Chapter 167 Jinjiang First Launch

"What does this mean?" asked the bearded man.

Xia Mang raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Many of you should have heard a story. A group of people went out to sea to fish. They encountered a storm on the sea. The boat drifted for many days. In the end, only one person came back alive. The surviving person said that they encountered a beast on the island and the others were all eaten by the beast. In fact, the truth was that there was a lack of food on the boat. People attacked each other and ate their companions' corpses. In the end, only this one person survived, and the rest of the crew were eaten by him."

"You mean I eat people?" The bearded man clearly had limited comprehension.

Xia Mang shook his head and said, "No, I said that only those who survived are qualified to tell stories. Your story is too bizarre and hard to believe, so I boldly guess that things are not as you said. You made up a story and glorified yourself in it."

The bearded man said disdainfully: "Why would I make up a story to deceive you? I am full and I am doing this. What good will this do me?"

Xia Mang: "You did this to distance yourself from the deaths of these two people. Let's put aside this legend and just look at the objective facts. The fact is that two men who were closely related to you died, and you were the last person to see them. No matter who you are, you will be suspected."

"You and your brothers had some kind of conflict, maybe an emotional dispute, maybe a financial dispute, anyway, you wanted to kill them, so you took them both up the mountain, and then tried to kill them both on the mountain, and then made up a non-existent wild man and put all the blame on this wild man. That's why you didn't dare to call the police, am I right?"

Xia Mang looked at the bearded man with pride, and the bearded man's facial features became fierce: "You are talking nonsense! You are slandering me out of thin air! I said it when I just walked in, I swear to heaven, everything I said is true. If I lied, then let the sky strike me with five thunders, and let me die miserably in my lifetime!"

Xia Mang disagreed: "What's the point of swearing? The oath may not be fulfilled. If you don't believe me, go and look at the prisoners in the prison. They all dare to swear!"

The bearded man grinned in grievance, looking like he was about to cry: "Then what should I say so that you will believe it? Oh, I have a witness! The owner of the barbecue stall at the foot of the mountain can testify for me. He is there every day. Do you want me to call him over?"

Xia Mang refused to listen to the bearded man's explanation. She insisted on her own guess: "Witnesses can also be bought. As long as you give him money, he can cooperate with you to tell lies. The most important thing now is the marks on the body. You might as well call the police and let the police do an autopsy. If you don't call the police, you will never be able to clear yourself of suspicion."

The bearded man slapped his thigh in anxiety and said, "Look, I didn't dare to call the police because I was afraid that the police would think the same as you! I said I saw a wild man, but you didn't believe me. Two people died in the mountains, and you all thought I was the one who did it. How could I dare to call the police? I was afraid that the police would regard me as a suspect!"

Bai Mian went straight to the point: "In the final analysis, have you ever seen the wild man with your own eyes? Or in other words, do you have any evidence that can prove the existence of the wild man?"

The bearded man was stunned for a moment: "I have seen it, of course I have! I was about to say it, but someone interrupted me. When the wasabi fell, I was so scared that I ran like crazy in the mountains. But in a panic, I ran in the wrong direction and ran deep into the mountains. It was in the depths of the mountains that I saw the wild man."

"As I ran forward, the scenery in front of me became more and more lush. I realized that I was running in the wrong direction, so I stopped and leaned against a big tree to rest. While resting, I looked around and tried to find the right direction."

"Just as I was catching my breath, I heard a rustling sound behind me. It seemed like something was moving. I turned around cautiously and saw a fluffy thing on a tree about two or three meters away from me - that was the wild man I had been looking for for many days!"

"I was so frightened that I didn't expect to encounter savages in such a situation. I didn't have any weapons with me at the time, and I was already scared out of my wits. After witnessing Wasabi's death, I completely lost the courage to fight the savages."

"I observed him quietly through the branches. He looked very strange. He was slender, about two meters long, and covered with monkey hair. But he was not a monkey. He had a human face."

"When I first spotted the savage, he had his back to me. He seemed to sense my gaze and slowly turned his head. Then, then - he turned his head 180 degrees."

"The scene was so bizarre that I was scared to death. I wanted to scream, but I remembered what the barbecue stall owner said, that shouting would attract wild people, so I closed my mouth tightly and swallowed hard."

