103 The Lost Village (Part 7)

◎So we privately call it a ghost◎

"Zhu Ning!" Jin Tao noticed something was wrong, and his first reaction was to call her from outside, wanting her to come back. But no matter how he called, there was no response. "Zhu Ning!"

He ran over quickly. Zhu Ning and the others had just been in for less than a minute.

"Zhu Ning!" Jin Tao tried to open the door. The broken wooden door should be so fragile that it could be easily broken. With Jin Tao's physique, he could even break it open with a bang, but at this moment, no one could push it open.

It seemed as if the door was made of steel, with not even a crack.

The old lady standing next to him was staring at him with two bloody holes in her eyes and a weird smile.

The old lady seemed to have taken a step closer, and the tip of her nose had completely touched the glass window, her nose was almost deformed, but she was still smiling.

Jin Tao had an illusion that the old lady could really get out.

Zhu Ning walked into the house.

There was no light in the room. After dark, the light was dim, relying solely on the setting sun outside for illumination, which made it look eerie.

The first thing she did when she entered the room was not to look around, but to look back at the window. There was no one by the window, and the old lady was gone.

What's going on? Wasn't she standing here just now?

Moreover, she couldn't see outside from the window. Normally, if she came in and looked out the window, she would definitely be able to see Jin Tao and his large group.

But all Zhu Ning saw now was an empty village road. The setting sun dyed the bluestone bricks of the village road red, as if they were soaked in blood.

Moreover, this road was even more desolate than when they came here. The cracks between the bricks were full of wild flowers and weeds, making it look like a road that had been abandoned for a long time.

Entering a strange space again?

Zhu Ning walked to the window and looked down to see a pair of clear footprints.

The house was deserted and had a thick layer of dust inside, and wherever they moved, they left a mark on the surface.

If Zhu Ning and his team were the first team to come in, they should only have left their traces.

But there is a pair of footprints here, and they are closely attached to the base of the wall. Because they stood there for a long time, the marks here are very deep.

It's like when you move a sofa that has been there for a long time, the clear mark left behind when you move it.

It must have been left behind by the old lady.

The old lady stood there, staring out the window without blinking. What was she looking at? There was only weeds outside.

These footprints were also very strange. There were only traces of standing, no traces of anyone walking towards or leaving.

It was as if the old lady had been standing from beginning to end, standing for many, many years, until the thick dust covered her.

But how did she leave? Did she just vanish and evaporate?

Wait, why do I feel like she disappeared? She might still be there.

Is Zhu Ning... very close to her, but she can't see him. He is right in front of her, still looking out the window, with the back of his head pressed against her helmet?

Zhu Ning suddenly held his breath.

As soon as Li Nianchuan came in and saw the window, he felt something was wrong. The old lady had disappeared, and not only that, Jin Tao and the others had also disappeared.

Zhu Ning's first reaction was to check the window, and Li Nianchuan's first reaction was to push the door, thinking that if it was opened again, Jin Tao and the others would appear outside the door again.

The wooden door was originally creaking and looked very fragile.

Li Nianchuan touched the door handle and thought he would be blocked, but he pushed it open easily.

Isn't this door meant to be pushed from the outside in? How come it can be opened from both the inside and the outside?

After opening the door, Li Nianchuan was stunned. Jin Tao and the others were not on the road. There was only an empty village road outside the door.

The village road was covered with weeds, and the wind gave me goose bumps.

Li Nianchuan tried to close the door and open it again, but no matter how many times he repeated it, the same thing happened: the cleaner who had stayed behind disappeared.

Suddenly, Li Nianchuan paused, as if he heard some sound?

Li Nianchuan stopped immediately and listened carefully. He had canine genes and was born with better hearing than others without the need for genetic drugs.

It seemed like... someone was yelling? Even though you couldn't hear clearly, for some reason, you felt like the other person was yelling at the top of their lungs. Li Nianchuan could only hear someone yelling, but he had no idea what they were saying.

Jin Tao knocked on the door hard, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the sound to Li Nianchuan.

Two times and spaces intersected, and Li Nianchuan and Jin Tao appeared at the door of the deserted house at the same time. Their figures overlapped, but they could not transmit their voices to each other.

"Did I hear it wrong?" Li Nianchuan was a little puzzled. "I never hear it wrong."

Li Nianchuan could even feel the other person's emotions. He was shouting something and was very frightened. That fear was transmitted to Li Nianchuan, making his back cold.

"Hey, come and take a look." Xu Meng said.

Li Nianchuan didn't dwell on the sound anymore. Xu Meng had found the clue. Zhu Ning had been looking at the window thoughtfully, but when he heard Xu Meng's words, he also left the window.

As soon as they entered the door, Zhu Ning's first reaction was to look at the window, Li Nianchuan's first reaction was to try to open the door, and Xu Meng's first reaction was to check the house.

Xu Meng had already made a brief patrol in the house. There were six small rooms in the house, and there was a small courtyard at the back, and next to the courtyard was a vegetable patch.

