Chapter 5: The Blue Flower’s Lure and the Investigator’s Shadow

Blue flowers… a rock cavern… a stag…

The fleeting images from moments ago relentlessly resurfaced in Hu Junan’s mind.

He felt as if afflicted by a mental illness; even his earnest attempts to clear his head failed to dispel these vivid, persistent visions.

“Ugh…”

Hu Junan turned his head, abruptly realizing he was in an unfamiliar woodland.

Disoriented and unsure how to return to camp, he inadvertently spotted a cluster of blue flowers.

They resembled a peculiar hybrid, part butterfly, part four-leaf clover.

Strangely, their petals were adorned with special scale-like structures that shimmered faintly in the sunlight, much like sequins on a lavish garment.

Even more curious, these unique flowers grew directly on tree trunks, seemingly sustained by the trees’ very nutrients.

Curiosity stirred within him, drawing him involuntarily closer to the blossoms, where he gazed at them in rapt fascination.

After a short while, he reached out and touched one, only for the flower to wither rapidly before his eyes.

“This…”

At that moment, he noticed another identical blue flower on a nearby tree.

Not only there, but other trees also bore them, stretching in a continuous line deeper into the forest.

Hu Junan, his senses bewitched by the captivating flowers, thought little of it and followed the path they seemed to indicate.

***

When he finally came to his senses, the blue flowers had vanished instantly, leaving no trace.

It was then that Hu Junan realized he was utterly lost in the forest, unable to find his way back to camp no matter what he tried.

In desperation, he pulled out his compass, only to find its needle spinning wildly as if drugged.

“This isn’t good. It seems I’ve entered an area of magnetic disturbance.”

Amidst his panic, he scanned his surroundings, then his eyes widened abruptly.

“What is this…”

A bottomless rock cavern abruptly materialized before his eyes.

The rocky formations gleamed with a kaleidoscopic luster, shimmering with the beauty of a rainbow’s halo.

Blue flowers even grew within the crevices, making the scene as beautiful as a painting.

Indeed, this was the very cavern that had appeared in his mind.

But what should he do next?

“Should I go in?”

A faint chill emanated from the cavern, where hardly any light penetrated, as if an abyss that devoured illumination was staring back at Hu Junan.

“Well, since I’m already here, I might as well try.”

Just as he steeled himself and took that crucial first step into the cavern, a bizarre sound suddenly erupted from behind him.

It was the roar of a beast, imbued with intense hostility.

Hu Junan instinctively drew his blade and spun around, only to discover that the creature which had appeared behind him was no ordinary wild animal.

It was a monster as colossal as a giant bear, adorned with antlers as thick and massive as tree trunks.

“You are…”

Its fur was of extraordinarily vibrant hues, radiating a luster in the sunlight that deterred all approach.

Instead of fur, its chest was covered in countless golden scales.

“What in the world?!”

Its eyes blazed fiery red, and its teeth were sharp as saws.

Every exposed inch of its skin was as thick and coarse as iron armor.

The monster’s hind legs were hooves, yet its forelegs bore sharp claws.

The tip of its tail gathered the halo of a rainbow, leaving trails of iridescent color in the air with every swing.

The monster glared at him, radiating profound hostility, slowly closing in on Hu Junan, whose only thought was to turn tail and flee.

Encountering such an aggressive chimera deep in these remote mountains, far from any habitation, Hu Junan’s mind had gone blank, as if his brain had crashed.

In the blink of an eye, the monster suddenly attacked, roaring as it lowered its head and fiercely charged Hu Junan with its massive antlers.

By the time he reacted, the creature was already upon him.

In his desperation, he instinctively swung his saber at the monster’s antlers.

With a clang, the curved blade became lodged in the monster’s horn.

The creature gave a mighty twist, and the sharp edge of its antler instantly carved several wounds into his arm, forcibly shoving him into the cavern.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Unbeknownst to him, the moment Hu Junan fell, the monster seemed to perceive something.

Its aggression gradually vanished, and it even attempted to rush forward and save him.

Alas, it was too late.

The rock cavern was like a bottomless elevator shaft, giving Hu Junan his first experience of a desperate sense of weightlessness.