"His head was completely upside down. His eyes were at his chin, but his mouth was at his forehead. His eyes were so close to his neck that I simply - I simply suspected that it was an inhuman creature!"

"He looked at me, and I looked at him stealthily. As I looked, I realized that his eyes seemed to be completely black. Not the kind of black that appears in the pupils, but completely black, without even a trace of white in them, like an abyss."

"He obviously saw me, but he didn't rush towards me. He just climbed down the tree, got on all fours, and disappeared into the grass."

Xia Mang didn't believe it. She had already determined that the bearded man was making up a story, so she joked, "It sounds like this wild man isn't as scary as the legend says! He killed everyone but spared you. Could it be that he fell in love with you?"

The bearded man said with disgust: "Go away, stop talking nonsense. Who would fall in love with that kind of thing? It disgusts me. I get goosebumps when I think of him! You didn't see what he looked like. I now suspect that thing is not a wild man, but a ghost!"

As his words became more and more mysterious, few people around him believed him anymore and everyone began to whisper to each other.

"One moment he says he's a wild man, the next moment he says he's a ghost. It would be strange if I believed him!"

"I think it's made up. I don't think the death of two people is true. Maybe it's a made-up story to attract traffic. Master Bai is popular now, so there are more people trying to get traffic."

"Sister Liu, this dress of yours is very nice. I see that you are getting more and more energetic now. Since your spouse died, you have become younger and younger!"

"Of course, how can I not be happy that the old man is gone! Hahaha, let's dance square dance together when we have time!"

"Don't be free, just come to my house for dinner today. I've learned a new song and I'll teach it to you later!"

Seeing that everyone had started chatting about family matters, the bearded man felt a little disappointed. He placed his last hope on Bai Mian. He looked at Bai Mian with wide eyes and said:

"Master, you believe me, right?"

Bai Mian waved his fan and said, "According to your description, the creature you met was definitely not a wild man, but an ape. It is impossible for it to turn its head 180 degrees. But it didn't look like a ghost either. If it was an evil ghost that kills people on sight, there is no reason for it to let you go. I have already made a guess, but let's wait until I check your pulse before we say anything."

The bearded man obediently stretched out his hand, and Bai Mian felt his pulse, which was strong and powerful. Through his pulse, Bai Mian saw the nights he had experienced, and then Bai Mian opened WeChat and sent a message. "Haha, I think he just made it up, Master, am I right?" Xia Mang had already revealed a triumphant smile in advance.

Bai Mian shook his head slowly: "No, everything he said is true."

Everyone was stunned, Xia Mang was even more amazed: "Ah? Is there really a wild man on this mountain? Oh my god, this is a world-shaking discovery, Qingshui Town is going to be famous!"

Bai Mian: "He thought he saw a savage, but what he met was not a savage."

The bearded man hurriedly asked, "What on earth is that?"

Bai Mian paused and put the fan on the table: "Let's start this story from the beginning. First of all, why do you live at the foot of the mountain?"

The bearded man was confused: "Because the owner of the barbecue stall told us about the wild man legend, we want to make a video to make money. Didn't I just say that?"

"But that wasn't what he meant," Bai Mian tapped the table with his fan. "After he told you this story, he immediately advised you to leave. That was his real intention, but he didn't expect that his words would have the opposite effect."

"He wants to chase us away?" The bearded man was confused. "What's his purpose in doing this? A barbecue vendor doesn't attract customers, but chases them away. Is he crazy?"

"What if he's not a barbecue seller at all?" Bai Mian asked back.

The bearded man was stumped by the question. He bit his finger and didn't answer. Bai Mian continued, "You said it yourself. Almost no one passes by that area, but he sets up a stall there every day. This is obviously unreasonable."

The bearded man suddenly realized, "I understand. He is not selling barbecue at all. He is a plainclothes officer! I was told that he always burns the skewers. It is obvious that he is not a professional! He sets up a stall at the foot of the mountain every day to monitor the movements of the wild man and to drive away passers-by. No wonder the news about the wild man has not been spread out. It turns out that the police have already intervened in this matter!"

After saying this, he thought again: "No, if the police really got involved in this matter, how could they watch my two brothers die one after another?"

