Translator: CinderTL
The Black-Faced Strongman naturally had no objections. Survival was the most important thing. Discussing profit distribution now was just a verbal promise.
"This phone receives calls from Na Ruhu every so often," the man explained. "And the content is different each time."
"You've only received one call. How do you know they're always different?" The Black-Faced Strongman asked a perfectly reasonable question.
Having been betrayed, he trusted the man not at all. He even suspected the man was trying to drag him down, using him as a scapegoat.
"It's simple. We decrypted Na Ruhu's previous call to this phone," the man said, tapping the phone lightly with his fingertip. "The content was different from this one."
The durations of the two calls also differed. The call from three days ago lasted 19 seconds, while the recording the man had just played was at least two minutes long.
"What was the content of the previous call?" Jiang Cheng asked.
The man's expression shifted slightly, as if he were trying to recall something. After a moment, he replied, "It was a conversation between Na Ruhu and his teammates. The environment was noisy, so it was hard to make out the details."
"I could only hear them excitedly talking about someone named Feng Something. They were arguing fiercely, and I think they mentioned photos and alcohol."
The man had only caught a few scattered words. The signal seemed to have been heavily disrupted at the time, and the transmitted voices were distorted and eerie.
With only these fragmented clues, Jiang Cheng wrote them down, and the group began discussing when to enter the gold mine tunnel in Grey Stone Mountain.
"Wouldn't it be too hasty to set out tonight?" the pale-faced man accompanying the Black-Faced Man asked.
"I'd prefer to wait too, but I'm worried that if we wake up tomorrow, you'll all have to go to the tunnel alone," the blue-eyed man said with a wry smile.
He had received the Ghost Call earliest. Considering what had happened to his teammate, Na Ruhu, he would likely be the first to disappear among them.
"It's decided then. Everyone prepare. We'll set out in half an hour," Jiang Cheng said after considering the situation.
It was still early outside. If they moved quickly, they could reach the mine entrance before dark. Once inside the tunnel, whether it was dark or not wouldn't make much difference.
The girl dragged a massive package from under the bed. When she opened it, it was filled with various equipment: oddly shaped flashlights, matte-finish helmets, even hiking poles.
"Both major roads to the gold mine are guarded," she said. "We'll have to take a smaller path and cross a mountain."
It seemed they had already scouted the area. Hearing this, everyone began selecting gear that suited them.
It was time for the familiar self-introduction ritual. They gathered in a circle, fully equipped. The blue-eyed man spoke first: "You can call me Luo He. I'm new to this, so I don't have much experience yet."
The Black-Faced Man couldn't help but sneer. Luo He didn't look like a rookie at all. Any newcomer who dared to scheme like that would be crushed to dust.
"Fu Fu," the girl said, grinning.
She was petite with delicate features, the type of girl who would normally be considered cute. But her mental state seemed somewhat unstable.
The Black-Faced Man introduced himself as Zhao Xingguo. The taller of his two lackeys was Pan Du, while the one with the duck-like voice was Linghu Yong.
"Jiang Cheng," Jiang Cheng said, extending his hand to Luo He for a polite handshake.
After Jiang Cheng finished introducing himself, the group decided to set off while it was still light. However, as soon as they left the inn, they realized they were being watched.
Several villagers dressed in simple clothes were trailing them at a distance, their gazes strange and unsettling. Occasionally, they could sense hostile eyes peering at them from behind walls and through windows along the way.
"Something feels off," Fatty muttered, sticking close to Jiang Cheng. "Why are they all looking at us like that?"
It wasn't just the adults; even the children's eyes held an unnaturally cold glint.
"It's probably because of the gold mine," the Black-Faced Man chimed in. "There's no real industry in this town. The people who stay here make a living by stealing ore."
"Our arrival here makes them worry we'll steal their business."
After walking around the town, they didn't see any schools or similar institutions. This society seemed completely disconnected from the outside world, permeated by a sense of decay and backwardness.
Looking at the children peeking at them from behind the crumbling wall nearby, Fatty couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Do these kids run around outside all day without going to school? Don't their parents care?"
"Brother Fugui, you haven't seen enough," Huai Yi sighed. "In remote mountain villages like this, the young people go out to work, leaving their children with their grandparents. The old folks don't value education; just keeping them alive is enough. When the kids grow up, they'll follow their parents' footsteps and go out to work too."
Luo He led the way, and they soon reached a fork in the road. "We'll take this path up the mountain. We should make it before dark."
"Wait a moment," Fatty suddenly said, then turned and ran back toward a broken wall built from large mountain stones.
The wall was severely damaged, clearly having stood for a long time. Its base was blackened, as if scorched by a great fire.
Judging by its style, it must have once been part of a grand structure, but the building itself had long since vanished into the mists of history, leaving only this solitary remnant.
Three small heads peeked out from behind the wall.
They were three children.
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Two half-grown boys stood on either side of a frail girl.
The girl, about six or seven years old, had two pigtails and a waxy complexion, clearly showing signs of malnutrition.
Only her eyes were bright, staring fixedly at them.
Fatty ran to the broken wall and, seeing the children about to flee, quickly called out, "Don't run! I mean no harm." He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a handful of beef jerky strips.
These were prepared by Luo He, and everyone had received some.
He first gave two strips to each of the three children, then took out some money from his pocket and pressed it into the girl's hand. "If you can, go home and tell your family to send you to school. The world outside is wonderful. You wouldn't want to be stuck in this town your whole life, would you?" Fatty said earnestly, looking into the girl's eyes.
Seeing Fatty's actions, the Black-Faced Man turned his head and gave Jiang Cheng a strange look.
Jiang Cheng remained impassive, silently watching Fatty's hunched back. He was a large man, completely blocking the view of the two half-grown children.
Huai Yi genuinely felt that Brother Fugui had severely lowered the overall prestige of their group, and he was plunged into deep self-doubt.
Is this really Crimson?
Shouldn't Crimson have charged forward, hacked those three kids to pieces with a sinister grin, and then torn their bodies apart?
Has Crimson started using strategy now?
Recruiting from childhood?
Before long, Fatty came running back, carrying a mountaineering pack filled with his own gear, as well as that of the Doctor and Boss Lin. Huai Yi and Chen Qiang carried their own packs.
"Let's go."
The group plunged into the dense mountain forest.
But just as their figures vanished, the girl behind the broken wall reached out her hand. The two boys standing beside her, each half a head taller than she was, immediately handed over the beef jerky they had just received.
After stuffing the money and beef jerky into her pocket, the girl stared in the direction the group had disappeared, expressionless. She pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and said, "They've entered the mountain, taking the western trail."
(End of the Chapter)
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