Criticism from an overhead perspective
A busy day was destined to begin when Cheng Xiangwu returned to her apartment carrying a sandwich. She saw a delivery box at the door, as tall as her waist. The sender and address were in English, and the recipient was listed as Cheng Xiangwu, but the phone number was Xiao Fu's. She carried the box into the house; it was quite heavy. The actual recipient, who was sitting in the living room, immediately took a pair of scissors and went to the entryway to open it. Inside was a metal suitcase.
Little F looked to be in a great mood as he carried his suitcase.
"Let's talk about today's schedule." Bai Yunxian sat down and draped her coat over the back of the chair. "Although I don't have high hopes for your luck, I want you to know that this is your only chance."
“That’s what I wanted to say to you too.” Little F raised his hand. “Have some tea.”
Then they started arguing while chatting. Cheng Xiangwu peeled and sliced peaches, apples, and melons to the accompaniment of the music. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate. She wiped her hands, took out her phone, and saw that it was a message from Ye Luan.
"I contacted a local middleman and got the prescription for the effective medicine [picture]. You can go and deal with the flower shop now."
Cheng Xiangwu threw his phone on the table, and his two heads crammed over to look at it like fish.
"Essence," Bai Yunxian muttered, "Parkinson's?"
“Acute depression,” Xiao Fu corrected, typing to remind the other person to dilute it before use.
"What do you mean by 'middleman'?" Bai Yunxian asked Cheng Xiangwu. "A pharmaceutical agent?"
"Mmm," Cheng Xiangwu responded.
“…Cheng Xiangwu, try making noises at me again and see what happens?” Bai Yunxian threatened.
Cheng Xiangwu placed a plate of fruit-cut art on the table, beautifully shifting her gaze away.
"I remember you can only buy nasal sprays like this here." Bai Yunxian pinched her glasses frame with her left hand and a fruit fork with her right, staring at the screen. "This is for intravenous injection, and the expiration date is good. Where in Senhu City can you find such a well-connected middleman?"
"Hmm..." Cheng Xiangwu thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. She could only think that Ye Luan herself was a middleman and had to find other people to buy it, so this medicine must be hard to buy.
“And the presence of local middlemen means there are local customers,” Little F said meaningfully. “Moreover, the only local psychologist probably wouldn’t want to see this happen.”
The local customers most likely refer to Gu Wanqiu. Since she has medicine to take, Cheng Xiangwu began to worry about how long she could take it.
"What kind of logic is this?" Bai Yunxian frowned.
"Like repels like?" Xiao Fu said casually. "Anyway, let's go to your company first. You take us to Miss Bai Yuntian's office. There are some things that need to be confirmed as soon as possible."
"What is it?" Bai Yunxian asked.
“The cause of her death,” Little F said.
As quickly as possible, the three of them arrived at Bai Bai Co., Ltd. just as the receptionist was starting work. The still listless receptionist handed Bai Yunxian the elevator key card and said that her sister was already in the office.
"...I wonder which office it is." Little F said thoughtfully, "Have you seen this person before?"
"No." Bai Yunxian crossed her arms. "It's better not to see him."
The elevator ascended rapidly, the doors opened, and Cheng Xiangwu could not see the knight guarding the door at the end of the line of sight. He touched his neck.
To the left of the elevator exit, the sign for the chairman's office is still hanging on the door.
“My brother once analyzed that going to the chairman’s office required walking through a long corridor to calm down and think things through,” Bai Yunxian scoffed. “But you can just change it whenever you want, right? My sister just thought it was more efficient because the door was closer to the elevator.”
As she spoke, she pressed the door card against the touchpad, and with a beep, the back door slowly slid open.
"What do you know about that Ms. Fu Xiao?" Xiao Fu asked.
“Not often, I only run into them when I go home for dinner. They’re very polite. What’s wrong?” Bai Yunxian asked.
“I’m curious about her valuation criteria,” said Xiao Fu.
Once the door opened to a width of one person, the smell of dust rushed out. The distance between the door and the doorway left a fairly clear dividing line; every step forward inevitably left a visible footprint in the dust. Compared to the room at the end of the corridor, this room's visible area was nearly a third smaller, but a door in the wall revealed the secret to the sense of space.
There was nothing in the office.
"...So much stuff, it's all been moved out." Bai Yunxian sighed.
As she said, the chairman's secretary's office had no work content or office supplies; it was just an empty room with dust on the floor, discouraging outsiders from entering. Only some outdated messages remained on the walls.
