Gao Mingqiang's fear was not unfounded, as Mount Xiezhi was, in local folklore, our Fuming City's ghost mountain.
There were many eerie news reports online about this mountain. It was said that there was an ancient temple on its summit. Before the incident, people loved to come here for worship. However, one year, due to a thunderstorm, the ancient temple was severely damaged, and the people who were worshipping at the time also died.
After this incident, no one dared to worship on Mount Xiezhi anymore. Gradually, it became a desolate mountain. Yet, sometimes, some brave souls would still venture here for an adventure. For instance, in 1999, a television crew of over a dozen people came here intending to film a horror movie. Little did they know that after a few days on the mountain, the entire crew disappeared. The television station reported them missing, and the police began an investigation but found no trace of them.
What was even more terrifying was that none of the police officers who went in ever returned.
In 2003, four female college students entered this desolate mountain. It was said that they later returned, but they were all mentally unstable and were admitted to psychiatric hospitals. They would constantly mutter about an ancient temple, ghosts, and white bones on the mountain!
In 2005, an exploration team went to search for clues. Having learned from previous experiences, they did not dare to rashly ascend the mountain. Instead, they brought precision detectors and tools to contact the outside world, ensuring that they could locate the victims with absolute certainty. However, after entering the mountain, they all got lost. Although they could send out signals, it was strange that when the rescue team searched by helicopter, they could not find them at all.
Seeing this information, Gao Mingqiang cried out, "We can't go to this place! Advisor He!"
"Do you really believe those eerie rumors online? Those are just sensationalized by people looking for excitement!" I retorted.
"But the information written there sounds so real."
"Forget it, if you don't want to go, I'll go alone!"
"That's not being a good friend at all. I'll go with you. Captain Liu already disagrees with you, so if I do the same, you'll be in a tough spot!"
"Are you pitying me?"
"No, actually, I think you're right!"
We chatted, and eventually, we decided to go to Mount Xiezhi. This time, we brought all our equipment. I thought that with modern technology, there would be no more accidents. But as we were leaving, He Xin stopped me and fastened a bracelet onto my wrist. "Dad, wear this. It might be useful."
"Is this a watch?" I asked curiously.
"It's a locator, and it has a micro-computer in it!" He Xin said proudly.
"Alright, thank you!" Gao Mingqiang and I left the police station and drove a police Volkswagen. After a long distance, we finally reached Mount Xiezhi. From a distance, the mountain looked incredibly bizarre, with murky smoke everywhere. And its shape indeed resembled a xiezhi.
As soon as we got off the car, we felt an intense chill. The atmosphere from afar was extremely unusual, and the air felt thin. In the distance, many strange black shadows were moving on the mountain. The rustling of plants amplified the creepiness of the environment, making it even more terrifying.
Seeing the scene before us, Gao Mingqiang tugged at my clothes. "Maybe we should leave! This place is too eerie!"
"You call yourself a criminal investigator? You're not as brave as a mere consultant!"
"Uh, well, but this time it's truly terrifying! I'm worried we'll end up like those people in the reports, never to return."
"We won't. It's different now, it's 2022!"
I said with certainty and was the first to walk down towards the mountain. Seeing my resolve, Gao Mingqiang couldn't argue further and reluctantly followed me.
Along the way, he unexpectedly asked about my grandfather. I gave him a brief account. Gao Mingqiang said, "It seems your grandfather was truly remarkable. By the way, how much do you know about those coroner techniques?"
"A little bit. It's useful when needed, otherwise, I would have truly discarded my grandfather's legacy."
When we reached the foot of the mountain, the terrain became extremely rugged, and our feet felt uncomfortable with every step. To bolster our courage, we both took out our guns, ready for anything. Honestly, I wasn't afraid, but I was worried about encountering wild beasts.
Fortunately, after walking for a long time, we didn't encounter any wild animals, not even poisonous snakes or bats.
When we finally reached the summit, we indeed found an ancient temple. However, the building was severely damaged. The pillars and walls had collapsed significantly, and a very large willow tree was pressing down on the eaves, looking as if it could fall at any moment.
"This is the ancient temple before us. If we don't find the bodies, we'll head back immediately," Gao Mingqiang suggested.
"We will find them, Mingqiang!"
"Yes, if you say we will, then we definitely will!"
We headed towards the ancient temple. Before entering, we needed to move the tree aside, otherwise, we would have to find another way in.
But the large tree seemed too heavy. Gao Mingqiang and I exerted all our strength, but we couldn't budge it even an inch. Just as I was about to look for another way, Gao Mingqiang suddenly exclaimed, "Look! He Sheng, there's actually a female corpse inside!"
I followed his gaze and saw that through a gap in the ancient temple, Gao Mingqiang had spotted a female corpse. The gap was quite large, allowing a clear view of the interior. The female corpse was entangled in countless spiderwebs, and many fuzzy spiders were crawling all over it.
Since we had made a discovery, we could call for backup.
I dialed Liu Yuning's number. Upon hearing about the situation, she replied somewhat awkwardly, "It seems, Advisor He, you were right. Alright! I'll send people over immediately!"
I could sense her initial disappointment, as her own investigation had yielded no results. However, with my discovery, she had regained hope.
Gao Mingqiang and I secured the scene. When Liu Yuning arrived with Xie Chuchu and others, everyone worked together to lift the tree, revealing the entrance of the ancient temple.
Simultaneously exposed was the female corpse we had just seen.
At that moment, a blinding ray of sunlight shone in, allowing us to finally see the full appearance of the female corpse.
Dense spiderwebs tightly bound the entire body of the female corpse, completely covering every inch of her skin. Countless spiders, large and small, crawled everywhere. The female corpse resembled a cicada pupa, stuck to the wall of the ancient temple. Behind her stood a dusty Maitreya Buddha statue, which was headless! And the female corpse was positioned inside the Buddha statue!