Ghost Blowing Lantern II

Although this chimney is big, it is only in relative terms. It is actually much smaller than the big chimney in the crematorium. There are hazy stars above my head. When I see the skylight-like chimney mouth, I gain a little more confidence and use the knife to The sheath scraped the inner wall of the flue, quickly cleaning away a circle of soot and grease, and then used the pedals to test the friction. The flue was very narrow, so if you use your back to support it and gradually rub it up, it would not be a big problem. .

But some things seem easier than doing. As soon as I scraped off a layer of sludge, the flue was already so choked that I couldn't open my eyes. Even though I covered my nose, I still felt dizzy from a severe lack of oxygen, and the inner wall of the flue was scratching. It was so slippery that I couldn't exert any strength here. I was holding my body up to prevent falling and scraping the oil with the scabbard. It was really difficult. I had barely climbed half a step up and already felt my arms and legs tremble. .

I guess I couldn't hold on any longer and was about to give up. I finally looked up and planned to go down. Unexpectedly, when I looked up, I saw a dark red light appearing at the mouth of the flue. I didn't know when. Thinking that he was dazzled, he closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously and then opened his eyes to look, but he saw a lamp like a torch, changing light and dark, like a will-o'-the-wisp, floating erratically above.

Seeing this situation, I suddenly remembered that I often heard the old man say that on a dark night, if there is no light at all, but a solitary light suddenly appears, it is definitely a will-o'-fire rather than a light. That is exactly what it means: "Don't walk alone on a bright moon, a lone lamp" Not a human being." As soon as this thought flashed across my mind, the will-o'-the-wisp on top of the chimney floated down, and I panicked. This was really a bloody knife from the sky. How could anything evil be done? have? The hands and feet supporting the body slipped, and he lost his center of balance, falling down the flue of the crematorium.

This sight was unexpected, like a thunderbolt passing through the air. I watched the will-o'-the-wisp light moving from top to bottom. My feet slipped on the inner wall of the flue, and my body lost support and fell immediately. I knew it very well in my heart. It would be unlucky to fall into the furnace at the bottom of the flue. Even if you don't fall to death on the spot, you will break your muscles and bones. But I didn't expect that the airflow in the incinerator's chimney has accumulated for a long time, and the flue is extremely narrow. Therefore, the body falls extremely slowly, as if it is in the clouds.

The fat man happened to be guarding the entrance of the flue on the second floor, waiting for the signal after I went up. Although the inside of the flue was dark and rumbling, he knew from the sound that I had missed my hand. He quickly put his hand into the flue and grabbed it. My back was facing him. He grabbed the collar and pulled it back.

The flue opening on the second floor was even narrower, and there was brick, mud, and cement outside the iron cover. I hit my head on the corner of the wall, and I didn’t feel any pain in the chaos. I’m not a fat man who was pushed to the heel by a tiger. Those who were interested in checking whether they were male or female knew something was wrong, so they didn’t waste a second, and with the drag of the fat man, they crawled back to the flue opening backwards, closed the iron cover with their backhand, and emerged in the darkness. I heard something like a hammer in the flue hit the cover hard, making a buzzing echo.

It sounded like there was something at the top of the flue. I was disturbed by the sound of scraping soot with my scabbard, and actually got into the inside of the flue. The thing bumped against the outside of the flue opening a few times, and then became silent. , the hearts of me and the other three people were in our throats. If the fat man hadn't seen the opportunity quickly just now, once I fell into the crematorium, even if I wasn't injured, I would have been caught by that thing in the flue, that will-o'-the-wisp. What exactly is this thing?

Ding Sitian wanted to see if I was injured, so she lit another match. When I saw the fire, I quickly blew out the match in one breath: "I'm covered in coal ash grease, you want to light me up." Lamp?" As I spoke, I felt that my face was sticky and greasy. It was probably because my head was hit and bleeding. I wiped it with my hand and asked Ding Sitian to find a handkerchief and bandage it for me first.

Lao Yangpi said to me: "I don't ask your baby to crawl through that black hole, but your baby has to crawl through that black hole. Thanks to your baby's good fortune, your baby is lucky."