Company honor plaques, personal honor medals, photos of environmental education ambassadors with the campus, family photos, couple photos, a sheathed sword that's hard to tell if it's decorative or real, empty bookshelves covered only with dust that's been neglected for too long, the coffee trough of the fully automatic coffee machine is only half empty, Bai Yuntian abandoned them long ago, and no one has come here for a long time.
What happened before those floor-to-ceiling windows must have been a sudden, unavoidable, and utterly merciless death.
“This smell,” Xiao Fu said, taking out his notebook and writing something down. “It’s exactly the same as the one in Miss Gu Wanqiu’s office.”
Bai Yuntian had deliberately attracted that being to this place, Cheng Xiangwu knew this, but she died half a year ago, by suicide. Her body was urgently sent to the wilderness to be dried into adipocere for the next person to use. The next day, a substitute went to work as usual in another clean and odorless office on the top floor, while this place was gradually emptied and forgotten, because the chairman rarely came to work.
What a meticulous murder! Cheng Xiangwu couldn't help but exclaim. There was absolutely no need for her to be here!
“…That’s not how it works.” Little F put away his notebook. “Let’s go.”
Bai Yunxian kept looking into the office, her gaze fixed on the photos, the dust, or perhaps the view of Senhu City through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“…I’m gone,” she said.
Bai Yunxian remained silent for a long time on the way back, and even after returning to the car, she rested her hand on the window, her forehead pressed against it, saying nothing. Cheng Xiangwu, seeing her like this, didn't know what to say, so she asked, "Do you want some coffee?"
“…What?” Bai Yunxian snapped out of her daze. “Oh, no need.”
“Miss Bai Yunxian doesn’t need your comforting words.” Little Fu fastened his seatbelt. “Right?”
"...You mentioned acute depression, but patients with depression who need injectable esophageal injections generally shouldn't stay outside of mental hospitals." Bai Yunxian leaned back in the back seat and asked, "I've met Gu Wanqiu. She does have some dissociative symptoms, but her current condition doesn't warrant the injection. Is their cause the same as those two lying motionless in the hospital?"
“That’s right,” said Xiao Fu as he drove.
“Yesterday the police caught a suspect alive. He was about to take poison, but I stopped him. Xie Wuchang said you’d seen the thing they found in his teeth before.” Cheng Xiangwu looked at Xiao Fu.
“Yes, it’s made from the essence of the seeds of that special variety of datura,” Little F nodded.
Bai Yunxian had just learned about the list of people who were traveling with her today in the apartment, and she had no objection to the name at this time.
“…Belladonna.” Bai Yunxian said thoughtfully, “Is it an acute loss of consciousness in the prefrontal cortex caused by a nerve agent?”
“Congratulations on understanding the prerequisites, but the patient’s subsequent behavior is the real challenge.” Xiao Fu glanced at the rearview mirror. “Besides, this datura didn’t exist thirty years ago.”
“…That’s true.” Bai Yunxian sat back down.
"Moreover, there was an exception," Xiao Fu said. "There was a patient who had been exposed to the drug for a long time but did not show any mental abnormalities. He even passed the entrance exam for a doctorate in psychology, returned to school regularly, and eventually returned to Senhu to become a civil servant."
"It sounds like a nightmare. What was she thinking?" Bai Yunxian questioned.
“She’s charitable and kind,” Cheng Xiangwu said, “but she definitely has something wrong with her head.”
“You sound like a victim. Who is this person?” Bai Yunxian asked.
“That day you mentioned Dr. Lin, who has heart disease,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Her?" Bai Yunxian was puzzled that this person could still be heard in her ears. "It's cardiovascular disease. What's wrong with her heart?"
“Due to the long-term resonance environment, Ms. Lin Che’an’s heart refuses to produce any fluctuations. Her heartbeat has a special function, which gives her a special sense of mission,” Xiao Fu said. “Therefore, she took it upon herself to sympathize with our Wu Xiang and wanted to help her.”
“I felt her pulse, and it hadn’t changed,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“...So the goal is not to induce consciousness disorders with drugs. Instead, it uses drugs to stimulate M2 cholinergic receptors, and the neurotransmitter-induced response stimulates NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex, and its degenerative response controls cerebral blood vessels, leading to a decrease in heart rate variability, and thus controlling the heartbeat.” Bai Yunxian said slowly, “The ultimate goal of that drug is to mimic that special heartbeat amplitude and heart rate.”
The car remained quiet for a long time.
"...Who is Lin Che'an?" Bai Yunxian exclaimed in shock. "How did she discover this effect?!"
“She said she could see things flying in the sky above your house since she was little,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “And they have special channels of communication.”
