5

The future looked bleak, and there was no turning back. After much deliberation, I finally stole the key.

Zheng Kun was extremely excited when he got the key. I took the opportunity to ask him to fulfill his promise, and he agreed immediately.

"However, everything must have a beginning and an end. You have to help us complete this deal first."

His plan was simple: the three of us would each get a bicycle, tie a cardboard box to the back, and wait until the store closed for the night. I would stand watch at the door while the other two emptied the videotapes from the second floor, hiding them in a dark alley before carrying them away on our bicycles one by one.

"We won't touch the videotapes on the first floor?" Zhang Zhihao questioned.

"We can't move that much in one night. Besides, how are we going to sell those serious films after we get them? In our tiny town, if we sell a lot of them at low prices, they'll definitely be targeted by the big guns soon."

"Then the videotape in the attic will be easy to sell?"

"Idiots," Zheng Kun said disdainfully, "Selling porn is illegal. Even if they lost it, they wouldn't dare call the police."

It's common sense to change the locks as soon as you find your keys are lost. In order to get ahead of the Li family, Zheng Kun decided to take action tonight.

At eleven o'clock at night, we met on our bikes in an alley. Seeing that the street was deserted, Zheng Kun and his friends unlocked the rolling door, opened a gap half a person's height, and slipped in. I was left alone at the door, keeping a timid lookout, praying desperately that no one would pass by.

"Ding, ding, ding..." They ran up the stairs. The sound of a lock opening was heard, followed by a burst of angry shouts. "What's going on?"

I pricked up my ears, but there was no more talking. Ten seconds later, Zheng Kun called me up.

"What about the lookout?"

"Never mind, just come up here." He said without giving any explanation.

I went through the rolling door and saw the two of them standing at the attic door in a daze.

"Why is the room empty?" Zheng Kun asked.

"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to come since I got the key."

Zhang Zhihao anxiously raised the flashlight and shone it over and over again in every corner of the room. There was only a TV cabinet against the west wall with a TV and an old video projector on it. Nothing else was visible.

"Brother Kun, could it be that you made a mistake? There is not a single videotape." Zhang Zhihao complained.

Zheng Kun didn't move a muscle on his face. He shone his flashlight on the floor. It was covered in dust; it looked like no one had ever thought to clean the room. He crouched down, silently observing the dust for a moment, and concluded, "It seems the information was wrong. But it's okay. Let's move some other things."

The next afternoon, I rode my bike to the music store again. Logically, I had already completed the plan with Zheng Kun and the others, so I didn't need to go there anymore, but there was one thing I had to confirm.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw Li Zitong's father arguing with someone in a rage. Li Zitong huddled in a corner silently.

"What are they arguing about?" I asked Li Zitong.

"Shh, keep your voice down." Li Zitong covered my mouth. "My dad is furious. He found out that the store was robbed last night, and the videotapes, VCR, and TV in the attic on the second floor were all gone. The person he was arguing with was the owner of the hardware store that installed the rolling shutter. My dad said there was a problem with the lock of his rolling shutter, and he wanted him to pay for it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect them to shift their focus to the TV," I said, lowering my voice.

"It doesn't matter. This is a good opportunity to teach that man a lesson so that he won't do unethical business in the future... Let's talk about it somewhere else." She avoided her father's sight and pulled me away secretly along the wall.

There was a wasteland west of town, not far from the video store. Rumor had it it was once a mass grave, so adults and children alike avoided the area. The wasteland was surrounded by a wall, and we climbed through a gap. We lifted a tarp hidden in a corner and revealed two large boxes of videotapes we had brought from the video store's attic.

"The things are still there." Li Zitong was obviously relieved.

"Of course, it's definitely safe to hide here," I replied.

I pondered the question of whether or not to steal the key, and finally decided not to. Given the nature of Zheng Kun and his gang, if I gave them the key, they would surely ask me to join them in stealing from the music store. Then, I'd have something else in their hands, and I wouldn't be able to resist.

Besides, Li Zitong is my friend, and I don’t want to use this to do anything bad.

I might as well break off relations with Zheng Kun and the others and put an end to it. Even if I end up in juvenile detention, it will atone for my foolish behavior. After realizing this, I felt strangely relieved.

I found Li Zitong and confessed everything to her. I had already prepared myself to be disliked and scorned, but she was just a little surprised, not angry at all, and even offered to help me.

