NHWSG chapter 17

Sheng Zhao now felt that Xing Yingzhuo might be some hermit-like expert living in the world—someone who could pull out a stack of talismans from under his windbreaker at any moment and give a person a fortune-telling glance.

In just ten short minutes, he had regretted three times. He should have listened to Xing Yingzhuo and stayed home, closed the door, and become a shut-in, rather than traveling all the way to attend his own mother’s second wedding.

In that case, at least he wouldn’t be dragging a suitcase containing six pounds of Jin Hua ham, huffing and puffing alone in a desolate wilderness.

One hour ago, Li Yu arranged for a driver to take him to Shanghai International Airport, and Sheng Zhao intended to take a detour around Changning District as he did when he came. However, Li Yu, busy playing games on his phone, wasn’t willing to take a longer route.

“Now is the peak period, so many traffic lights are on the way. Don’t know how long it’ll take if we take a detour,” Li Yu said, eyes fixed on the game screen, “Just passing by, why are you so scared?”

The driver, after all, was the Li family’s driver, not like the service industry drivers. Avoiding a longer route only required extra money. Therefore, Sheng Zhao considered it but ultimately didn’t insist, feeling too embarrassed to push.

Fortunately, this road wasn’t far. If it wasn’t for traffic, crossing it would only take about twenty minutes.

However, it was just past seven in the evening, precisely during Shanghai’s peak hours, and on top of that, it was a Sunday. Cars heading out of the city for weekend trips were all trying to leave at this time. Almost every car on the road looked red, and their progress was even slower than a shared bike.

Unlike Li Yu, who had extraordinary talents and could play games on his phone throughout the journey, Sheng Zhao, after lowering his head to respond to a couple of Weibo messages, felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. He had to put away his phone, staring at the scenery outside the car window, bored and disinterested.

This morning, the local influencer he had messaged replied half an hour ago, saying that the family had been notified. The family wanted to meet and discuss further, asking if it was convenient for him.

Sheng Zhao politely declined, stating that he had shared all the information he knew, and there was nothing more to discuss in person.

Fortunately, the influencer was understanding and didn’t insist on meeting. The influencer conveyed the family’s gratitude and sent a red envelope of 200 yuan as a clue fee.

Sheng Zhao felt awkward about taking the money and returned it, saying it was something he should do.

He thought this little episode would pass like any other message on his phone screen, leaving only a few sighs. However, to his surprise, just fifteen minutes later, he actually saw “Zhang Kaisheng.”

At that moment, he was crossing an intersection with a T-shape road. The narrow and long road had only two lanes, but it was a crucial route to the airport and the highway. Unfortunately, two traffic light cycles had passed, and he was still waiting.

Sheng Zhao, leaning on his chin, looked out the window. This area had just entered the planning zone a couple of days ago, and the old houses had been demolished, leaving a dark expanse. Even the roadside curbs were covered in dust.

In that casual glance, Sheng Zhao suddenly noticed a man in loose Western-style clothing, slowly passing under a street lamp on the roadside, heading towards the desolate area.

The man had a wooden expression, vacant eyes, a hunched posture, and carried a briefcase under his armpit, moving stiffly and slowly.

“Stop the car!” Sheng Zhao suddenly shouted.

The driver was startled and instinctively hit the brakes. Li Yu, caught off guard, swayed forward, bumping into the front seat, almost dropping his phone.

“What are you doing?” Li Yu said irritably. “Aren’t you going? Hurry up, or we’ll miss the green light.”

Sheng Zhao didn’t have time to explain. He rolled down the window, leaned out, and shouted, “Zhang Kaisheng!”

However, the man seemed not to hear him at all. He maintained his posture, silent and resolute, walking towards the darkness.

The cars behind them honked continuously. The road was already congested, and now, with the green light, the situation worsened. Sheng Zhao’s car, which had suddenly stopped, was now receiving a barrage of curses.