"It sounds like she's trying to trick people into believing in a religion," Bai Yunxian said bluntly. "But now it seems she really does have some talent, though I'm used to talented people popping out of thin air."
"Sigh." Cheng Xiangwu sighed.
Or perhaps she could deceive others without them noticing, since her heart rate wouldn't increase when she lied. However, Cheng Xiangwu pondered whether a racing heartbeat could be used as evidence to arrest Lin Che'an.
“But if we follow this line of reasoning, then what makes a heartbeat a medium…” Bai Yunxian said, looking up at the rearview mirror. “Heart health isn’t my area of expertise. Do you have anything to say? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Little Fu pursed his lips.
Cheng Xiangwu thought about what this person had told her to maintain a critical mindset, and then understood why the person had remained silent. "You told me before—"
"Five-spice," Little Fu interrupted with a smile, "If your throat is sore, you should talk less!"
Cheng Xiangwu chuckled and then said nothing more.
"Why do you call her Five Spices?" Bai Yunxian asked, puzzled.
"You can call me 'Xiangxiang' if you want," Xiao Fu said with a smile. "Xiangxiang, be careful what you say when you're out and about."
“…Goodbye.” Cheng Xiangwu got goosebumps all over.
The car stopped outside the Senhu Grand Hotel, where they waited to pick up Diana, who was staying there, and Du Liang, who was about to go to work at the City Hall. Cheng Xiang got out of the car to make a phone call, while Bai Yunxian and Xiao Fu inside the car had some disagreements about how heartbeats were actually used in this case.
First call Du Liang; it will ring three times before being answered.
There was no sound on the other end of the phone.
“…Xiao Liang?” Cheng Xiangwu frowned.
Light footsteps came from the other end of the phone, not like human footsteps, but more like—
"Alice?" Du Liang's voice came closer. "Her phone is on? Ah, sister!"
So Alice answered the phone just now? Cheng Xiangwu hesitated for a moment before accepting, "We're downstairs."
"Okay! I'll be right down!" Du Liang said nervously.
The call has ended.
Next was Diana; the call was answered as soon as it was dialed.
"Hi, this is Anna!" Diana's voice was full of energy.
“We’re downstairs,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Good morning, colleague! I'll come see you right away—" The phone call ended.
As Cheng Xiangwu put away her phone and turned to open the car door, the arguing inside the car disappeared as if by magic.
"Did I disturb you?" Cheng Xiangwu glanced at him twice and closed the car door again.
Bai Yunxian jumped out of the car, opened the passenger door, and shoved her inside.
Du Liang was the first to arrive at the waiting area. Cheng Xiangwu rolled down the window and waved to the man in black robes holding the cat. She then ran over.
"Hello, everyone!" She greeted the car from outside, but quickly noticed Cheng Xiangwu's neck and was shocked. "...Sister, your neck has been chopped?"
"Almost," Cheng Xiangwu said. "It's nothing serious, don't worry, get in the car first."
"Who did it?" Du Liang was clearly very worried. She anxiously asked through the passenger window, "What's their name? Where are they? How many people are in their family?"
“The person is already dead,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Oh!" Du Liang was no longer in a hurry. He turned around and got into the car. When he saw Bai Yunxian, he became nervous again. "Hello! My name is Du Liang. I am nineteen years old and live at No. 1 Qingshan Road. I am good at hand weaving, cleaning and driving away pests. My strength is that I am very strong. It's nice to meet you."
"Hello, my name is Bai Yunxian." Bai Yunxian nodded. "Why are there cats here?"
"Her name is Alice!" Du Liang happily lifted Alice up, then paused, "Bai Yunxian?"
"Hmm?" Bai Yunxian asked in surprise, "You know me?"
“…I don’t know her.” Du Liang put on a stern face and carried Alice back.
“Isn’t it obvious that we know each other?” Bai Yunxian looked at Cheng Xiangwu. “Explain the relationship between the two of us.”
"Your mother illegally invaded their home and even took over the body parts of the small animals on the hill behind their house," Cheng Xiangwu briefly summarized.
"...A cat?" Bai Yunxian looked at Alice.
“It’s a whale,” Little Franz said with a smile.
Bai Yunxian glanced at Xiao Fu, then looked back at Du Liang, who was full of suspicion, and Alice, who remained silent. She took a breath and turned to look out the window.
"I'm truly speechless." She used these four words to critically summarize all her emotions, attitudes, and thoughts.
"Here I am!" Diana ran happily to the car and opened the door, only to be puzzled by the strangely stiff atmosphere inside. "There are three new faces. Are they waiting for me to arrive before starting the icebreaker game?"
