After a long and exhausting journey, I was so worn out that I couldn’t quite process what was happening in front of me. I instinctively took a few steps back, feeling so drained that I thought I might faint. However, the people around me started to laugh at my reaction. Then someone helped lift up the two bodies, and I realized that they were actually dummies. They had stuffed something inside the diving suits, and the heads were made of inflated black waterproof bags with two flattened pieces of chewing gum stuck on top for eyes, and two small stones glued in the middle as pupils. The foggy lenses of the gas masks, combined with my heightened sensitivity, made them look quite real at first glance.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at myself. The person who had helped with the dummies moved them to the stone door, and I asked someone nearby what was going on. One person replied, “These are used to scare off snakes. The snakes around here are damned clever; if there are fewer people, something is bound to happen. So we don’t dare to leave anyone behind to watch the camp. But it seems like they can’t tell the difference between real people and dummies. Blocking the door with these will help us sleep more soundly at night.”

From the tone of that person’s voice, it was clear that they had been deeply affected by the threat of these snakes. Then someone pulled out one of those yellow smoke bombs and tossed it into the campfire, creating a thick cloud of smoke. Another person started to beat the equipment lying on the ground with a branch.

“This is sulfur, used to drive away snakes,” the person continued. After a round of beating, it seemed nothing stirred, and the group finally slumped down to sit. Someone took out a few makeshift dummies made from branches, took off their clothes, and dressed the dummies, piling them at the door and the collapsed entrance.

Once that was done, the atmosphere finally eased. The person with the black glasses added firewood to the campfire and divided it into several piles. The small space within the ruins was lit up bright red, and the people around began to take off their gas masks one by one. One person gestured to me, indicating it was okay to remove mine, saying that these snakes were very strange and absolutely wouldn’t come near the fire. Plus, we had checked earlier and it was basically safe.

Reluctantly, I took off my gas mask. After wearing it for six or seven hours, my face felt like it was melting, and I felt so much better. Everything in front of me looked clearer, and I could finally see the true faces of my uncle’s associates.

A quick glance confirmed what Panzi had said: aside from two or three familiar faces, everyone else was new. It seemed that my uncle didn’t have many old associates left. We greeted each other, and one person who had explained things to me earlier introduced himself as “Mop.” He mentioned that this group was brought in by him to follow my uncle.

I sensed a slight discomfort in his tone, but I couldn’t pinpoint what the issue was. The person with the black glasses remained relaxed, happily looking at me while eating something. Many people had taken off their shoes to warm their feet by the fire, and the place quickly filled with the smell of sweaty feet. I thought to myself: Damn, with this smell, the snakes wouldn’t even need the dummies to stay away.

Just then, my uncle sat down next to me and handed me some food. We exchanged glances and couldn’t help but smile wryly at each other. He said, “What are you laughing at? Damn it, if you weren’t my nephew, I’d really want to knock you out.”

I didn’t even have the strength to argue with him, but at that moment, looking at my third uncle, I noticed that he had shaken off the lethargy that had enveloped him in the hospital. He appeared spirited and seemed to have regained the demeanor of a formidable leader. I couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved and said, “You can kill me, but even as a ghost, I would still follow you. Third Uncle, let’s not beat around the bush. I know I’m involved in this matter, and if it were you, would you just let it go like this?”

My third uncle must have already known the ins and outs of why I was here. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and, with a bitter smile, said, “Alright, I admit defeat. You really take after your father. You look soft on the outside, but inside, your temper is as stubborn as hell. I won’t say much more; you’re here now, and I can’t send you back.”

I smiled broadly and asked him, “By the way, what’s going on with you guys? How did you get ahead of us? Didn’t Panzi say you would wait outside for a signal?”

“We couldn’t wait any longer. Your third uncle knew that Wenjin was waiting for him here, and with only this little time left, how could we still wait for your signal?” said the guy with the black glasses, laughing, and he patted my third uncle on the shoulder. “Third Master, you’re too sentimental. We couldn’t tell from your karaoke night in Changsha that you had such a big heart.”

My third uncle swatted his hand away and glared at him, explaining, “When I heard that old woman say that Wenjin was waiting for us, I realized that this might be the last chance in my life to see Wenjin. I absolutely couldn’t miss it; otherwise, my life would truly be in vain. So I couldn’t take any risks. To be honest, if I could just see Wenjin this once, I would be willing to die right after.”

I was taken aback: “Wait a minute, you heard it from the old woman?” I suddenly realized that he was referring to the diviner, Zhuoma. My heart sank, and I thought, “No way.” “So, she… also sent you a message?”

