovely life?

When Fatty pushed through the crowd, I chose to retreat. I had no strength left to face the grief of my companion. I heard a mournful cry that echoed through the valley—it was Fatty's roar: "Who? Who did this?!" He was overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all and didn't think of what I had thought. I found an inconspicuous corner and sat down, feeling so, so tired.