The fat man said to Lao Yangpi: "What good fortune? If I hadn't pulled him back just now with my quick eyesight and quick hands, from now on, there would be no such big figure as Hu Bayi in the revolutionary ranks."

I said, comrades, when are you now? Let’s not rest on our laurels. Although it is said that death does not belong to the working class, I guess the things in this flue are not good people. There is definitely no hope when we get out of the flue. But we must not be discouraged. According to me If the first plan fails, we will try another one. The only way is to go into the basement in the dark. The situation below is unknown. We can only take one step at a time and stay the same to cope with the changes. No matter what happens next, we must prepare it in advance. Cars, horses and artillery are approaching, and the lame person is mentally prepared to climb the mountain with difficulty every step of the way.

It was pitch dark in the corridor, and it was difficult to walk without lights, but we were reluctant to use the remaining matches anyway. Everyone was poor at that time, and they would not burn clothes for lighting unless they had to, because no one knew about us. When can I see the light outside again? Fortunately, it is inside the building. It is still feasible to walk to the basement by feeling the walls and the railings of the stairs.

The four of us reached the end of the stairs step by step. There was no way to go down anymore. I asked Ding Sitian to strike a match to see the terrain. The underground of this building was indeed a crematorium. In front of us was the crematorium. There are several pulleys for pushing corpses, and several cabinets used to store disinfection and deodorizing supplies. On the white wall next to the cabinets, two sets of equipment similar to chemical protective suits are hung, which may be worn by the corpse burners here. Next to the wall is a huge furnace, with two cold cast iron doors tightly closed. The space on the ground floor is huge. As soon as we arrived at the corpse cremator, a match had already burned to ashes. We didn't even have time to see the corpse. Are there any remains of the victims that have not been destroyed?

The incineration room was quiet and cold, and the air seemed to freeze. Being in this gloomy and cold environment, we were all in a state of anxiety. Ding Sitian pulled my sleeve and asked: "I heard my uncle talk about the past. When it comes to fighting against the Japanese in Shanxi, they either don’t bury the people they kill or bury them in pits, but have you ever thought about why the Japanese here kill people and burn their bodies to ashes in stoves?”

When I was asked by her, I thought that women are just curious and don’t care about getting to the bottom of everything, so I replied casually: "Do you even need to ask? The Japanese must want to destroy the corpses and eliminate traces. Your uncle was an Eighth Route Army soldier in Shanxi." Huh? I never heard you mention this matter." But then I thought about it, no, I never thought of this level. I heard that the little devil is the most stingy. He is reluctant to use a big bowl when eating, and wastes manpower and material resources in this wilderness. There seems to be no need to build a secret crematorium. If there is no need to destroy the corpse and eliminate traces, why incinerate the corpse? Unless there are some corpses...

I think something terrible might have happened in this "Hundred Eyes Cave". Was it the plague? It doesn't quite look like it. The mural that summons the souls of the dead for thousands of years, the ancient copper box transported from Xing'an Mountains, and the secret crematorium built by the Japanese water supply troops. Is there any connection behind these incredible events? Also, where have all the people here gone? Surrendered when defeated? Destroyed by the Soviet army? Or are they all missing like the herds of cattle and wild geese? What is that invisible thing that can devour living beings? Is it the same thing as the dragon-shaped shadow in the cave paintings? What is the use of the stones buried in the crypt? Was the female corpse in the mural dug up by the Japanese? And who is closing the iron gate of the building outside, trying to trap us here? A room sealed with bricks, a gate that can only be opened from the outside? There are so many questions, but these things cannot be guessed by imagination alone.

I know that hearing is worse than seeing, and sight is worse than seeing. Maybe there will be some clues in this underground crematorium, but the most important thing to do now is to get everyone out of this building first. These companions Two of them are my most important comrades-in-arms, and one is a poor and lower-middle peasant whom we should unite with. They have unconditional trust in me, and I will try my best to prevent any accidents from happening to them.

While I was thinking wildly, I touched the pulley in front of the body. There were some white cloth sheets on it. Maybe it was used to wrap the body before incineration. It could just be used to "paint the body". I first wiped off the grease on my head and face. , put on a set of chemical protective clothing with a mask, and then led the other three people to tear the shroud into strips, and used a knife to cut the disinfection cabinet into several wooden strips. After a lot of work, he finally made A dozen simple torches and lighting one of them temporarily alleviated the difficult situation of us blind people riding blind horses.