"Didn't they say they'd let you go if they gave you the key? Just give it to them," she said at the time. "We'll just empty the attic of the videotapes in advance so they go home empty-handed."

Her suggestion was like a lifeline to me. With a trepidation of giving it a try, I proceeded according to my plan. A day in advance, I moved all the tapes from the attic and hid them in the wasteland here. Then, feigning ignorance, I collaborated with Zheng Kun and the others to steal the tapes, which didn't even exist. To my surprise, this dramatic plan actually worked.

"I really don't know how to thank you..."

"Okay, if it's useless, we can talk about it later when we have time." She pointed to the cardboard box containing the videotapes, "Let's get rid of this troublesome thing first."

"No problem." I flattered him, "You don't have to do anything. I'll move it back exactly as it was."

She raised her eyebrows. "Why move back home so my dad can keep making his dirty money? This kind of thing should be burned to the ground."

On the way here, Li Zitong bought two cans of salad oil and matches from a roadside store and asked me to carry them. I thought her mother had asked her to buy them for cooking. Unexpectedly, she simply unscrewed the lid and poured the entire can of oil into the cardboard box.

Then she took out a match. I finally recovered from my shock and stopped her. "Do you really have to burn it? Can you leave it as a bargaining chip for me to negotiate with Zheng Kun and the others?"

She looked me in the eye. "If they really don't want to let you go, there's no point giving them all this."

"Whoever said that, it will definitely work." A familiar voice came from behind.

I was so scared that my whole body shuddered and I quickly turned around. I saw Zheng Kun and Zhang Zhihao standing at the gap in the wall, looking at us with a smile.

"Judging from your expression, you're frightened, aren't you?" Zheng Kun said proudly. "We've been following you since you left home at noon. You were completely unaware the entire time, and you're incredibly unguarded."

"But why are you..."

"Why were we following you?" Zhang Zhihao added, "Actually, Brother Kun saw through your act last night. When I heard the videotapes weren't found in the attic, your surprise wasn't genuine at all, and you didn't even go into the house to verify the situation. But when I checked the dust on the floor, I found quite a few of your footprints."

A fake smile as thin as a knife appeared on the corner of Zheng Kun's mouth. "So I simply didn't say anything. Anyway, it must be you who hid the things. So, you have nothing to say?"

I was really speechless and felt extremely regretful. Why didn't I think of sweeping the attic in advance?

"What do you want? Do you want to hit someone?" Li Zitong asked.

"What's the matter? Are you scared?" Zheng Kun said with a playful smile. "Don't be afraid. We are not bad people and will not use violence. As long as you are willing to hand over those two boxes of videotapes, you can leave in peace."

"It's that simple?" I was a little bit unbelievable.

"I can't help it. I'm an easy-going person."

Although I knew that eight out of ten of his words were lies, I had no way out and could only nod.

Zheng Kun turned his gaze to Li Zitong and said, "See, your friend agrees. Put the matches away."

Li Zitong shook her head. "I don't believe a word you say." She lit a match and dropped it into the cardboard box. With a low hiss, a flame leaped out, flickering red like lava erupting.

Zheng Kun and the other man's faces changed, and they immediately rushed over to put out the fire. Li Zitong picked up another bucket of oil and continued to add to the fire. The flames burned more and more fiercely, almost setting Zhang Zhihao's hair on fire. The two had to retreat.

Seeing the videotape "beeping and popping" in the fire, Zheng Kun was furious and anxious. He rolled up his sleeves and slapped Li Zitong. I instinctively stood in front of her, closed my eyes and waited for the beating.

But his slap never came. I mustered the courage to open my eyes, only to see Zheng Kun's arm suspended in mid-air, his eyes fixed on Li Zitong behind me, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Where did you get that thing in your hand?" he asked.

"It's none of your business. You just need to know that I have it." Li Zitong said.

I turned around. She was biting her lower lip and clenching her right hand, obviously holding something, but I didn't know what it was.

"Is that the real thing?" Zheng Kun's body trembled slightly, as if he heard thunder in the distance and discerned a faint ominous sign.

Li Zitong stared into his eyes and said, "Stretch out your hand with your palm facing up."

Zheng Kun did as he was told. Li Zitong stepped forward, stretched out her right hand, and placed it on his, then removed it after a moment. I vaguely saw an oval red mark on the palm of Zheng Kun's hand.

