Chapter 59: The Strange Man

Zhang Qinglin sat in the car, worry filling his heart. As he gazed at the sky outside, it too darkened, and in the blink of an eye, heavy raindrops began to batter the car window with a furious rhythm. Xu Bin's battered Santana was rocked and rattled by the torrential rain as he drove; if not for his skill behind the wheel, they might have overturned when they hit a stone while turning at the intersection.

As soon as they reached the crossroads, they witnessed a brutal accident: a red truck stopped in the middle, its windshield shattered and the front caved in with a gaping hole. Beside it lay a motorcycle, mangled beyond recognition. Its wheel still spun in the air, and a person lay a meter away, helmet knocked off and rolling aside, blood spilling from his mouth, the rain washing it away. The truck driver, clutching his bleeding forehead, rushed out, glanced at the scene in panic, then hurried back to the cab and sped off.

Xu Bin slowed as he drove past the carnage, casting but a single glance and not stopping. "The driver just ran off, someone's still lying there. Old Zhang, should we get out and check?" Cheng Che stared at the truck disappearing in the distance.

In the downpour, not a single car passed by, nor any pedestrian—only the dying motorcycle owner, gasping irregularly. Before Zhang Qinglin could speak, Xu Bin pressed the accelerator. "Why get involved in someone else's mess?"

"Uncle Xu, I think that person might still be saved. There's no one else around—if we ignore him, aren't we just as heartless as the hit-and-run driver?" Zhang Qinglin turned to look at the accident.

Xu Bin stomped on the brakes, eyes fixed ahead. After a moment, he sighed. "I really can't say no to you. It's not that I'm heartless—it's that humanity isn't worth much. If trouble comes, don’t drag me into it." With that, he shifted into reverse.

Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che got out, running to where the motorcycle owner had lain. The bike was still there, but its owner was gone—only a single shoe remained, quietly sitting on the ground.

The two of them stared in shock, searching the rain-soaked surroundings for any sign of the injured man. They looked for a long time, but saw no one, and only when Xu Bin called them did they return to the car.

"Such a serious accident, and the motorcycle owner was able to walk away? Unbelievable!" Cheng Che exclaimed, closing the car door.

Xu Bin floored the accelerator, speeding away. "I told you not to meddle. The guy probably went to the hospital himself—no need to worry about him."

He was still speaking when the car jolted with a strange clunk from beneath, and then the vehicle shuddered and came to a halt. The generator sputtered, smoke curling from under the hood.

No matter how he tried, it wouldn’t start. Xu Bin got out to check, returning to say the car was broken and they’d have to wait.

Zhang Qinglin got out, wiping rainwater from his face, and looked at the desolate surroundings—no village ahead, nothing behind.

They discussed waiting for the rain to stop before searching for a mechanic.

The three huddled inside, clothes soaked, uncertain how long the rain would last. Watching the downpour, they gradually drifted to sleep.

The rain continued until nightfall, finally stopping. Only when someone knocked on the window did they wake.

Xu Bin rolled down the glass to see a man in black, wearing a black mask, his eyes bloodshot and bruised, his attire drenched. The man asked, "Hey, brother, can you tell me what village this is? How far is it from Red Banner Village? Could I hitch a ride?"

Xu Bin glanced at the man. "Bad luck, my car’s broken. That place should just be up ahead—walk it yourself."

The man made no move to leave, leaning in further. "No problem, I can fix cars. My hand is injured though—I'll guide you, you operate, and I’ll check what's wrong..."

He walked to the front, Xu Bin promptly got out, and soon called Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che over. "You two, get to work."

They exited, and Zhang Qinglin bumped into the man. "The generator’s too old, needs replacing. Come, give me a hand."

Zhang Qinglin watched as the man walked to the rear, and Cheng Che was already standing by the trunk. "Old Zhang, what are you waiting for? Come help."

He joined them, pushing the trunk; the man beside him pushed as well, showing no sign of injury, exerting surprising strength—the car moved forward as soon as he put his hand to it.

Zhang Qinglin felt he’d seen this outfit before. He studied the man more closely and was taken aback. The man wore a mask, but his clothes were torn at the shoulders and chest; besides the injury at the eye, his hand was wounded and blood flowed from his arm. But most astonishing, he wore only one shoe.

Zhang Qinglin’s palms sweated with fear; he edged closer to Cheng Che. "Cheng Che, is this the guy who got hit?" he whispered.

Cheng Che angled himself, studied the man, and nodded. "Looks like it. He took a bad hit from that truck—could’ve died. Yet here he is, standing like nothing happened. Weird!"

"The engine sounds normal. Push a bit more and it’ll start." The man muttered, looking ahead.

He then dropped his hands and walked forward, and the way he moved made Zhang Qinglin recall the stairwell in the second-floor apartment—the same gait as the man who’d bumped into him.

They pushed the car a bit further, and it started. They climbed in, and the man settled comfortably, saying he no longer wanted to go to Red Banner Village.