Bai Mian nodded: "He is not a police officer, but he is indeed here to monitor passers-by. You can say that he is the security guard of this mountain."

胡子男納悶了：“嘿呀，一座破山還值得雇個保安？這山有什麽好守護的，難道山上有什麽值錢東西，怕我去偷了不成？”

夏芒腦洞大開：“哇塞，山上不會發現金礦銀礦了吧？要不就是出了個有名的大墓！”

胡子男眼前一亮：“金山，那豈不是發了？這真是潑天的富貴呀，要是落在我身上……”

白眠對他打了個響指：“醒醒，你現在最要緊的是解開眼前的案子，否則殺人的嫌疑就落在你身上了。”

胡子男不好意思地低下頭，開始順着白眠提供的線索思考：“燒烤攤是假的，目的是為了趕走路人，讓所有人都不敢靠近那座山，那座山上藏着值錢東西，那麽，所謂的野人也是假的？”

白眠：“不錯，野人也只是為了趕走你們制造的噱頭而已。”

胡子男立刻反駁：“可是我分明看見野人了，我真的看見了，他還殺了兩個人！”

白眠：“你看見的只是一個披着皮套的畸形人而已，因為畸形，所以他的身體和四肢都長得細長，身高有兩米多，那個皮套是根據他的身材量身定做的，皮套上粘滿了猿猴的毛發，他穿上這個皮套就像一只奇高無比的猿猴，這就是你看見的野人。”

“至于死去的兩個人，則是被野人背後的違法團夥殺死的，這個團夥有很多人，要殺掉一個人是輕而易舉的事。”

“團夥……”胡子男如夢初醒，“是啊，他們是一個團夥，我明白了，我全明白了！”

白眠欣慰地笑笑，随後向還不明白的衆人解釋道：“山腳下擺燒烤攤的老板也是團夥的一員，他負責為整個團夥望風，并且驅趕靠近的路人，野人的作用類似演員，如果有人不聽勸告執意上山，那麽野人就會出面吓走這些人。”

“野人之所以只能在夜晚現身，是因為他是一個披着皮套的人類，如果他在白天現身，你們很有可能看穿他的僞裝，所以他只有在夜晚出沒才能到達吓人的效果。”

“你們在山裏發現的那個巨大的山洞也不是什麽野人的洞穴，而是那位扮演野人的演員在休息時乘涼的地方，所以裏面才會有人類生活過的痕跡。”

“實際上這個演員并沒有傷人的能力，他的出現只是為了警告你們，讓你們離開這座山。”

胡子男不解地說：“他不傷人，可是我的兩個兄弟全都死了……”

“那是因為你們不聽警告，”白眠挑了挑眉，“這個團夥已經幾次三番警告過你們，燒烤攤老板警告過你們，後來你們拍到野人照片，野人的出現也是在警告你們，再後來山葵和茄子單獨上山，遭到野人襲擊，野人把他們丢到山腳下，這還是在警告你們，但你們一次都沒有聽。”

“但凡你們及時離開，這個團夥都不會出手殺人，畢竟殺人之後，他們自己也怕惹上麻煩。”

“那他們為什麽還要殺了茄子？”胡子男問。

白眠：“因為他看到了不該看的東西，那晚你離開了，茄子和山葵在山洞中蹲守野人，山葵睡着了，茄子卻沒有，他發現了你們一直在喝的酒有問題——”

胡子男插話道：“酒？”

白眠點點頭：“就是你們從燒烤攤上買的啤酒，住在自建房那幾天，你們每天都吃燒烤喝啤酒，每次喝過酒後，你都會很快就産生困意，你難道沒發現嗎？”

胡子男一拍桌子：“我草，原來是這樣！難怪我們每次上山抓野人都會中途睡着，原來這孫子給我們往酒裏下了藥！我每次去買酒，他都是幫我打開瓶蓋之後再給我，估計他就是那時候下的藥，我早該發現的，真是太大意了！”

白眠：“茄子在你之前發現了這一點，所以他那天晚上特意沒有喝啤酒，只有山葵喝了，等到進入山洞之後，山葵受到藥力影響，慢慢昏睡了過去，茄子也學着他的樣子，假裝昏睡了過去。”

