17 Devil Mountain

Pan Fei seemed to remember something and immediately said, "I remember now. I saw a notice that the owner put in the room that said the signal at the guesthouse would be weak or even nonexistent at night due to fog, but don't worry, the signal will be restored when the fog clears in the morning!"

Devil Mountain is shrouded in fog year-round, and the fog is even thicker at night.

Zhou Yun looked at the wooden bridge not far away: "I remember there's a landline in the living room. Let's see if we can make that call. Otherwise... we'll have to take this opportunity to go down the mountain from the wooden bridge to find someone."

Pan Fei shook his head: "It's so late now, and we don't know what's in the mountains. Besides, we're not familiar with this Devil Mountain. I think it's better to stay in the guesthouse until dawn tonight."

On the other side of the wooden bridge, it was pitch black, and animal cries could be heard from time to time in the air.

Fang Chengjin turned to look at the two of them, "Let's go back to the guesthouse first, and we'll talk again tomorrow at dawn."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun had no choice but to agree.

**

Zhao Ping was tied up outside the door and not allowed to come in. The three of them returned to the living room, where the warmth enveloped their bodies.

Back in the living room, Zhou Yun first went to the landline to make a call. The landline was an old-fashioned, wine-red telephone.

Zhou Yun picked up the microphone, pointed it at the phone call instructions marked on the wall, and entered the hash symbol and the number 999. After a few beeps, the call connected.

Please leave a message after the beep, and we will transfer you to another number.

Zhou Yun's eyes flickered, and she tightened her grip on the microphone.

Just as Pan Fei said, the signal is not working here.

At this moment, Fang Chengjin came to Zhou Yun's side, "How is she?"

Zhou Yun put down the phone and shook her head. "I can't get through."

Fang Cheng remained silent, leaning against the wall, his eyes lowered in thought.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Zhou Yun's peripheral vision caught Pan Fei's eye. Pan Fei shrugged, seemingly indicating that he was also powerless to do anything.

Zhou Yun fell silent, sensing that something was amiss. Her gaze fell on Pan Fei, initially just an unconscious look.

Pan Fei went to the bar counter, took out a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, then went to the cabinet table, glanced at the glass rack on the cabinet, selected a stemmed glass, then bent down and opened one of the cabinets, took out a corkscrew, then pulled out the wooden cap of the bottle, poured himself a glass of wine, took a small sip, and turned his back to them, so his expression could not be seen.

He seemed to be just thirsty.

However, Zhou Yun's eyes gradually darkened.

After a while, Fang Chengjin picked up his foot and left, looking unwell. He said, "I need to go back to my room to rest. Let's talk about it tomorrow. I feel a little dizzy."

Zhou Yun hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Pan Fei, who was standing to the side, turned around and took a few steps over, blocking the stairwell. He asked in confusion, "Professor Fang is not feeling well?"

It seemed to be an inquiry out of concern.

Fang Cheng nodded. "I forgot to tell you, I have some health problems. I get dizzy from time to time and I'm a bit weak. I came to climb the mountain to improve my health."

Pan Fei was still not quite convinced and looked at Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun was also puzzled as to why Fang Chengjin would suddenly say such a thing. It seemed like he was acting, but she wasn't sure if he was, so she could only chime in, "He is indeed physically weak."

That's true. Zhou Yun recalled the fight with the thugs before, and how Fang Chengjin's strength wasn't quite up to par.

Pan Fei nodded and stepped aside. "Then Professor, you should get some rest."

Fang Chengjin then successfully went up the stairs, Zhou Yun followed, and the two gradually disappeared into the living room.

Pan Fei watched the two figures disappear and smiled silently.

**

Back in his room, Fang Chengjin walked to the sofa, lay down, closed his eyes, and crossed his arms, unwilling to say another word.

Seeing this, Zhou Yun stopped talking. She went to the bedside, lay down, closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep at all.

It was five o'clock at night, and there was only one hour left until six o'clock, by which time it would be a little brighter.

Zhou Yun slept very restlessly, tossing and turning over the events of the night. She thought about the cause and effect, especially Zhao Ping's murder.

Zhao Ping's killing of Chen Qingqing was most likely driven by personal desire, and it's unclear what grudge existed between the two. However, it's unlikely to be related to the previous case of the missing women climbing the mountain.

If that's really the case, then could there still be a killer among them in the missing persons case...?

Zhou Yun suddenly woke up with a start. She went through everything that had happened since she entered the mountains, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

Instinctively, she suddenly opened her eyes.

There was a slight noise outside the door.

Zhou Yun swallowed hard; her forehead was covered in sweat.

Fang Chengjin, who was sitting next to the sofa, was still asleep and looked very tired.

Zhou Yun pulled back the covers, glanced at Fang Chengjin, and decided not to disturb him. She got up and walked towards the door.

If that person is the murderer, then Zhao Ping, who is tied up outside the door, might also be in danger.