Zheng Kun stared at the palm of his hand for a long time, his face gradually losing color, and he murmured, "I don't believe it, this must be a forgery by you."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. But if you see this thing and dare to touch it, you will bear the consequences. You know the consequences, right?"

Zheng Kun took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his face slowly regaining its composure. "Let's go."

Zhang Zhihao grabbed my arm, but Zheng Kun stopped him, "Leave him alone."

"But is this kid making fun of us?"

"I told you to leave it alone!" After saying that, he pulled Zhang Zhihao and turned away.

I couldn't contain my surprise. "How on earth did you scare them off?"

Li Zitong's expression wasn't as happy as mine. He even looked a little sad. There was a depth in his eyes that I had never seen before. "I lied to them."

"Lying? Wouldn't it be even more troublesome when they find out they've been deceived?"

"Don't worry, it's not a lie that's easily exposed. They'll never know the truth." She paused, "Let's talk about it later. I have to go back to the store."

When I got home, I was practically exhausted. So much had happened in the past two days, and I was exhausted both physically and mentally.

Although I was very thirsty, I was too lazy to even pour myself a glass of water and collapsed on the bed.

Something hard pressed against my ribs. I opened my shirt and fished out a videotape from my inside pocket.

Where did this thing come from? After a moment of confusion, I finally remembered: the day before yesterday, after moving out the boxes of videotapes, I went back to the attic to check if I had left anything behind. I found a videotape still inserted in the projector, so I took it out and put it in my pocket. Then I forgot all about it.

I have to tell Li Zitong and then destroy it as well. I held the videotape up to my eyes. Unlike the ordinary videotapes I was familiar with, the cover was white and could be taken apart. There was no label with the title or price, only a line of handwritten numbers: 9253. I suddenly remembered what Zheng Kun had said about the Japanese videotapes purchased through special channels. Could this be one of them?

How about taking a sneak peek before telling her? No one would know, anyway. This thought flooded my mind uncontrollably. I didn't know where the overdrawn strength came from, and I leaped out of bed.

My parents had no interest in movies or karaoke, and the VCR they had bought for their wedding was still in use. I locked the door, drew the curtains tightly, turned the TV volume down, and after catching my breath two or three times, I carefully pressed the play button.

First there was a crackling white noise, and then the image appeared. In a dimly lit room, a masked little girl knelt on the tatami floor. She wore a yukata with a cherry blossom pattern and a sash. The mask, in the shape of a fox, covered most of her face, but her figure and demeanor still suggested her youth, probably no more than ten years old.

There was no background music, and the camera spun around the girl. I could see the light in the room coming from several candles. I swallowed, genuinely confused. The atmosphere felt more like a horror film than a typical movie, and a poorly made one, relying on gore to scare people.

The screen suddenly lit up, and a short, stout man walked into the room carrying a lantern. He placed the lantern on the floor and pulled out a bundle of twine. He tied it around the girl in an intricate pattern, then hoisted her arms upward. The girl wasn't cooperative, but she didn't resist either.

I felt my whole body stiffen. What on earth was this? An exorcism like those in horror movies?

The man in the picture laughed, which was the first time there was sound in the film. Then he took off his pants, revealing his dark and hairy buttocks...

What followed was like a scene from hell. I stuffed my finger into my mouth and bit it, suppressing the screams that surged from my heart. What the hell is this? It's over now.

It took me about ten seconds to realize I was free. I quickly turned off the TV and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

I never returned the videotape to Li Zitong. I smashed it with a brick, and the black tape inside looked like guinea pigs. I used scissors to destroy it, and finally burned it.

I didn't mention the videotape to her because I really didn't know how to bring it up.

After that, I often went to the video store and watched movies with her. But I never went near the stairs. To me, that place was like a place where demons were sealed.

At first, I worried that Zheng Kun and the others would see through Li Zitong's lies. I often watched movies while glancing out the window, worried they might be lurking in the shadows at the alley entrance. But they never again tried to target the video store, nor did they contact me. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

"How did you trick them?" "What did you show them?" Out of curiosity, I asked Li Zitong questions like these more than once, but she never gave a direct answer.

Later, she got tired of asking me questions and threatened to ban me from the video store if I asked again. So I just shut up.

On the surface, the world seemed peaceful after that, the sun rising and setting each day, turning around as normal. But somewhere, unknown to me, the wheel of fate had already rolled forward, crushing all lives that stood in its way. Now that I think about it, if only I had gotten to the bottom of it, I wouldn't have lost so many lives.