He watched helplessly as the world of light receded further and further from him.

As he plummeted, he struggled with all his might to grasp onto anything that might steady his fall, but the surroundings felt like an endless void, as if he were being sucked into a black hole.

With the splash of water, he plunged into a deep pool.

The frigid pool water instantly enveloped his body, and nearly every pore transmitted a bone-chilling pain to his brain.

With his body temperature plummeting, oxygen severely lacking, and his life force nearing its end, Hu Junan’s muscles began to spasm, and he quickly fell into a state of shock.

[Recording: Unidentified Lifeform detected upon login—commencing vital signs analysis—analysis failed, confirmed as foreign object.]

[Conducting second species screening—screening failed, target marked as Anomalous Lifeform—”Golden Flame.”]

[“Gyroscope” Entry/Exit Inspector has approved the identity of the entrant. “Golden Flame” has been matched to the “Apocalypse Project” corresponding list… We watch you from across the starlit sea.]

***

A day later.

Inside Saxi Autonomous Prefecture First People’s Hospital, three police officers with grave expressions hurried through the corridor under the watchful eyes of numerous medical staff and patients.

They stopped in unison before a patient room.

“Captain Xie, the injured backpacker just passed out of critical condition.

According to our colleagues at the local police station, he’s recuperating in this room.

Not far from where he was found, the rescue team discovered Hu Junan’s makeshift wilderness camp.”

“Are you certain it’s Hu Junan’s camp?”

“Absolutely. All the items in the camp perfectly match Hu Junan’s purchasing records on his bank card.

If it wasn’t him, who else could it be?”

“Hmm…” The middle-aged police officer nodded. “I hope we get some answers this time.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing to report…”

“What else?”

“We found Hu Junan’s shirt near the campsite.

It has unidentified bloodstains, a considerable amount.

The forensics department is racing against time to analyze it.”

“I hope he’s alright…”

The middle-aged police officer pushed open the patient room door, leading his subordinates into the small room.

There, a portly man lay on the hospital bed, his leg propped up, freshly encased in a plaster cast, resting quietly with his eyes closed.

He had heavy eye bags and seemed utterly exhausted.

Even hearing the door open, he didn’t bother to open his eyes to see who had entered, casually inquiring in a placid tone: “Time for another dressing change?”

“Wang Defa, household registration transferred from Donglai District, thirty-seven years old this year, freelancer,” the middle-aged police officer spoke without hesitation, his voice deep and commanding, startling the man into immediately opening his eyes.

“You dared to come to these remote mountains as a backpacker without a backpack or supplies.

Heh heh… you’ve got quite some nerve!”

Upon seeing the police uniforms, Wang Defa was momentarily stunned, utterly losing his composure.

“Uh… I, I, I, I simply had a sudden whim.

Who would have thought I’d get lost and then, to top it all off, fall into a beast trap!”

“Why are you in such a hurry?

Look at you, rambling incoherently.

I haven’t even asked anything yet!” The middle-aged police officer offered a smile that appeared honest but was in fact quite intimidating.

“Wang Defa, according to the information I have, you bought a train ticket to Saxi Autonomous Region six months ago.

After that, there are no further public transport records of entering or leaving Saxi.

I have a question: if you claim to be a backpacker, why have you stayed in Saxi for so long?

Don’t you want to visit any other places besides this one?”

Wang Defa swallowed, his mind scrambling to piece together a coherent response.

“Ever since I was a child, my elders spoke of Saxi as a beautiful place, so I wanted to stay and truly experience it.”

“Then I have another question.

You send a sum of money home every month.

May I ask, do you have a way to earn money while traveling and send it home?”

“Officer, to be honest with you…” Wang Defa feigned composure, though internally he was panicking, his bladder aching faintly.

“Actually, I’m a noble environmentalist.

With the sponsorship of a certain mysterious environmental organization, I volunteered to become an plainclothes forest ranger!”

“Which mysterious environmental organization?”

“I already said it’s a mysterious environmental organization.

If I tell you, it wouldn’t be mysterious anymore, would it?”

“Do you think we police officers would believe your nonsense?”