The lighting range of the torch was much larger than that of matches. Everyone felt their eyes brightened. There were emergency lights and various pipelines on the walls. Unlike the bricks upstairs, which were just steel and concrete, these facilities had long since lost power and could no longer be used. , although the basement is dark and cold, the air is smooth and even better than that of the above-ground buildings. It seems to have a special structure for filtering and ventilation.

We had just lit the torch and were about to carefully examine the terrain in order to find a way to escape. Suddenly there was a violent vibration in the huge incinerator behind us. It seemed that a huge thing was about to burst out of the furnace. I knew it might be what I saw in the flue. Something, but I don’t know what it is. Fortunately, the furnace is bolted, so no matter how powerful it is, it can’t break it open. Even though I only heard its sound and didn’t see its shape, I felt that the sound was terrifying and it was really no small matter. , I can’t help but worry that the solid furnace door will be damaged.

I held up the torch and looked around. There were no extra doors in the corpse-burning room, only a straight passage. I called to everyone: "Although we have beaten bears in the east mountains and slaughtered donkeys in the west mountains, we can retreat when the enemy advances. If you suffer the immediate loss, retreat first." After saying that, he took the lead and entered the passage. The floor of the passage was a cement slope, which was probably designed to facilitate the use of pulleys to push corpses. At the end was another thick iron gate that was completely closed. There was no way inside. On switch.

We pushed hard on the iron gate blocking the passage, and it was like a dragonfly shaking a pillar. It didn't move at all. The fat man and I cursed angrily: "Who designed this damn place? All the switches that open the door are placed outside. !”

This building with one underground floor and three floors above ground is simply a stuffy tank made of reinforced concrete and iron plates. The only unobstructed chimney opening is still inaccessible. If you can't find the exit, you will be trapped here and die. , everyone had no choice but to return to the corpse cremation room and continue to look for an exit. However, the four walls were extremely strong. It was impossible to penetrate the walls of this building with artillery fire, let alone that we only had an old hunter in our hands. Shot.

At this time, the sound in the crematorium had disappeared. I walked quietly to the furnace and put my ear against the furnace door to listen. There seemed to be the sound of a giant thing squirming and rubbing against the furnace wall. I did this to the rest of the people. With a silent gesture, he led everyone to the corner to discuss quietly.

Although the current situation is worrying, there is no direct danger. We still have enough time to discuss how to leave this ghost building. I told my three companions and others: "There is indeed something in the furnace, it seems to be some kind of beast. I guess it may be It was a one-eyed python. It might have been startled by me when I was crawling out of the flue, and it planned to come down and hurt someone. However, it ended up being trapped in the furnace and could not get back. The walls of the furnace were covered with soot and grease, not even a speck of it. Even if you have three heads and six arms, you can’t even think of going up there after you’ve shaved off it.”

After Ding Sitian's parents retired from the army, they were assigned to work in the Museum of Natural History. She knew the habits of many creatures. When she heard me saying that the person in the crematorium might be a giant python, she shook her head and said, "Probably not. Due to the limitations of the environment, , there will be no pythons living in the wilderness between the grasslands and the desert.”

Lao Yangpi interrupted and said: "I told you before, but you just didn't write to me. That's the Dragon King. We have caused a huge disaster this time. Not only did we eat the dragon's sons and grandsons in the water, but we also killed them. The Dragon Prince is trapped inside, and I'm afraid even this iron shell can't stop it..."

I thought to myself that it would be useless to say anything to a poor lower-middle peasant like Lao Yangpi who had too little consciousness. It was like playing the harp to a cow and singing to a donkey. It was a waste of time. He was too accepting of death, and I really didn’t bother to explain it to him. , the current situation can be said to be a city of sorrow, and we have to prepare for the worst. No matter how hard we go upstairs and downstairs, we may not be able to find a way out, but we can't just wait here. It depends on how long we can survive. What about one stop?