“他們睡着不久，有一群人進入了山洞，原來這群人一直都在默默觀察茄子和山葵的舉動，看他們睡着，這群人把他們擡了起來，扔回了山腳下，就像上次那樣，算作對他們的警告。”

“把他們扔到山腳下之後，這群人走遠了，此時茄子也不裝了，他睜開眼睛坐起來，蹑手蹑腳地跟上了這群人的步伐，他已經識破了野人的騙局，就是想看一看這群人到底在幹什麽，如果運氣好的話，或許他還能敲詐一筆。”

“茄子一直跟着這群人走到了山頂上，在山頂上他看見了這個團夥守護的秘密，他終于開始感到害怕，他轉身離開，迫切地想要下山，但是已經太晚了，團夥裏早有人發現了他。”

“他們把他摁在地上，斬首分屍，把頭顱放回那個洞穴裏，算是對你們的警告，身體則是埋在了土裏，這片山頂上，已經不止埋了一具這樣的白骨。”

胡子男問：“那為什麽後來山葵回山洞裏的時候，茄子的頭顱又消失了？”

白眠：“他們已經達到了恐吓你們的目的，自然會把頭顱拿走，否則如果你們拿着頭顱去報案，反而會對他們不利。”

“太殘忍了，他們殺了茄子，還要茄子身首異處，連個全屍都沒有，”胡子男說，“那山葵呢，山葵又是因為什麽死的？”

白眠直直看向胡子男：“山葵是因你而死，本來他已經決定不再上山，是你非要拉着他上山，還逼他進了山洞，山裏的團夥看他一而再再而三地找上門來，還以為他是故意來找茬的，決定給他點厲害。”

“當時你躲到山腳下，把山葵一個人留在山洞裏，他很害怕，就出來四處轉悠，正好那個團夥排出野人去吓唬他，他就和野人打了起來，野人看起來身形高大，其實力氣不大，山葵很快就占了上風。”

“眼看山葵就要打贏了，他忽然在打鬥中扯下了野人的面具，看見了野人的臉，這下問題大了，扮演野人的演員長相奇特，很容易被人記住，山葵看見了野人的臉，以後很有可能會向警方指認野人，這個團夥也會跟着一起完蛋。”

“事情到了這一步，他們只能除掉山葵，于是潛藏在四周的團夥成員紛紛走了出來，他們把山葵團團圍住，然後分別抓住他的手和腳，把他整個人擡了起來，接着他們走到懸崖邊上，把山葵扔了下去。”

“他們在山葵的手機裏編輯了一封遺書，想把山葵僞裝成跳崖自殺，不過這個手法太蹩腳了，山葵死亡之前身上留下了很多掙紮的痕跡，警方一查就能查出來。”

“因為你并沒有走進山洞，所以他們沒發現你，他們以為來的只有山葵一人，你僥幸逃過一劫。”

“所以，山葵當時摔在我面前也只是碰巧？”胡子男心有餘悸，“呼，幸虧我沒在山洞裏，要不然我也得死，山葵好兄弟，你幫哥們擋了這一劫，哥們我回頭一定擺一桌子好好祭拜你！”

夏芒嗤之以鼻：“得了吧，你的好兄弟是被你坑死的，他指定不願意收你的謝禮，他要是底下有知，聽見你這番話說不定還要對你豎中指呢！”

胡子男也很是汗顏：“是是是，我愧對兄弟們，我貪心不足，害了大家，這一次真危險啊，但凡我走錯一步，可能就死了，不過說起來我也很好奇，為什麽我沒事呢？我離開那座山時，野人明明已經發現我了，他為什麽沒有抓我？”

夏芒打個哈哈：“我都說了，那野人和你看對眼了，他常年生活在深山野嶺裏，也想找人做個伴，你長得細皮嫩肉的，正合他意，建議你回去以後寫本書，就叫做《霸道野人愛上我》，說不定銷量會不錯呢！”

胡子男沒心思和夏芒鬥嘴，他急切地看着白眠，白眠說道：

“因為野人害怕你，沒錯，雖然聽起來有點離譜，但野人确實害怕你，我已經說過了，野人的扮演者是個畸形人，他雖然身形高大，但打鬥能力不強，你們當中最慫的山葵都可以把他壓在地上打，你就更不用說了。”