“Every word I’ve spoken is true.

If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do!”

“You…” Although the younger officers behind the middle-aged police officer were speechless, they had to admit that this story was currently unverifiable, let alone refutable.

“I’m on a mission and don’t wish to delve into your profession.

Just ensure you understand the gravity of the situation!” The middle-aged police officer frowned, not pressing the matter further, but pulled out a photograph from an inner pocket of his uniform.

“Let me ask you, have you seen this young man?

His name is Hu Junan, from Lingfeng, and he’s only eighteen years old.

He had just finished his college entrance exams.

He lost contact a week ago.”

Wang Defa recognized the person in the photo at a glance.

Relying on years of experience dealing with police, he successfully maintained his composure at the crucial moment, revealing not the slightest flaw before the officer.

“Hu Junan… I think I’ve seen him, and then again, maybe not.”

“Have you or haven’t you?”

“Haven’t seen him!”

“Are you certain?” The middle-aged police officer’s expression darkened.

“I’ll give you another chance to formulate your answer.

Hu Junan’s campsite is a mere two hundred meters from where you were injured.

And you still dare to say you haven’t seen him?”

Wang Defa retorted with unwavering conviction: “Officer, even if it were only a hundred meters, with dense forest and vegetation in between, what could I possibly see clearly!”

The middle-aged police officer fell silent, his expression clearly indicating his displeasure.

“Fine, you’re quite something, you really are.”

“Officer, I promise to tell you everything I know, holding nothing back, but you can’t force me to invent things to deceive you, can you?”

“Don’t give me that,” the middle-aged police officer shrugged, accustomed to such antics.

“Who gave you the distress signal generator?”

“I bought it myself.”

“I’ve checked Hu Junan’s shopping list.

It includes a complete set of professional wilderness survival gear, yet only the distress signal generator was inexplicably missing from the camp.

Coincidentally, you have an identical device in your possession.

Can you explain?”

“Same model from Taobao.”

“Where’s the Taobao shopping list then?”

As expected of an old fox who had spent half his life engaging in illegal activities, Wang Defa responded instantly, in less than half a second.

“Someone else bought it for me.

Maybe my wife, maybe my son, maybe one of my countless aunts and uncles – I’ve forgotten!”

“Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!”

“Officer, did I say something wrong…”

“Alright,” the middle-aged police officer nodded. “You really are something.

We’ll see about this.” With that, he raised his arm, gesturing for his subordinates to leave with him.

After they had left the patient room, the Female Police Officer beside Captain Xie finally couldn’t hold back and asked: “Captain Xie, that man clearly had something to hide.

Why didn’t you press him for the truth just now?”

“No rush.

We’ll hand him over to our local colleagues to handle.

You two go stake out Hu Junan’s camp.

I’ll take a team up the mountain to search for Hu Junan.

Splitting up will be more efficient.”

“Yes, Captain Xie!” Just then, the Female Police Officer suddenly felt someone watching her.

She turned around, but the empty corridor held not a single soul.

“What’s wrong?”

“Captain Xie, I keep feeling like someone’s secretly following us…”

The middle-aged police officer glanced behind them, said nothing more, and led the two officers out of the hospital.

Meanwhile, after the police left, Wang Defa finally sighed in relief, his anxious heart settling.

“You brat, an eye for an eye.

We’re even now.

From now on, you’re on your own!”

***

Hu Junan’s consciousness felt as though it had been sealed within an endless darkness.

After an unknown duration, he finally found a faint glimmer of light filtering through a crack in the gloom.

“Wake up… Big brother, wake up… Father, I beg you, save him.

He once saved my life…”

A soft girl’s voice whispered deliriously in his ear.

The crack began to widen accordingly, and light burst forth, tearing through the shell of darkness and surging in, instantly dispelling all gloom around him.

“Ugh…”

When Hu Junan opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted his eyes was a boundless expanse of blue sky and white clouds.

Beneath him was soft sand, and gentle waves lapped at his feet.

“Ah?”

He widened his eyes, propped himself up on one hand, sitting halfway, and surveyed his surroundings with an incredulous expression.

“The ocean…”