"Keep it up," Cheng Xiangwu said.
As soon as the car door closed, Xiao Fu stepped on the gas and drove away from the hotel entrance.
"...Oh dear, this person's face is both familiar and unfamiliar." Diana then noticed that the person sitting in the back with their arms crossed had a familiar face. She quickly went forward and climbed onto the back of the passenger seat. "Fellow colleague, excuse me... how come you got your neck slashed before me?!"
There was a hint of anxiety in her words about the progress of the project.
"Hello! My name is Du Liang, I'm nineteen years old, and I live at No. 1 Qingshan Road. I'm good at hand weaving, cleaning, and chasing away pests. My strength is that I'm very strong. It's nice to meet you." Du Liang greeted him again, and after taking a breath, said, "My sister said that person is dead now!"
"Oh, oh, hello, my name is Diana, my age and address are not convenient to disclose. I am good at finding out information and threatening others with information. My strength is that I am agile. It's nice to meet you!" Diana finished her self-introduction in one breath and took a breath.
Cheng Xiangwu realized that Du Liang had single-handedly increased the difficulty of his self-introduction.
"I am Bai Yunxian." Bai Yunxian nodded. "It seems you recognize me."
“…It’s an honor to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.” Diana said thoughtfully. “It’s an honor to ride in the same car as you, but since you’re traveling with us, you must know what we’re here to do, right?”
“Of course,” Bai Yunxian said. “I also have my own purposes, and I will cooperate with your actions as long as there is no conflict.”
“So-called group work,” Xiao Fu nodded.
The Senhu Grand Hotel wasn't far from the City Hall area. After parking in the City Hall's public parking lot, the five people and one cat got out of the car, where Xie Wuchang was already waiting at the entrance.
"It's nice to see you all." She greeted everyone with a smile. She wasn't wearing a police uniform, but her civilian clothes made her look like someone who had to go to work. Luckily, she was wearing sunglasses. Her gaze lingered on Cheng Xiangwu's neck bandage for a long time, as did her expression, but in the end, it automatically moved away under its owner's gaze.
Everyone present knew her, and she knew them all, except for Bai Yunxian.
"You must be Ms. Bai Yunxian." Xie Wuchang extended his hand, meeting her gaze through his sunglasses. "My name is Xie Wuchang, and I am a police officer. However, I have recently been working with you all in my own capacity to conduct this investigation. If I am more casual, I can relax a lot."
"Hello." Bai Yunxian shook hands with him using the hand that wasn't carrying the toolbox. "Let's skip the formalities. I hope you remember what you said."
“…Of course, Ms. Bai.” Xie Wuchang smiled and withdrew his hand.
Cheng Xiangwu called Gu Wanqiu, then greeted the others and led Du Liang into the city hall.
"My name is..." The young man, who was about to start his first job, kept repeating his self-introduction.
A person walked up from the corner of the stairs. As always, Yan Xizhao, wearing a navy cap that covered half of her face, was silent and dignified. She strode up to Cheng Xiangwu and stopped in front of her. She put her hands behind her back, glanced at the bandage on Cheng Xiangwu's neck, frowned, and then looked down at Du Liang.
“…Hello.” Du Liang whispered, holding the cat. Under the gaze of those above her, she couldn’t utter another word.
"This is Du Liang. Tell her to keep an eye on Gu Wanqiu when you go out today," Cheng Xiangwu introduced. "This is Yan Xizhao, the mayor's bodyguard."
"Hello." Yan Xizhao nodded to Du Liang, looked him up and down, and frowned.
“…I, I am Du Liang this year—” She bit her tongue.
“…At least as a safety precaution, it’s fine,” Cheng Xiangwu explained. “Besides, he’s not a bad person.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Xizhao frowned even more. Her gaze, cast from the dark mass of people under her hat, lingered for a moment on Du Liang's increasingly red and uncontrollable face before shifting to Alice.
“…Non-support animals are not allowed inside the city hall,” she said.
"Support?!" Du Liang gasped, looking at the cat in his arms, then up at the dark expanse, and whispered, "But Alice just had a bath yesterday, she was very well-behaved, and smells wonderful, is that not allowed...?"
Alice looked up too.
“…Come with me.” Yan Xizhao adjusted the brim of his hat, nodded to Cheng Xiang, and turned to walk towards the stairwell.
"Okay!" Du Liang was greatly encouraged and waved to Cheng Xiangwu. "Then I'm off! Good luck, sisters!"
"Keep it up!" Cheng Xiangwu waved back.