“當時野人是落單狀态，他的同夥們都走遠了，只剩他一個人留在這裏巡山，如果他試圖捉你，一定會被你暴打一頓，與其這樣，還不如從一開始就裝作看不見你，你們彼此相安無事，反正他也只是個打工人，睜一只閉一只眼算了。”

“還有，”白眠指了指下巴，“你當時看見野人的臉轉了一百八十度，那不是他真正的臉皮，是他綁在臉上的面具，當時他解開腦後的綁帶，把面具旋轉了一百八十度，這才有了你看見的畫面。”

“他這樣做是為了吓跑你，看你沒有跑，他只好尴尬地自己走了。”

The bearded man patted his chest after hearing this and said, "So that's how it is. Anyway, I have escaped from the tiger's den. Thank God! My ancestors must have begged for mercy in the underworld."

Xia Mang touched his chin and said, "And what about those self-built houses? The residents around here suddenly abandoned the houses they had worked so hard to build and ran away. This is definitely not accidental. They were probably scared away by the savages. This group of people planned so carefully just to prevent people from getting close to this mountain!"

The bearded man was very curious: "What on earth is there on this mountain that is worth their efforts? Could there really be gold mines?"

Xia Mang immediately denied this conjecture: "It's impossible. Mining makes a lot of noise and requires large vehicles. You have lived at the foot of the mountain for several days. If it was really mining, you would have discovered it long ago."

"If you ask me, it really could be an ancient tomb. Once a large tomb is dug out, those people will never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. Any item in the tomb can be sold for six figures..."

Xia Mang was immersed in his imagination, and Bai Mian directly announced the answer: "They forbid outsiders to approach this mountain because they want to plant crops on the mountain."

Xia Mang burst out laughing: "Planting? What kind of planting is worth them going to so much trouble to protect, thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum?"

The bearded man was also confused: "Ah, there are so many fields here, you can grow crops anywhere, why do you have to do it on the top of the mountain? Besides, how much money can you make from growing crops? It's nothing more than potatoes, cabbages, etc., just hard-earned money."

Bai Mian smiled slightly: "They are growing a kind of flower, a very beautiful flower that can kill people."

"It's poppy." Lu Xue immediately understood what Bai Mian was talking about.

The bearded man had never heard of this word. He scratched his head with great effort: "What is this?"

"It's what we commonly call marijuana," Xia Mang explained.

When the bearded man heard this, his eyes widened: "Marijuana? Isn't this a prohibited substance? Oh my god, there are people growing this in our local area, my god, this is drug-related!"

Lu Xue nodded: "It has long been banned in the country to grow marijuana, but some people are still growing it secretly. Qingshui Town is a small place, and there are usually no tourists. There are also many wild mountains and ridges, and the probability of being discovered is relatively small. For them, coming to Qingshui Town to grow marijuana is a good choice."

The bearded man's upper and lower teeth kept chattering. Although he had often been involved in gang fights before, he was frightened by this real crime:

"Marijuana, drug-related... Oh my god, these people are so bold, no wonder they dare to kill people, no wonder Eggplant was killed by them just because he took a look at the things on the top of the mountain, Eggplant's death is really not worth it!"

Xia Mang also felt a chill all over his body. "Eh, I never thought that marijuana was grown just a few kilometers away from me. Our country has such strong anti-drug efforts, these people are really risking their lives... By the way, where will the marijuana they grow be sold to? Will it be sold to Qingshui Town? I've seen news before that there was a spicy hot pot restaurant that always made people want to eat more. Later, the police intervened to investigate and found poppy shells in the bottom of the hot pot..."

Xia Mang was so scared that she dared not say anything more. She was afraid that she had eaten poppy shells as well. Lu Xue hurriedly comforted her: "It's okay, sister. We have been eating in the restaurant for the past two days. The dishes in the restaurant are all bought by the boss from the market. They are green and pollution-free. Don't worry!"

Thinking of this, Xia Mang felt much better instantly, but the bearded man was in a bad mood: "Oh my god, I got into trouble with a drug trafficking group. This time it's really a big deal. I heard that drug dealers are very vengeful. If I dare to provoke them, they will kill my whole family. Now two of our three brothers are dead, and I am the only one left. God, will they come to our house?"

"They have no chance," Bai Mian shook his phone, "by this time, they should have been arrested and taken to the police station."