Thinking of this, I felt a little anxious, so I impatiently said to Lao Yangpi: "Where can there be a Dragon King and a Horse King? The pole is lying on the ground, and you don't even know how to read it. Why do you believe in these legends?"

Ding Sitian advised me: "Don't always say bad things about Grandpa Yangpi on August 1st. This is not superstition but simple class sentiment. We educated youths who jump in the queue are all here to re-educate the poor and lower-middle peasants, not to educate the poor." As for the lower-middle peasants, my father once said that in the history of China, the most miserable people are the peasants. They have been exploited all their lives. They face the loess and their backs to the sky. The old cows die under the knife at the end of their strength. But in China, the greatest, most enduring and most capable It is also the farmers who endure. Without farmers, there would be no Chinese history.”

When Ding Sitian said that, I immediately calmed down. I also felt that although I didn’t say anything excessive, I really shouldn’t have this kind of attitude towards Lao Yangpi. As the saying goes, a good word will warm you in the winter, but a bad word will chill your bones. But I was too embarrassed to admit my mistake in front of Ding Sitian, so I had to play it off and said to everyone: "I haven't criticized or self-criticized in the past two days. I will definitely make up for it when I get back."

The fat man next to me took the opportunity to ridicule me and said: "After you go back, you have to take the lead in self-examination, study the documents carefully, keep up with the situation, criticize the right-wing ideas deep in your heart, consciously transform your bourgeois worldview, and Explain clearly your historical issues, origin issues, and how you came up with the idea of ​​fame and fortune, broke away from the revolutionary ranks, and embarked on the path of being a professional. Don’t think that if you don’t explain it to the organization, it will be completely unclear to you. I have grasped it. Now I am giving you a chance to explain it yourself. It is to save you and give you leniency. It is best for you to step back from the cliff and never cut yourself off from the people. Historical experience tells us..."

I interrupted him and said: "You fat man, why don't you become the black pen holder of a reactionary organization? It would be a waste of your fat body. We are locked up in this cement coffin that never sees the light of day, and you are still in the mood to talk nonsense." Egg? What the hell did I say that I would cut myself off from the people?"

The fat man said: "Be happy when you can be happy, and be cheap when you can. What's the use of worrying about it, won't you still be unable to get out? In my opinion, we should prepare for a protracted war. I guess in two days, old Ni will see that we can still do it." If he doesn't go back to the pastoral area, he should send someone to find us, right? We can go out when they find this place."

Ding Sitian said: "I'm just afraid that he wants to hide his responsibility for Lao Yangpi, and wants to buy us a few days as much as possible. If we don't have food or water, how long can we stay here? How long will it take them to find us? here?"

When I heard Ding Sitian talking about not eating or drinking, I suddenly had an idea and came up with an idea. I said to Fatty and Ding Sitian: "I have a bad trick. Do you still remember that we roasted piglets in the brick kiln to clear up the slander?" Why don’t we throw down the fire from the second floor and light the crematorium again, so that whatever is inside will be turned into smoke by the fire.”

As soon as this statement came out, everyone declared that it was good. It can be seen that the person involved was confused and had never thought of this method. As long as he tried to light the corpse furnace again, it would not only burn the things in the furnace, but also use the flame to clear the grease in the flue. In that way, one can climb out of the flue. As long as one person can climb out, the closed iron gate can be opened from outside the building.

Just as everyone was about to take action, the torch in Fatty's hand burned out. In order to save as much light as possible, we prepared a dozen torches, but we only lit one when one was almost burned out. It was too difficult to think of a way to escape. She was so excited that she even forgot to connect the torch. Ding Sitian hurriedly took out the matchbox and wanted to light a fire. But at this moment, she suddenly heard a sound in the darkness, as if someone was moving. The place where the sound came from seemed to be the furnace of the crematorium. At the door.

Apart from the four of us living people, is there anyone else in this building? Not even a mouse was seen here. I thought it was Lao Yangpi who went over there in the dark, so I quickly patted everywhere with my hands. Lao Yangpi, Fatty, and Ding Sixian were all around me. How could he suddenly do so in the darkness? One more person? Or is there an extra... ghost?

(To be continued. If you want to know what happened, please log in. There are more chapters. Support the author and genuine reading!)