Not long after, the solemn-looking people returned.
Cheng Xiangwu turned around and asked at the same time, "How is Gu Wanqiu?"
“…No need to worry about it,” Yan Xizhao said in a deep voice.
"Speaking of which," Cheng Xiangwu said, recalling her previous encounter with this person, "that day I saw you go—"
“Ms. Cheng.” Yan Xizhao didn’t finish her sentence. Her hands were still behind her back, but her arms were visibly tense. “I just happened to be off that day.”
"Oh..." Cheng Xiangwu stared at the profile that was clearly tense for a while, then looked away. "I see."
The two walked silently to the outside of the city hall, only to find the atmosphere outside even more silent, with everyone wearing a tense expression.
"Good morning, everyone. I am Yan Xizhao, you can just call me Xiao Yan." The silent enthusiast, who didn't seem to mind the silence at all, stood on the stairs, scanned the group, and then spoke in a deep voice, "I was appointed by the mayor to be in charge of your transportation and safety. Please cooperate as much as possible to avoid any accidents. I will now lead you to the aircraft take-off and landing area. Please follow me."
After saying that, she led the way to the parking lot.
"Why are you all so quiet?" Cheng Xiang asked Xiao Fu, dragging her suitcase.
“You have no idea how amazing the version I heard was,” Little Franz said with a laugh.
The take-off and landing area is located next to the fire station's water tower. Access requires a permit. A black seven-seater van carrying people with their own purposes and thoughts stopped next to a warehouse. On the grass in front, a completely black dragonfly-like manned vehicle was parked, its eight-bladed propellers sitting obediently in place.
The weather is nice today.
"Didn't I say that we would definitely go to the mining area one day?" Xiao Fu said to Cheng Xiangwu. The wind was strong on the grassland, making her hair a mess, but it couldn't hide her smug smile.
“You’re right,” Cheng Xiangwu said, unsure if the other person heard her. “Even though no one’s betting with you, do you have the prize you want?”
"As long as you remember what you said at the beginning, that's fine," Xiao Fu said, dragging his suitcase forward.
"What are you saying?" Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses and walked to the cockpit, saying to the driver, "I want to sit in the passenger seat."
"Do you have flying experience?" Yan Xizhao asked.
"As a passenger?" Bai Yunxian asked.
“…That’s fine too.” Yan Xizhao nodded. “Please take a seat.”
Bai Yunxian handed the toolbox to her, then turned and went to the passenger door, grabbed the frame, and climbed up, leaving the captain standing there in a daze, holding the toolbox.
"Give it to me." Cheng Xiangwu reached out her hand. Yan Xizhao probably didn't hear her clearly, but he still handed the box to her.
The box jingled and rattled; it was quite heavy.
"Captain, may I take a video of the view from above later?" Diana cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.
Yan Xizhao nodded.
Taking advantage of the strong wind, Xie Wuchang leaned over and asked Cheng Xiangwu, "What happened to your neck?"
“I was almost killed.” Cheng Xiangwu whispered in her ear, “It’s hard for you to talk. If you want to ask, ask her.” He pointed to Xiao Fu as he spoke.
Xie Wuchang, looking surprised, said nothing more and turned to take his seat.
The five seats in the helicopter faced each other, and everyone who boarded immediately put on headphones because it was incredibly noisy. Even before takeoff, the sound of the wind whistling through the grass and the helicopter's fuselage was enough to make no one want to speak. The interior was dark, and while the seats and floor weren't severely worn, it was clear that this wasn't a new helicopter.
Seeing that most people had taken their seats, Yan Xizhao closed the cabin door, returned to the cockpit, put on his gloves, and as the cockpit door closed, the flight was about to begin.
The device shook and then slowly rose, and even with headphones on, the increasingly loud roaring sound still filled my ears.
The grasslands gradually receded, shrank, and condensed into a patch of green. The red bungalows and water tower warehouses, once shrunk, resembled toys, their practical value no longer apparent. The urban area of Mori Lake City was concentrated and small in scale, with surrounding buildings lying prostrate on the ground like street mosaics. When viewed from above, the city seemed insignificant and unremarkable.
The flight distance from the mining area to the city is about half an hour. If you travel by land, you have to take the highway off-ramp to the nearest supply town. It is a wide street lined with pale bungalows. The square buildings covered in gray are filled with snack shops with big signs and temporary accommodations with bright signs. Trucks or electric vehicles are parked on the roadside and in front of the slope. Stacks of green striped beer crates are piled up in front of the convenience store.