Zhou Yun opened the room door. At this moment, the corridor outside was quiet and there was no sound at all.

She closed the door, tiptoed out, and came to the stairwell, where the living room lights were on.

She slowly went downstairs, looked around, and saw no movement. When she arrived at the living room on the first floor, she smelled a strong tobacco scent.

Before she could figure out what the smell was, she swayed and immediately grabbed onto a nearby table and chairs to steady herself.

A drug?!

Zhou Yun was startled and covered her head with one hand, swaying her body due to dizziness.

Who cast the sleeping gas...?

Zhou Yun turned around, intending to go back to the second-floor room to find Fang Chengjin, but before she could turn around, she was embraced by someone.

"My baby, you've finally arrived."

His deep voice carried a suppressed excitement.

Zhou Yun was familiar with that voice.

It's Pan Fei!

**

Zhou Yun struggled to lift her chin, weakly pushing the person away with her hands, and that handsome yet eerie face appeared before her eyes.

Pan Fei hugged Zhou Yun tightly. He was wearing a mask and looked at her as if she were a precious treasure, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

His voice was seductive, enticing him little by little.

Zhou Yun was completely unable to resist. Her whole body was weak and limp. Although she was still conscious, her body was too weak to move. She was carried away from the living room by Pan Fei and taken to the backyard.

The backyard wasn't big, but it was dark, like a traditional courtyard house. The surrounding rooms were also pitch black. There was nothing in the yard except for a slightly lush tree with a pile of fallen leaves and branches under it, which looked like it was for burning.

However, this pile of branches is messy and disorderly, and if you look closely, you can find traces of friction.

Pan Fei half-carried, half-dragged Zhou Yun to the backyard, then to the base of a large tree. He kicked aside the fallen leaves and branches in the corner, revealing a hole in the ground.

It turns out that this is a well.

In her drowsy state, Zhou Yun noticed that the well looked like a well at the foot of the mountain. She remembered that when she first entered the village, she noticed that there were many wells in the village, practically everywhere.

Pan Fei dragged Zhou Yun to the well, pushed her, and Zhou Yun tumbled into the well.

Contrary to expectations, she fell into a bucket instead. Pan Fei then crossed the well and stood in the bucket as well. He pulled on the rope and slowly lowered the bucket down, and the two disappeared from the courtyard.

This bucket is large enough to accommodate two people standing together.

Pan Fei put one arm around Zhou Yun's waist while using the other hand to manipulate the rope.

Soon, the wooden bucket reached the bottom with a thud, and both of them swayed slightly.

Pan Fei came out of the wooden tub, then half-embraced Zhou Yun, pulled her out of the tub, and then took her hostage and walked inside.

It turned out that there was no water at the bottom of the well, but rather a hole in the ground.

The cave was not dark at the bottom; on the contrary, there were candles hanging on the rock walls. The lamps looked old, like artifacts from the last century.

Pan Fei carried her and walked for about ten meters until they arrived at a slightly spacious basement.

Zhou Yun secretly bit her tongue, drawing blood, before regaining her senses. However, she did not act immediately but chose to observe from the shadows.

She realized that some of the strength in her limbs had returned, but she still couldn't fully exert herself. If Pan Fei was carrying a weapon, it would be difficult to deal with him.

She was making plans in her mind.

Suddenly, a crying sound came from the air.

Zhou Yun looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

At this moment, Li Li's hands were tied behind her back to the wooden chair. Her mouth was sealed, leaving only a pair of terrified eyes. Her false eyelashes were flying around in a mess, blurring her large eyes and making them look like panda eyes.

When Li Li saw them, she kept wailing, but her voice was clearly weak and breathless.

Zhou Yun shifted her gaze and surveyed the entire basement.

This basement is not simple; in fact, it could be described as a laboratory.

There was a long wooden table, and many surgical machines and instruments. Most importantly, the things on the three shelves next to it were shocking.

The top shelf was filled with all sorts of dolls, all of them naked, with translucent limbs. The second shelf contained various bones, and the third shelf held small boxes with tracking numbers on them.

Pan Fei placed Zhou Yun in a corner, then tied her hands behind her back. After doing all this, Pan Fei revealed a strange smile of satisfaction. Then, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he squatted down, lifted Zhou Yun's right forearm, and blew some air on it.

"Damn it, how could you let yourself get hurt!" Pan Fei cursed, and slapped Zhou Yun across the face.

Zhou Yun felt a buzzing in her right ear, and because of the slap, she gradually felt much more awake.

The effects of the sleeping pills were largely negated by the pain.

Zhou Yun had a bloody mark on her right forearm, probably from being scratched by the rock wall of the well when she fell. Her skin was probably scratched by something, ruining her natural beauty.

Pan Fei exhaled through his nostrils, gently lowered her arm, and said with a hint of comfort in his tone, "Luckily, no bones were broken, thank goodness."