Seeing my bewildered expression, the guy with the black glasses laughed heartily, though I couldn’t tell what was so funny. My third uncle nodded and recounted how he had met up with the guy with the black glasses.

It turned out that my third uncle’s progress was much faster than we had imagined. Less than ten hours after we set out with Panzi, my third uncle and his crew had already arrived in Devil City and learned about the situation. Just when he thought everything was going smoothly, that very night, Zhuoma found him as well, just as I had encountered her with the mute oil bottle, delivering Wenjin’s message.

Unlike us, my third uncle wasn’t so easy to deal with. He immediately pressed Zhuoma for more detailed information. Zhuoma was still being mysterious with him, but my third uncle is not someone who has a lot of patience. Plus, as soon as he heard that Wenjin was still alive, he went into a frenzy. He immediately ordered people to take down Zaxi and Zhuoma’s wife. My third uncle didn’t tell me the specifics, but it was evident that he had resorted to extreme measures and threatened the old woman.

The way people in this line of work operate is really different from what I had imagined. I could never do something like that. Although I didn’t agree with my third uncle’s methods, they were certainly effective. Zhuoma had no choice but to reveal the details of Wenjin’s message and also informed my third uncle that I and the mute oil bottle had received messages as well.

“She said that a month after she separated from the expedition team, she ran into Wen Jin again in Golmud. At that time, Wen Jin seemed to have undergone a huge change; she looked very haggard and appeared to be avoiding someone. She brought Wen Jin home to stay for a night, and that very night, Wen Jin handed her a videotape, asking her to keep it safe.” Uncle San said, “For the next ten years, they had no contact at all until a few months ago when she suddenly received a letter from Wen Jin, asking her to send three tapes to three different addresses and telling her that if anyone came to inquire about the recipient, she should pass on that message.”

Upon learning that Wen Jin was in the oasis, Uncle San almost went crazy. He immediately set out to find the oasis. Because our tire had blown, our progress slowed down in the last few days, and it was during this time that they had already surpassed us and entered the oasis through a different entrance.

After that, they traveled through the rainforest overnight, setting up camp in the ruins. That night, Uncle San took some people out to search for Wen Jin, but when he returned, the rest of the group had vanished. Uncle San knew something was wrong. The next morning, they discovered our signal smoke, and Uncle San sent up a red smoke signal to warn us not to approach, while he took others to search the area. They were lured by the snakes along the way and eventually found the muddy pit. Then they heard someone screaming beneath the beast’s mouth, so they rushed in to rescue, only to find that the sounds were actually coming from the snakes.

There’s no need to elaborate on what happened next.

After hearing all this, I couldn’t help but feel stunned. It was pretty much what I had imagined. When I first saw the preface of Wen Jin’s notes, I had a feeling that Uncle San must have been involved. However, now that it was confirmed, I found it a bit hard to believe.

If that’s the case, then Ding Zhuo Ma must not know about the deeper matters either. She was found by An Ning and the others and was re-hired as a guide purely by chance; otherwise, the place where we received the message should have been her home.

The connections in my mind were becoming clearer, and some fragments could already be pieced together: the three people mentioned in Wen Jin’s notes clearly referred to me, the Silent Oil Bottle, and Uncle San. I had previously thought that An Ning had received the tape, which was confirmed to be for the Silent Oil Bottle. This time, the Silent Oil Bottle collaborated with Uncle San to deliver the tape to An Ning, intending for them to find Ding Zhuo Ma and plan this operation.

All clues pointed directly to the purpose of Jude Kao’s action this time. Everyone was making a final desperate attempt, almost exhausting all their cunning.

As I pondered this, I suddenly thought of something and asked Uncle San, “Uncle San, since you also received the message, shouldn’t you have received a videotape as well?”

Uncle San looked up at me, tossed the cigarette butt into the campfire, and nodded, “Yes.”

“Indeed!” I thought to myself.

“This tape should have been sent to Hangzhou while we were in Jilin. During the time I was away, a bunch of things piled up, and it got mixed in. I didn’t notice it when I first returned, but later when I was organizing the shop, I found it,” he said, looking at me. “It wasn’t that I intended to hide it from you.”

I nodded, truly believing this. At that moment, driven by impulse, I asked my third uncle, “Uncle, don’t you find this strange? It makes sense for it to be sent to you or that young man, but why would Aunt Wenjin send it to me? I was very young when you were dating; I really can’t figure this out. Does this matter have anything to do with me?” Moreover, the content of the videotape was so horrifying. Was that person really me, or was it just someone else’s prank? My third uncle noticed the change in my expression and sighed, saying, “No, actually, there is a reason why Aunt Wenjin sent you this.”