One of these areas was formerly the urban area of Mori Lake City, with mountains that look like patterns in the sky as a backdrop. Most people here come and go in a hurry, and only the night can keep them occupied.
As we sped past the last intersection of the town, the tires rolled onto the unguarded dirt mountain road, and my throat started to feel like coughing. We were almost at the mining area.
The mining area north of Senhu City carries the dreams of a dozen or so mineral developers and the sweat of thousands of miners. Coal mines are the majority, but there are also precious metal mines to be mined. After entering the mining area, every fork in the mountain road leads to a different work area and a different territory. Each territory is private, guarded by people and fences. Behind the gates are small buildings, trucks, buses, and machinery, and then only sand, gravel, and mountain walls remain.
There were quite a few blocked side roads, partly because they couldn't be dug anymore, partly because there was nothing left to dig, and partly for other reasons. But most people forgot to take their trash with them when they left. The hastily built small buildings, excavators, and conveyor belts crawling on the ground are still standing there, unnoticed and unmarked, but no one wants them and they can't be blown away.
The tunnel entrance, spewing out the tracks and minecarts, grinned like a corpse that had been stabbed and left unattended, Cheng Xiangwu thought.
“Let’s look at the ground. There are four large mines in the northern mining area of Senhu City. Those smaller abandoned mining areas were closed about twenty years ago because they didn’t meet production capacity standards.” Diana held up her camera, as if explaining this to the audience who seemed to have come from nowhere. “Don’t you think it’s a waste to leave those machines in place? If you’re lucky, someone will buy them. If you’re unlucky, they can only sit there because the cost of storing and transporting the equipment is higher than the profit from selling it.”
Well, the difficult-to-recycle waste, judged by the reporter to be of low cost-effectiveness, sighed.
“I’ve seen some cities and mining areas where coal revenue accounts for most of the income before. Looking at it this way, I think Senhu City’s development area is actually not small, but the income is not high.” Xie Wuchang also looked out the window in a daze. “Moreover, it looks a bit different.”
“Yes, because coal production depends on open-pit blasting, but there is only one open-pit mine in the northern mining area of Senhu City.” Diana nodded and said, “And about twenty years ago, the policies related to coal mining changed drastically and rapidly, with most mining rights being nationalized. At that time, many construction sites were temporarily shut down, and the miners’ protests were incredibly fierce.”
"Why the temporary shutdown?" Xiao Fu asked. "Being nationalized should not be a reason to stop development. And in your case, the miners' protests are clearly against the mine owners, not the shutdown."
“Although I’m putting them together for convenience, we have to look at the shutdown and the protests separately here.” Diana looked at Little F and carefully explained to the foreigner, “The shutdown is related to mining rights or other policies back then. It’s a problem for big shots, and I don’t know much about that part. Even though the miners lost their jobs because of it, they knew they were powerless to do anything about it.”
The protests were directly aimed at the mine owners' actions, not just at the temporary layoffs that were tantamount to beheadings. Regardless, it was all about survival. In previous interviews, I learned that accidents and injuries occurred daily on construction sites. Many workers watched their colleagues die beside them, their bodies mangled when pulled from the wreckage, especially in disasters like floods where no one could survive. Even so, they continued working, fearing for their jobs. As a child, I often heard adults talk about these things, cursing the bosses for bribing supervisors, for withholding compensation, and for the collusion between those in power.
As she spoke, she sighed and looked out the window again, "But they don't complain about the environment and safety issues. In their eyes, risking their lives for a salary is a matter of course, a good thing. I don't really like the word 'make a fuss,' but I can't find a better word to use. They won't make a fuss unless they are pushed to the limit, because if they make too much of a fuss, they won't get any compensation. Most of the people working at the mine are from other places. Back then, it was already difficult for relatives to visit each other. If they made a big fuss, it would lead to the mine being shut down."
"...So this is what they mean by the people being destitute." Xiao Fu didn't say anything more, perhaps feeling that she had no say. She rarely came to this country, and this was her first time in this city, or rather, this kind of city.
Finding the destination from the mining area was difficult, but fortunately Diana knew a lot. She pointed the way to the captain with her binoculars. It was a platform located on the outer side of a closed section of road, extending towards an iron gate. As the altitude decreased slightly, the two black lines in front of the gate gradually revealed human-shaped features.
After the helicopter came to a stop, everyone landed.
“Miss Yan Xizhao, I hope you can take good care of the plane’s security.” Xiao Fu left his trench coat at the end of last night, “in case I catch a cold because my clothes were stolen.”
“…No, I—” Yan Xizhao frowned.
"Please, I'm counting on you." Cheng Xiangwu nodded to her.