“What are you doing?” Li Yu, annoyed, rolled his eyes. “You’re not leaving, huh? Either hurry back or find your acquaintance yourself. I have a classmate waiting for me to rank up in the game tonight.”

Sheng Zhao gritted his teeth and decided to leave. He lifted his luggage, opened the door, and got out of the car.

The horns from the cars behind were incessant. Sheng Zhao turned back and apologized to the cars, then hurriedly retrieved his phone and illuminated the area with the flashlight.

He could vaguely see Zhang Kaisheng’s back. He chased after him, dragging the suitcase. However, despite running for about twenty minutes, when he turned around, the lights from the road and traffic had moved far away, leaving only dim lights.

Sheng Zhao found himself in a deserted area, unable to see the village or the shop. The flashlight only illuminated a small area, and he walked hesitantly. The suitcase became increasingly difficult to drag. Yet, Zhang Kaisheng remained on the edge of his flashlight’s beam, neither allowing Sheng Zhao to see clearly nor letting him lose sight.

It seemed as if Zhang Kaisheng was intentionally leading him in a certain direction.

This thought crossed Sheng Zhao’s mind for a moment, and he suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, breaking into a cold sweat.

He stopped his steps abruptly and called out to Zhang Kaisheng’s back, “Zhang Kaisheng! Can you hear me?”

The figure ahead ignored him, continuing to take slow steps forward. Sheng Zhao pursed his lips and decided not to foolishly chase. Instead, he raised his phone and continued shouting, “If you want to go, go ahead. I’ve called the police!”

He didn’t know if it was the “called the police” that intimidated the other person, or because he had stopped, but in any case, the silhouette in front finally shook for a moment and came to a halt.

Sheng Zhao felt a sense of relief and was about to take advantage of the situation, but before he could speak, he suddenly heard an extremely faint and subtle sound.

The sound was crisp and soft, continuous and familiar in an inexplicable way.

… It sounded like the noise made by old building water pipes.

The figure of Zhang Kaisheng in front slowly turned around. His face was pale, and his eyes were empty, as if looking at Sheng Zhao, yet it seemed like he was looking at nothing.

Zhang Kaisheng’s expression was stiff, like a poorly crafted wax sculpture, but he tilted his head slightly, seemingly using body language to convey a “confused” emotion.

Sheng Zhao was frightened by his eerie gaze, instinctively feeling that the person in front of him seemed no longer alive – like an empty husk without flesh and bones, only able to perform simple and stiff movements with the help of strings.

The sound of flowing water continued unabated. Sheng Zhao puzzledly tried to identify it, feeling that the sound was getting louder and clearer. The initially gentle water sound gradually gathered, turning into a roaring rush.

It was only in the end that he suddenly realized the source of the sound was not around him but beneath his feet!

Instinctively trying to step back, he had barely taken one step when the ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, revealing a hole nearly two meters square.

The hole expanded rapidly, threatening to engulf Sheng Zhao’s feet.

The once blurry water sound became suddenly clear. Sheng Zhao shone the flashlight, discovering that beneath the collapsed hole was a rushing underground river.

His heart pounded. He took a step back unconsciously, and as he did, the collapsed ground abruptly sank, creating a hole large enough to swallow him.

Thinking of turning back, Sheng Zhao found a metal chain suddenly emerging from the collapsed hole, carrying a strong fishy and bloody smell, and it wetly coiled around his waist, violently pulling him towards the water.

The iron chain seemed oblivious to the concepts of “cherishing beauty” or “sympathy,” exerting a force that threatened to snap Sheng Zhao in half. Despite being a young and strong man, he was pulled like a paper kite, stumbling a few steps before falling to the ground, dragged down from the collapsed ground, and slapped onto the water surface.

The subterranean river in early autumn flowed swiftly and ice-cold. Sheng Zhao felt as if he had collided with a cold, hard steel plate, and his whole body was about to be shattered by this force.

He instinctively tried to cry for help, but a mouthful of water choked him, causing him to cough violently. Everything before his eyes turned golden, and his limbs quickly went numb.