Xu Bin asked where he wanted to go. If it was far, they’d drop him at the next village to catch a ride. But the man said he'd guide Xu Bin; his destination was nearby.

Xu Bin drove on, the car swaying through the barren fields. They circled the wild terrain two or three times, and Xu Bin felt something was off—the car was slowing. Zhang Qinglin noticed too, having seen through the window that the route was repeating.

Xu Bin glanced at Zhang Qinglin, his eyes flicking to the masked man in the back seat.

He only knew the man was called Melon Seed, visiting Red Banner Village to see a friend.

Xu Bin and Zhang Qinglin exchanged looks without speaking. After a while, Cheng Che grew restless. "Hey, we’ve been driving forever and haven’t seen a village. Did we take a wrong turn?"

He glanced at Melon Seed, whose eyes stared straight ahead, severe and cold, chin thrust forward. It was unsettling, and his right hand clutched his chest.

"Xiao Zhang, didn’t we just pass this spot?" Xu Bin turned the wheel.

Zhang Qinglin looked out the window. "Yes. Maybe we’re lost. I’ll get out and check!"

Xu Bin braked, and Zhang Qinglin was about to open the door when Melon Seed’s expression suddenly changed, and he barked, "No one gets out here! The road is right, just keep going!"

"Wait, let me get out for a moment," Cheng Che said, opening the door and raising himself. His foot barely touched the ground when Melon Seed’s heavy voice echoed, "I…said…no…one…gets…out…"

The sinister tone made their skin crawl. Cheng Che slowly turned, seeing Melon Seed transformed, his mask fallen to reveal a deathly pale face, sleeves shredded, arms outstretched, mouth agape, lunging at Cheng Che.

"What in the world—" Cheng Che panicked, scrambling out and falling to the ground, rolling and crawling, unable to rise, as Melon Seed closed in.

Zhang Qinglin quickly got out to stop the crazed Melon Seed, and when he grabbed him, was shocked—the arm was icy cold, the chill only found in the dead!

"Cheng Che, are you alright?" Zhang Qinglin shouted.

"Get in the car, both of you!" Xu Bin called.

They scrambled back inside. Xu Bin gripped the wheel and floored the accelerator, charging ahead.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, a figure landed on the windshield—a terrifying, twisted face pressed against the glass. It was Melon Seed, blood spraying from his mouth, covering the windshield.

"What’s happening to Melon Seed?" Cheng Che asked, shaken.

Xu Bin’s eyes flashed as he remembered something. He took out a silk pouch given by Old Man Zeng and handed it to Zhang Qinglin to open.

Zhang Qinglin took out two yellow papers inscribed with indecipherable talismans. Xu Bin glanced at them and told Zhang Qinglin to press one onto Melon Seed, taking the other himself.

They pressed the talismans to Melon Seed, whose face contorted further, then tumbled beneath the car. With a miserable scream, his body was engulfed in flames, slowly reduced to ash.

When the ash vanished, everything changed. The wild fields were gone. Xu Bin stepped out and saw the sun rising in the distance, red clouds coloring his cheeks. Zhang Qinglin got out too, realizing their car was perched at the edge of a cliff; seeing the abyss beneath, fear struck him.

"That was terrifying. What on earth was that thing?" Cheng Che looked down at the precipice, sighing.

"Melon Seed wasn’t human. Let’s go," Xu Bin said, shaking his head as he climbed back in.

Xu Bin explained that Old Man Zeng had followed a master, learned a bit of Taoist practice, and whenever Xu Bin traveled far, Old Man Zeng prepared things for emergencies—though he’d never needed them before. This time, unexpectedly, they proved useful.

Xu Bin took Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che to a friend’s house in River Village, where they changed into dry clothes and tidied up. Xu Bin went out for a while and returned with the exact location of Chen Ershao.

"This is for self-defense," Xu Bin said, stopping the car and handing two daggers to Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che.

He pointed to the factory between two rows of high buildings. "That’s Behind Bridge Street, Mo Port. The person is held inside."

Two men stood smoking at the gate, vigilant, with a sedan parked nearby. As they approached, the door was opened; Zhang Qinglin saw a man in the back seat, resembling Young Master Chen.

At that moment, Zhang Qinglin glimpsed a familiar face in the rearview mirror and cried out, "Wu Cheng’an!"

Wu Cheng’an got out and hurried away.

Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che followed quickly—he had to ask why Wu Cheng’an had fled the hotel.

Wu Cheng’an turned into an alley, and they chased after him.

"Stop!"

Wu Cheng’an halted and turned to face them.

Zhang Qinglin approached, noticing his arm wrapped in bandages, his face bloodless, thinner than before—just two days had changed him dramatically. "Why are you here? Why did you run?"

"No reason. Since I’m here, I’m just like you—here to rescue someone," Wu Cheng’an replied, his gaze sharp.

Cheng Che stepped forward, pointing at him. "You? Rescue someone? That’s a joke. Where were you at the hotel? Now you act all concerned. We’ll save Xinyue ourselves, you don’t need to interfere. Old Zhang, let’s go."