There was nothing special about the furnishings in the house. There was a leather sofa, a large TV, rattan chairs, and all the necessary facilities.

If this village had not been abandoned, it would be a perfect place for city workers to live in seclusion. At that time, Li Nianchuan said that if he wanted to retire to the mountains, he should come to a place like this.

Walking into the backyard, the original vegetable patch was covered with weeds.

Next to the vegetable garden is a small wooden house. This setting is quite common in the countryside. Many people have such a layout in their homes, with some farm tools placed in the wooden house.

The wooden house is now covered with moss, and a vine of unknown species is entwined on the right side of the house.

The feeling of fear left by the yellow flower just now is still there. Xu Meng is a little cautious when looking at the plants. If the plants mutate, it will be very troublesome.

It looks beautiful, the sunset, the wooden houses, the quiet village, but it doesn't make people feel at ease at all, as if every cell in your body is shouting at you to run.

Xu Meng felt very strange ever since he walked into the backyard. He had a feeling that he was being watched, as if a pair of invisible eyes were open and following Xu Meng's shadow.

She approached the wooden house cautiously. The vines did not react at all. With a creaking sound, Xu Meng pushed open the door of the wooden house.

Xu Meng used to be a demon hunter. She had been in and out of many polluted areas, and she frowned at this time because of the things inside.

"Hey," Xu Meng said, "Come over here and take a look."

Zhu Ning and Li Nianchuan rushed over after hearing the noise. The house was not big, and they soon found Xu Meng in the backyard.

Xu Meng stood in front of a wooden house, inside which was... a row of surveillance equipment?

The large screen of the monitor emitted a cold light, and the black screen was like a mirror, covering the shadows of the three of them. As long as they looked up, they could see their reflections on the black screen.

When Zhu Ning came to the wasteland world, he often felt that the world was very chaotic. Sometimes technology was developing rapidly, and sometimes there were very retro things.

The same is true for this deserted village. There are some surveillance equipment in this house, which even looks more advanced than those in Zhu Ning's era and is very sophisticated.

This should be a workshop. It is dark inside and should be used for surveillance.

Zhu Ning thought of the old lady lying by the window. What on earth was the owner of this room doing? Who were they trying to spy on?

Li Nianchuan pressed the switch of the monitoring equipment, but there was no response at all. "There's no power."

The house was different from what they saw from the outside. There was no electricity or lights inside, and all electronic devices were shut down.

The night view inside the helmet automatically turns on, and a green filter is applied here.

Their protective suits for cleaners have electricity. Li Nianchuan originally wanted to use the power on his body to charge the computer, but there was no response after connecting it. This contaminated area can even stop the clock of their internal protective suits, so it is probably of little significance.

The computer cannot be opened at all, and the only available information is a work log. When all technology fades away, text is the most lasting way to preserve information.

The book is very old and has turned yellow. It is not a regular notebook, but just a few sheets of paper stapled together, which looks a bit sloppy.

Probably because I have a computer for record keeping, this work log is used as a backup or as scratch paper.

Zhu Ning, Li Nianchuan, and Xu Meng came over together and saw a line of words written on the cover of the work log: "Happiness Village Observation Report"

The handwriting of the person was very beautiful, and it was obvious that he had a good level of education. He must be the old lady who was lying outside the window just now.

Why observe a village? Are you a scholar? Isn't this an invasion of privacy?

It turns out that this village is called Xingfu Village.

The first page only has one date: November 1, 2010 in the new calendar.

Zhu Ning frowned. It was the new calendar? Was this caused by the radiation?

Xu Meng explained: "Originally, people lived outside the first-level barrier. There were Indigenous people living there. The federal government provided them with free public housing, but they preferred to live outside the barrier. The pollution concentration at the time was still suitable for human survival, and it was safe outside the first-level barrier."

Li Nianchuan: "Captain knows a lot."

Zhu Ning took another look at Xu Meng. Xu Meng was definitely a demon hunter in the past, and she had more experience.

The federal government has offered a plan that allows people to choose to live inside the wall, but many people are unwilling to do so. After all, the houses allocated by the federal government are not as comfortable as their own courtyards.

Many people used to live in the hollow areas between the walls, and even many city dwellers chose to move out. But as the pollution became more serious, fewer and fewer people live here.

Zhu Ning thought about it and realized that most of the villagers were middle-aged or elderly people, and there were no young people.

Zhu Ning could also understand their mentality. For example, her grandmother didn't like living in the city. If Zhu Ning's grandmother, that tough old lady, came to the wasteland world, she would definitely feel that she would die sooner or later, so it would be better to die in her own home.

Xu Meng opened the diary.

"Damn Old Zhang, he really thinks he's a hero. He insisted I help him solve the case. Who am I to ask him to help him solve the case? He told me to make it a habit to record all the daily surveillance footage, and it would be better if I wrote down my thoughts as well, so that we can submit evidence later. He's amazing, he only knows how to order people around."

It begins with a complaint. Zhu Ning can imagine an old lady writing here. She might be quite bored and write down all her thoughts in the draft book.