It turned out that after taking the pulse, Bai Mian immediately sent a WeChat message to Xiao Chen, telling him the incident and the location of the mountain. After Xiao Chen received the news, he led a team there immediately, and now all the people involved in the case have been arrested.

The police found the mobile barbecue vehicle at the scene. The barbecue was very new with almost no signs of use. The police also found a specially made monkey fur suit in the mountains, and also found the deformed man who was more than two meters tall.

The deformed man confessed everything. He was ostracized because of his special body shape and could not find a job, so he wanted to try the job of a special actor. This gang contacted him on the Internet. At first he thought it was a job for an extra. After understanding the specific situation, he felt scared, but he could not resist the temptation of money, and he finally joined the gang.

After some investigation, the group chose one of the mountains as the main planting site. The mountain was collective property, and they could not openly fence off the mountain and prohibit outsiders from entering, so they came up with this method to drive away outsiders.

Once the barbecue stall owner discovers outsiders, he will tell them the legend of the wild man. If they still insist on going into the mountains, the owner will notify the wild man, who will then put on a special monkey fur suit and get on all fours to scare passers-by.

This method has always been effective. The residents at the foot of the mountain were driven away in this way. There used to be a few "nail households" here, but later they could not bear the harassment and moved away one after another.

When Wasabi and his friends first entered the mountain, this group of people just wanted to scare them. Unexpectedly, Eggplant saw the poppy flowers they were planting, so they had to take action and get rid of these people one by one. However, the bearded man was lucky enough to save his life.

The police found the bodies of Wasabi and Eggplant in the mountains. They burned Eggplant's body in an attempt to destroy the evidence, but the police arrived in time and the body had not been completely burned.

Wasabi's body was also found at the foot of the mountain. He had been smashed to pieces. Although the criminal gang tried to make it look like Wasabi committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, Wasabi had scratches on his wrists and ankles, and there was other people's skin dandruff in his own fingernails, which was enough to prove that Wasabi did not jump off the mountain voluntarily.

After interrogation, the criminal gang confessed all the truth. The police blocked off the mountain and cleared the poppies planted on the mountain. Large tracts of flowers fell down, and a elegy of life seemed to echo between the cliffs.

The criminal gang revealed the whereabouts of the marijuana. The marijuana they grew would be distributed all over the country, with countless consumers. In order to redeem themselves from their crimes, they handed over the list of consumers. Next, the Qingshui Town police will join forces with police from other parts of the country to jointly investigate these consumers who purchased marijuana.

As one of the parties involved, the bearded man also had to go to the police station to give a statement. A police car drove to the entrance of Cixin Hall to pick up the bearded man. Looking at the police car going away, Xia Mang made a gun gesture:

"Based on the amount of drugs they sell, these people won't live long. Ugh, you guys have contaminated my favorite spicy hot pot. Go to jail and eat peanuts. Biubiubiu——"

After recording his statement, the bearded man walked out of the police station with his head down and a sad face. He felt that his work was in vain this time. Not only did he waste his time, but he also lost two lives. It was all because of his obsession and dreaming of getting rich all day long.

As soon as he walked out the door, a woman rushed towards him. He looked closely and found that it was Wasabi's mother.

Wasabi's mother raised her hand and slapped the bearded man, and then slapped him again: "I heard everything. Our Wasabi died in such a tragic way. He was crushed to death when he was found. It was all your fault! It was you who insisted on letting him go into the mountains. It was you who left him alone there. It was you who killed him! Our Wasabi was so timid. How could he dare to do such a risky thing? If it weren't for you, Wasabi would still be standing here!"

Eggplant's parents also came. They watched this scene in grief, and both burst into tears: "Wuwuwu, Eggplant, how could you be so foolish! Although you are usually unpromising and idle, you are your parents' only child. If you die, what hope do we have?"

"It's all your fault, those bad friends of yours. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't have died. Your parents always told you not to hang out with those bad people, but you didn't listen. Look, now you've been harmed by them, right?"

Wasabi's mother became angrier and rammed her head into the bearded man's chest: "Three people went, why are you the only one who came back alive? You are the one who should die, why don't you just die?"

The bearded man did not hide nor fight back. He stood there and silently endured the scolding from the two parents.