Chapter Ninety-One: Rock Climbing

The man in black sunglasses had always believed that I had been swept into this vortex by accident. Yet he did not know that I, too, carried a secret of my own. He would never know that even if I understood how dangerous this whirlpool was, I would still step into it. There are many things one does not do merely because one does not wish to; they are things one must do, even if it means death.

I talked with him a while longer. Most of the time I was the one asking questions and he the one answering, but most of his replies were perfunctory, as though many things about him could not be spoken aloud. That only made me more curious about who he really was.

After some time, the old ghost and the others seemed to have finished their discussion and began resting where they were. They all started eating, and since I was hungry too, I ate as well. Afterward we rested again. I do not know how long passed before the old ghost and his men began searching for a way out once more. I naturally followed along, because if there was any chance of leaving, no one would willingly wait here to die.

When I passed the girl beside Lady Gu, I glanced at her, and she looked back at me. But her expression was utterly cold, as though she did not know me at all. I was a little puzzled. Could I have mistaken someone else for her? Yet her face was exactly the same. I truly could not make sense of it.

Still, I did not dwell on it. I followed the old ghost and the others to the suspension bridge. Clearly, this bridge could not be relied upon. Besides, the cliff was nothing less than a true abyss. No one knew how deep it was below. Just as I thought, after some discussion the old ghost and the others concluded that the only possible way out was above us. I looked up. It was still pitch-black overhead. I switched on the wolf-eye flashlight, narrowed the beam to its smallest focus and stretched its reach to the longest, then shone it upward. It pierced layer after layer of darkness, as though glimpsing some far-off end. Though the height was great, it was not entirely impossible to climb by hand.

So the old ghost and the others made a plan: one person would climb up first to check the situation. If it proved feasible, they would search for an exit from above. Then one of the shorter men in their group stepped forward. He seemed to be an expert climber and began preparing.

I did not know much about climbing. If it was only a matter of climbing a little way up, that would not be too difficult. But if the height was truly extreme, like the rock face before us, then I was completely out of my depth. So I could only watch as they loosened their limbs and checked their gear.

Black Sunglasses and I stood very close together. He still kept one hand in his pocket, afraid the old ghost might suddenly strike. After all, things here were basically settled, and everything that needed to be obtained was already in our hands. At a time like this, the old ghost had no reason not to turn on us and take it all.

In truth, I did not think the old ghost would hesitate to deal with me. Honestly, I had nothing about me that would make him wary. It was Black Sunglasses, rather, who seemed to give him some concern. And the reason for that concern, I believed, was the person or force standing behind Black Sunglasses.

After a while, the short, sturdy man was ready and began climbing. He was extraordinarily agile, clearly an expert at it. Every movement was brisk and efficient. Soon he was already more than ten meters off the ground.

At that moment, the old ghost cast us a sidelong glance, his eyes cold as ice. I understood perfectly well that once they found a way out, they would certainly look for an opportunity to kill Black Sunglasses and me. But for now, they were wary of the explosives on Black Sunglasses. If the old ghost made his move now, Black Sunglasses would almost certainly drag them all down with him. If those explosives were detonated here, everyone present would die.

Thinking of this, I also became alert and ready at any moment. For the time being, however, I had not come up with any good solution. Everything had to wait for the outcome. We waited below for a long time. I watched the sturdy man constantly speaking into the walkie-talkie. At first, the device still carried some signal and a few sounds, but as time passed, the static grew louder and louder. By the end, nothing could be made out at all, only a constant hissing.

The stout man kept slapping the walkie-talkie with his hand, pacing back and forth, trying to find a place with a stronger signal. But no matter what he did, the set only emitted noise. He shouted into it a few more times, but still received no reply.

There was nothing to do but keep waiting. Another half hour passed, and even the old ghost grew impatient, urging the stout man to ask again over the radio. In truth, the man had never stopped fiddling with the walkie-talkie. Even after turning the volume up, all that came through was still static, and it was especially harsh and grating. There was no choice but to turn the volume down a little, but even then the piercing noise remained sharp, seeming to cut straight through the heart. It was terribly unpleasant to hear.

Yet in the next instant, the static suddenly vanished from the walkie-talkie. The stout man hurriedly pulled the antenna to its full length and shouted:

“Threefire! Can you hear me? What’s happening up there? Threefire? Threefire!”

Unfortunately, no matter how he shouted, he could not get an answer from the man called Threefire. At this, the stout man grew anxious. It was obvious he had a very unusual relationship with Threefire, and he looked extremely worried. Very soon, a shrill cry suddenly burst from the walkie-talkie, but the sound did not seem human at all. This time, the stout man could no longer sit still. His heavy body sprang up with surprising agility. He grabbed his backpack at once and reached for his climbing gear.

Those around the old ghost hurried forward to stop him. While packing up his equipment, the stout man said, “Threefire has definitely run into trouble now. I have to go up there, or how am I supposed to explain this to my wife?”

From their conversation, I learned that Threefire was actually the stout man’s brother-in-law. No wonder he was so nervous. But the stout man was not an expert climber after all, and he was soon dissuaded. He seemed to know as well that with his skill, it would be difficult for him to get up there.

At that moment, a woman stepped forward from Lady Gu’s side. She was not very old, probably only in her thirties, and she was very beautiful, with short hair and a capable, decisive air. She whispered a few words in Lady Gu’s ear. Lady Gu nodded, then said to the old ghost and the stout man, “Ghost Lord, let Bright Moon go up and take a look. Her skills may not necessarily surpass Threefire’s, but she is still quite capable. Let her go and see what’s happening.”