Book 4: Chapter 6: Riddles


    As Fatty and I looked at each other again, I found that Poker-Face didn''t seem surprised at all. He just continued to look up at the ck gap.


    Where are you? Fatty asked again.


    "It''s dark here, ck sses said. We don''t know how far weve gone. But even if we did, its not like youd know the location. But youwhere are you?"


    Fatty looked up at the huge ck spot and said, "In front of the ck spot."


    The satellite phone was silent for a while, which I found a bit strange. For ck sses, this darkness was actually an advantage. As long as he had a match, it was just like he was living somewhere near the equator on a summer morning


    I heard ck sses sigh, "Wheres Mute?"


    "Right next to us," Fatty responded.


    "Do you two have the confidence to knock him out and drag him out of this ce right now?" ck sses asked.


    Fatty looked at me, then at Little Brother, touched the gun in his handthis gun looked a little strange; it seemed that the herdsmen here had modified it many timesand then said, "I can''t bear to hit my darling."


    ck sses chuckled and said, "Apprentice, why don''t you listen to your childhood friend?"


    "Why? I asked. Where the hell are you guys? What''s the danger to Little Brother here? Cant you share any information with us?"


    ck sses was silent for a while, but I could hear the sound of a chocte bar wrapper being peeled off and then something was put in his mouth, "You see that gap? Were inside of it. But we should be more than a hundred kilometers away from you. The gap and the ck spot seem to follow the same path. Weve been moving forward for a long time."


    "What exactly did Xiao Huae here to do? He has enough money, so did Jin Wantang drug him or something?" Iined. "And why are <em>you</em> here? What are you doing in that gap? You guys arent me."


    "Aw, would you look at that? My apprentice is all grown up. I wanted to tell you this before." ck sses took another bite of the chocte bar, "This gap follows the dragon veins to the bottom of the Kunlun Mountains. The whole route is spread out across the rock stratum in such a way that it passes under ten thousand mountains. Aren''t you interested?"


    "If I had so much money, I definitely wouldnt be interested."


    "Yes, but he also has his own obsession. It''s not my ce to tell you what it is, but you should know."


    <em>I don''t know</em>, I said in my heart. <em>Only old gangsters tell their childhood friends about their obsessions. What kind of decent person talks about their obsessions?</em>


    "Now, listen to me. When you enter this gap in a few minutes, there are a few points you must pay attention to. First, you must protect Mute. The gap is a dragons mouth. After Mutees in, you guys should find a safe ce to rest fully. But don''t go deep into the gap. Second, theres nothing in this gap, so you need to move as fast as possible and collect as much food and equipment outside as you can. Third, your satellite phone can be used wherever theres a dragon vein. This ck part can transmit signals, but if you leave the dragon vein, youll end uppletely lost. The structure inside this gap is veryplicated."


    Fatty looked at me and then asked ck sses, "Why are we going in just like that? Cant we go out and call for a rescue team to send ten thousand people over?"


    "Youre in front of the ck spot, correct? Then you can''t get out," ck sses said. "If the ck spot didnt want it, then you wouldn''t have seen it. One of you must have been invited."


    "Me."


    ck ssesughed, "I know."


    "Why can''t we get out? Have you tried?"


    "Look at that gap. After looking at it carefully, don''t you find that you <em>really</em> want to go in?" ck sses asked.


    I looked up at the gap. It was so huge and deep that it reminded me of the darkness I saw in the tomb door when I was lured here earlier.


    I didn''t dare look at it anymore as I asked myself, <em>will we all feel a huge impulse to enter this gap after a while?</em>


    "ck sses, we saw a young man just now who was as white as an ox aorta⁽¹⁾ and holding something like a spirit g. Do you know him?" Fatty asked.


    ck sses let out an exmation, "So you saw him. We saw him, too. But it was only a quick nce."


    I wanted to keep asking questions, but Poker-Face suddenly came over, took the satellite phone, and asked, "Who are you?"


    I heard ck ssesugh on the other end of the line, which left me stunned for a moment. I was familiar with ck sses''ugh. When I spoke with him just now, it was his normalughter, but when Poker-Face asked, it wasnt normal at all.


    But this really was ck sses voice, so what did Poker-Face mean by asking that?


    ****


    TN Notes:


    (1) Ox aorta is a popr hotpot ingredient in Sichuan cuisine. It looks like a piece of smooth white jade.