"...I'll contact you regularly." Yan Xizhao adjusted his hat brim. "Try not to get separated, be careful, and if anything happens, run here or contact me via radio. The signal is bad here, but I'll get there as quickly as possible. We must return before sunset today, the mayor said—"
"Alright, alright." Bai Yunxian waved her hand and took her toolbox from Cheng Xiangwu. "We all know the safety precautions. Let's get going."
"I will do my best to ensure everyone's safety." Xie Wuchang nodded to Yan Xizhao. "I'm leaving this to you."
"I'll try to run as fast as I can," Diana said, holding up her camera. "Anyone want to take a picture with the mountains?"
No, Cheng Xiangwu took off her coat and threw it on the car seat, put Xiao Fu's suitcase on the ground, and said, "Be careful with your camera."
“There’s no need to worry about that,” Diana said with a smile. “I brought two with me.”
As the final task of two investigations commissioned by the mayor's office, the group's main purpose in coming here was to find out the cause and effect of the turmoil that occurred here thirteen years ago, as well as the purpose of Bai Langtao's trips back and forth over the past six months. If there was any spare energy and luck, they would try their best to explore clues about what happened thirty years ago.
"And, let's find the source," Little Franz said cheerfully. "Although the air quality is poor, the smell is quite enticing."
"What you said sounds very suspicious," Bai Yunxian frowned. "I won't interfere with you, but you'd better not die here."
“…I will try my best to avoid this happening,” Xie Wuchang said, pursing his lips.
The first step is to enter the room.
When viewed from above, the iron gate, which is about the same size as the threshold, gives a sense of majesty when viewed at eye level. Under the bright daylight, two figures who are clearly guards stand on the gravel ground with no room to spare. They did not approach when they saw the helicopter landing, but they also did not open the gate when the group approached.
The guards, of course, only guard the gate.
"...Where did you guys come from?" Guard Number One approached, and aside from his xenophobic demeanor, the gun holster under his arm was enough to make the newcomer realize that this person was not friendly.
Xie Wuchang wanted to step forward and say something, but Bai Yunxian stopped him by raising her hand.
"It's me." She took off her glasses and stared at the people in front of her. "Do you want me to show you my ID?"
Guard Number Two approached, looking puzzled alongside Guard Number One, who clearly didn't know what had happened.
"You, uh, you are..." Guard Number Two thought for a moment, "Boss Bai's child who studies away from home? This is the first time I've seen him..."
The Bai family owns three mines here. Although the site is abandoned, it is still within their territory. Bai Langtao is in charge of all matters related to the Bai family's mining operations. From top to bottom, inside and out, she can be called Boss Bai.
"...Boss Bai, that's a rather novel way to address you." Bai Yunxian chuckled and put her glasses back on. "If you know, then open the door. We've come to take a look and ask you a few questions. We'll leave before dark."
The two were still somewhat hesitant, and asked, "Does Boss Bai know about this?"
"Can't I look at my mother's land? Our yard is under construction today. If you want to call her, you'd better hurry up and not waste my time," Bai Yunxian said impatiently.
Upon hearing this, the two began to talk again.
"...Is Aunt Xue here?" Bai Yunxian asked.
"Captain Xue?" Guard number one was taken aback, then nodded. "Yes, he's inside."
“I’ll go talk to her and tell you all to mind your own business,” Bai Yunxian said.
After exchanging a few words, the two nodded in agreement. "Alright, if you need anything, just find the captain. He's in the blue warehouse area inside. But remember, don't go towards the mine; it's been abandoned for a long time and the road is difficult to navigate now."
"Understood." Bai Yunxian raised her chin.
The door creaked open, and the guard didn't enter, but watched as the group went inside.
“…I like this feeling,” Diana said.
“…Yes.” Xie Wuchang nodded.
"Don't get too excited yet." Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses. "Xue Rong is my mother's friend, but we're not that close. If you actually meet her, you'd better be careful."
"And who is this Ms. Xue?" Xie Wuchang asked.
“Our security team leader is probably retired and a coach now,” Bai Yunxian said, frowning. “But I didn’t expect her to actually be here…”
After all, this was supposed to be just an abandoned mine, so Cheng Xiangwu asked, "Does your security team have a lot of people?"
“I don’t know…” Bai Yunxian thought for a moment, “The people who can appear here must be people my mother trusts, and there can’t be many of them.”
“But they are all professionals who will do their best for Ms. Bai Langtao.” Xiao Fu nodded. “It’s really something to look forward to.”
