Ye Qiu got out of the jeep and saw several military-green tents set up in the nearby forest.
Around the tents, a few soldiers with rifles were patrolling.
“Where’s Tang Fei?” Ye Qiu asked.
“I’ll get the commander,” the driver said, but just as he was about to go, Tang Fei emerged from a tent with a few soldiers.
Tang Fei, in military uniform, looked spirited.
“Ye Qiu!”
Tang Fei called out, striding over and greeting Master Longbrow, “Greetings, Master.”
“No need for formalities,” Master Longbrow said, “I heard from the kid you ran into trouble, tell us about it.”
Tang Fei replied, “It’s a bit strange, how about I take you to the scene?”
Ye Qiu nodded, “Alright.”
Tang Fei led Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow up the mountain on foot, with several soldiers trailing behind.
Along the way, ancient trees towered overhead.
Some trees looked centuries old, thicker than washbasins.
As Ye Qiu walked, he noticed signs reading “Forest Protection, No Logging” and “Restricted Area, No Entry.”
“Is this the restricted zone of Changbai Mountain?” Ye Qiu asked Tang Fei.
Tang Fei shook his head, “Not yet, we’ll enter the restricted zone soon.”
They climbed to the mountainside.
Ye Qiu saw a three-meter-high barbed wire fence, equipped with surveillance cameras and high-voltage electricity.
“The restricted zone is behind the fence,” Tang Fei said, leading them along the fence for a while.
Soon, Ye Qiu spotted two men in police uniforms standing guard by the fence, where a large section had been cut open.
“Commander!” the two men saluted upon seeing Tang Fei.
“Good work,” Tang Fei returned a salute, then pointed to the gap in the fence, saying to Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow, “The restricted zone is beyond this, the incident site is still a bit further, about ten minutes from here.”
So, the strange event occurred inside the restricted zone.
“Let’s go,” Ye Qiu said.
Tang Fei nodded, stepping through the gap in the fence first.
Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow followed, with the soldiers staying close, scanning their surroundings as they moved.
The so-called restricted zone was just a deep, old forest.
After a few minutes, Ye Qiu let out a surprised, “Huh?” and stopped, saying, “Such a strong smell of blood.”
Master Longbrow closed his eyes, sniffed, and said, “I smell it too.”
Tang Fei, seemingly unsurprised, said, “The further we go, the stronger the smell gets.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Did someone die?”
Tang Fei sighed, “If it was just a death, I wouldn’t have bothered you, I know you’re busy. I had no choice but to call you, I’ve been with the Underworld Palace for years, seen all sorts of strange things, but something this bizarre is a first.”
Master Longbrow asked, “What exactly happened?”
“Don’t worry, Master, you’ll see soon,” Tang Fei said, continuing to lead the way.
Ten minutes later, Ye Qiu saw another military tent, with four armed soldiers patrolling around it.
Additionally, he noticed an old man with a scruffy beard and messy hair, sitting on a rock, smoking a pipe, looking weathered, likely in his sixties or seventies.
Hearing footsteps, the four soldiers turned quickly, their alertness easing when they saw Tang Fei.
“Any new developments?” Tang Fei asked as he approached.
“Report, Commander, no new developments, all normal,” a soldier replied loudly.
“Good,” Tang Fei said, pointing ahead, “Ye Qiu, Master, look.”
Ye Qiu looked and saw seven pine trees.
Each tree was as thick as a dining table, their trunks like barrels, but suddenly, Ye Qiu’s gaze sharpened.
One pine tree’s trunk was oozing bright red blood, heavy with a pungent smell.
Clearly, the bloody odor they’d sensed came from this tree.
“Old man, look at that pine tree, its trunk is bleeding,” Ye Qiu said, shocked.
“I see it,” Master Longbrow said, expressionless, asking Tang Fei, “Anyone dead?”
“Yeah,” Tang Fei confirmed, “A patrol team member noticed the tree bleeding, went to check, and then died.”
“Cause of death?” Ye Qiu asked.
Tang Fei said, “I had a military doctor examine him, they said it looked like poisoning, but couldn’t identify the specific toxin.”
“Where’s the body?” Ye Qiu asked.
“In the tent,” Tang Fei replied.
“I’ll check the body,” Ye Qiu said, striding into the tent.
At that moment, the old man smoking the pipe glanced at Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow, then resumed smoking.
Ye Qiu noticed the old man’s glance but didn’t dwell on it, entering the tent.
Inside, he saw a male corpse on the ground.
The man, about forty, had dark skin and a muscular build.
Ye Qiu examined him, noting thick calluses on the right palm and thumb, saying, “He probably handled guns a lot.”
Tang Fei explained, “The deceased was part of the local patrol team, they’re all equipped with hunting rifles.”
Ye Qiu continued inspecting, finding no external injuries but noticing the body covered in green, centipede-like patterns.
Grabbing the man’s wrist to check the pulse, Ye Qiu asked Tang Fei, “Who’s the old man outside?”
“He’s Uncle Mountain Guard,” Tang Fei said.
Ye Qiu instantly understood, asking, “He’s with the patrol team too?”
“Yeah,” Tang Fei said, “Uncle Mountain Guard’s family has lived in Changbai Mountain for generations, before the patrol team existed, his elders were mountain guardians. When the team was formed, he became its captain.”
“Uncle Mountain Guard has worked with the patrol team for over fifty years, he knows this area well.”
“The deceased was his nephew, and Uncle Mountain Guard was there when he died.”
“Since he’s the team captain and a witness, I didn’t let him leave.”
“Oh,” Ye Qiu said lightly, releasing the wrist, “The deceased died from poisoning.”
“What kind of poison?” Tang Fei asked urgently.
Ye Qiu said two words, “Corpse poison!”