"People have been disappearing in the village lately. Some say it's those mutated pollutants that killed them. It's really scary. How many people are there in our village? Lao Zhang asked to borrow my equipment to keep an eye on them. He said it's advanced and invisible, and outsiders don't know I have it installed. He's really calculating, using my equipment for free."

Zhu Ning seemed to understand that this equipment was unique to this family. It should be an old lady living alone, and living outside the wall, which was not very safe, so she bought a set of equipment for herself at a high price.

"Lao Zhang said that several devices in the village have been requisitioned. Not only mine, but also Lao Li's family, the neighboring store, and Lao Zhang's own equipment have all been turned on. Other villagers will also keep an eye on it. If there is no equipment, they will look around more."

She seemed to understand the villagers' surveillance gaze. It was not an illusion. They were really monitoring her. Something must have happened in the village.

"That bastard Lao Zhang made me work for him for free. I didn't see any shit today. End."

November 7, 2010 in the Gregorian calendar

"Someone's gone missing again. This time it's the old lady from the Xu family. I ran into her in the back mountain a few days ago. I'm really confused. The village is full of elderly people who are worthless and even taste dry. What's the point of arresting us?"

This notebook seems to be used mostly to record thoughts, with very few observation reports.

"The surveillance cameras didn't capture anything today. That's all."

November 8, 2010 in the Gregorian calendar

"I met Afen today. She asked me mysteriously if the old locust tree at the entrance to the village was getting bigger. I thought she was a little crazy. Trees are not grass. They grow slowly. How can you see them grow clearly? Besides, old trees like that don't grow anymore. I've watched it for most of its life, so it's only as big as it should be."

"But today was really strange. The missing old man Wu came back and was checked by the village doctor. He said there was nothing wrong with him except for the pain in his eyes. When asked what happened, he refused to say anything and seemed completely numb."

"Later we sent him home. In the first few days, we were worried that something might happen to him again, so several villagers helped to keep an eye on him. But Old Man Wu didn't look alright, so many people just ignored him."

"But A-Fen told me that Old Man Wu was replaced. The current Old Man Wu is not the same Old Man Wu as before. The evidence is that Old Man Wu used to be able to play the piano. He was quite talented and used to play songs for us during festivals. But now he seems to be unable to play at all. His playing is a mess. His hands are like they have just grown back, and he doesn't play as well as I do."

"I asked Lao Zhang if he still needed surveillance. The missing people have all returned, and maybe after a while, those who were previously lost will be able to return home on their own. Lao Zhang said yes, but he wouldn't tell me the details."

"I didn't capture anything today. Whoever did it probably didn't pass by my house. I don't know if anyone else captured it. End."

November 9, 2010 in the Gregorian calendar

"I filmed Old Man Wu today. I don't know why he was hanging around outside my house. He was so weird. He showed up at 11:30 pm and just stood there doing nothing. He kept looking up at my security camera like a ghost. I was asleep at the time. What was he doing here?"

"What does he want with me?"

There was another sentence following, which might be that the owner of the diary was very curious and was thinking.

"I kept the surveillance camera and gave it to Lao Zhang. He told me to take another look, but he didn't know what he wanted to see. I installed a few more surveillance cameras, including one in the backyard. That's it."

November 10th, Gregorian calendar year 10

"Afen said she also bought a surveillance camera. She secretly installed a camera. There's been a lot of weird talk in the village lately, and many people have bought surveillance cameras. Some have even started praying to the gods, but Afen was the most strange. She told me she captured Old Man Wu on camera."

"Not only did Old Man Wu go to my house, he also went to Afen's? What on earth is he trying to do? Is he perverted? I'm going to talk to Old Zhang tomorrow. If this keeps up, the village will be doomed."

"I didn't see Old Man Wu on the surveillance camera today, but I was watching him the whole time. As I was watching, I saw a flash in front of my eyes, as if there was an eyeball staring at me through the camera."

"If I blink again, the eyeball will disappear, just like an optical illusion. I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone about it, fearing they'll think I'm sick. I don't dare let anyone think I'm sick, but this village is really getting sicker and sicker."

"I think I've been overusing my eyes lately, and they're a little sore. I'm going to get some eye drops tomorrow. End."

November 11th, 2010 in the Gregorian calendar

"Old Zhang said a pollutant has infiltrated the village!" The handwriting on the notebook became illegible, and the writer must have been very anxious. "But we don't know who it is, so we privately call it a ghost."

"Who's the ghost? Old Wu?"

"My eyes are getting more painful, and eye drops are no longer effective. I need to go see a doctor inside the wall."

The diary ended here. Xu Meng flipped through it and found nothing after that. He did not write anything in the diary afterwards.

Will you only write electronic versions from now on?

Or... did the owner of the diary die after writing this sentence?

Why did her eyes hurt?

Zhu Ning blinked her eyes. She didn't know if it was her illusion. After reading the diary, her eyes also felt a little strange, making her want to rub them.

The author has something to say:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-10-28 21:00:19 and 2022-10-29 21:01:56~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Ta-da is a little cutie 1;

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Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!