The park has a five-story gray building and several connected bungalows. On the barely paved road, there are a few freight trucks and passenger cars parked. Looking further along the tire tracks on the main road, you can see a large area of blue triangular-roofed factory buildings and an open space enclosed by green wire mesh behind them. Diana held up her camera to take pictures of the gray-walled buildings, but there was no one in the scene.
“That building was the dormitory.” Her tone was somewhat nostalgic. “The first floor had a cafeteria, a convenience store, and a chess and card room. There were always people squatting on the stairs outside smoking, as if they had agreed that after you finished smoking, it would be your turn to squat. There were always cigarette butts to sweep up.”
There are four windows on one side of the floor and windows on two other sides, but at this moment these panes of glass are either broken or closed in a boring way. The wind and sand have worn them into frosted glass, which, along with the dim light, keeps the secrets inside.
"You know quite a lot." Bai Yunxian was somewhat surprised.
“My parents used to work here. When I was little, my grandmother and I used to come here to deliver blankets, but that was a long time ago.” Diana turned around and grinned. “But it’s not too late to bring it up now. Shall I call you Miss?”
“…No need.” Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses.
"No lights are on." Xie Wuchang took off his sunglasses and looked at the dormitory building. "The clothesline is empty too. So nobody lives here anymore?"
“You don’t live in this old, dilapidated building anymore, do you?” Diana pointed to the blue-roofed factory buildings in the distance. “I never saw those buildings when I was a child. They must have been built later, probably because of the environmental protection efforts here.”
"Let's go," Bai Yunxian nodded. "Let's go over there and ask someone."
As she spoke, she opened her toolbox, took out a stack of masks with filters, and distributed them to several people. Each person who received one unexpectedly thanked her.
"Is it surprising that I have a conscience?" She herself was not surprised. "If the team only does their own part of the preparation work, it will be very awkward on the spot, and I am certainly aware of that."
"I really have to thank you for your work this time," Little Franz nodded.
As they walked, Diana led the way, reciting the names and purposes of each destination like a menu: warehouses, power stations, water storage stations; people smoking, playing cards, fighting crickets; people delivering goods, delivering ore, delivering messages; people planting flowers, using them as wind chimes—just some that were forgotten to be thrown away. The memoir, lacking human figures, was recorded by the camera and the minds of several people through her words. Unfortunately, it also lacked scents, lacked the sensory experiences that allowed for tangible reflection, and thus the memories couldn't resonate with everyone.
“This is the medical station,” Diana said, pointing to a small, separate cubicle next to a warehouse. “I heard that the doctor in this medical station is actually barefoot, but her diagnoses are really accurate. Every time the inspectors come here, the doctor has to buy cigarettes in advance, but no one reports her, so she has been sitting here until the very end.”
"And then?" Xie Wuchang asked.
"...Later," Diana sighed, "she was hit on the head by a falling rock during a mine accident rescue and passed out on the spot. Nobody knew what to do, there was nothing we could do. Nobody even knew her name or how to find her family. There are too many people like that."
"There won't be any bodies or evidence here," Little F said dismissively. "Let's go. There's no point in staying here."
Xie Wuchang didn't say anything, but peered through the crack in the locked, dark door. He turned around to follow, only to find that no one had moved.
"Hey, I'm saying," said one of the three people walking towards them. The one in front was covered in tattoos, practically screaming "social troublemaker." "Where did you guys come from, this tour group?"
"...Hey, wait a minute." The one a little behind, wrapped in a cloth shirt, with dark, muscular limbs, swept his sharp eyes across the group before finally settling on Bai Yunxian. "Doesn't this guy look a bit like the boss?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yunxian took off her mask and said, "You have some good taste, we—"
"So what if we look alike?" The slowest man, with his hands in his shorts pockets, wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops, and a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips, said jokingly, "Some people have said I look like that guy again? The one with the long hair who sings."
"Nobody's here, nobody's here." The tattooed man scoffed. "Can't you look in the mirror more often?"
"Hey, stop chatting," the man in the cloth shirt said. "We're from the security team. You guys, state your names."
"I don't have time to chat with you," Bai Yunxian sneered. "Take us to see your Captain Xue."
“…Of course.” The man in shorts grinned, straightened up a bit, and said, “The captain also said that if you see a strange person, you should push them over and show them to her.”
"I also told them to stay vigilant," the tattooed man said gloatingly.
"Those two at the door are finally going to get a beating, hahaha—" The man in shorts laughed triumphantly, spitting his bald cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out.
“In short,” the man in the cloth shirt said, “hand over everything you have on you, especially you, the one over there holding the camera.”
The second step is encountering obstacles.
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