ID No. 019 - Chapter 4.1

Chen Yang stood frozen. Soon after, he spotted a familiar face at the gate and dashed over, grabbing at the young man’s crutch.

He sensed some gazes on them and peered behind the young man. The girls, who had been secretly following the man, were caught off guard. Both Chen Yang and the girls stared at each other in confusion.

The man turned around with a frown.

The girls gasped before shyly darting away.

Chen Yang returned to his senses when the crutch was yanked out of his hand. With a start, he forced out the words out of his parched mouth, “Mrs. Liu’s son ate fertiliser.”

“Someone had stolen most of the fertiliser from their house and it’s highly likely he ate it. He must’ve eaten a substantial amount considering how overpowering the smell is. It’s probably still sitting in his stomach.” Chen Yang continued, “Logically, he should be dead, but he can still move and speak.”

Chen Yang had blurted out his findings, but his sole listener remained expressionless.

Chen Yang, “…”

A sharp yell sounded from the courtyard, “Uncle.”

Chen Yang stiffened and looked over, his neck creaking as he moved. He tried his best to act normal, “Yes?”

The boy glanced at the man who stood next to Chen Yang and drew back.

Chen Yang felt a sudden tension in the air. The man’s pitch-black gaze was intimidating enough to unnerve an adult, let alone a child.

He noticed the boy had a shadow, which indicated he was alive.

The feeling of panic subsided somewhat. He was about to speak when the boy scampered back into his room and slammed the door, like a mouse that had seen a cat.

Silence descended onto the courtyard.

The young man sat on the tree stump Chen Yang previously occupied. The ends of his crutches had bits of dirt and grass stuck to them.

Chen Yang crouched beside him and asked, “Where did you go?”

The young man replied, “The mountain.”

Chen Yang exclaimed, “What did you go there for?”

The man remained silent as his gaze swept across the little courtyard. All he could smell was the fishy scent coming from the leather pants that hung in the corner.

Chen Yang recounted the entire incident to the man, withholding nothing except the defensive items he had procured — the iron wire and nails. He eagerly awaited the man’s response.

“Wait till it’s night.” The young man said.

It’s not even noon yet. Can we make it past today?, Chen Yang thought as he wiped his face. Fertiliser was not something you would snack on, regardless of its type. Who on earth would eat it for fun? Even if one were curious about how it tasted, they would at most just lick it.

8-year-olds are long past the age of placing random things into their mouths. If he had accidentally consumed it, he should be showing symptoms of poisoning. However, he seemed completely fine as if his body had digested the fertiliser.

The word “vessel” popped into Chen Yang’s mind followed by Lin Yue’s recount of the evil spirit who sought its replacement. He shuddered and hoped this mission had nothing to do with ghosts.

He had never seen a ghost at the rehabilitation centre despite the heavy Yin energy. They did exist in this world, but he had no idea what they were like.

Chen Yang was deathly afraid of ghosts ever since he was a child. He would cut off all ties with whoever told him ghost stories.

At noon, the group reconvened at Li Dafu’s house. They scarfed down their lunch as they waited for Zhou Xiaoxiao and Huang Qing, but there was still no sign of them when they were done.

Chen Yang stared out the window at the sunny outdoors as his mind wandered to the two missing people and the chubby boy who had eaten fertiliser. A sense of unease washed over him.

Despite not knowing the young man’s name, Chen Yang’s legs unconsciously shifted in his direction, ready to dash over at a moment’s notice.

Chen Yang was waiting for someone to speak, but everyone remained silent even after a long while, so he broke the silence instead, “Something must have happened to them.”

Zhang Yan revealed a bitter expression as he agreed, “Indeed.”

Zhao Yuan’s eyes reddened and he yelled, “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go find them!”

Lin Yue coldly retorted, “You’ve never witnessed death, never experienced betrayal or bloodshed. You’re so naive. What kind of place do you think this is?”

The look on Zhao Yuan’s face warped, “So we’re just going to abandon them?”

“Can we even do anything about it?” Lin Yue shot back.

Zhao Yuan wilted like a deflated balloon. He didn’t know if he would be next.

Warm speckles of sunlight poured into the room and danced across the walls, but an air of gloom pervaded among the five that remained. Zhang Yan was the first to recount his experience, intending to exchange information with the others. He had found large tubs in the eastern part of the forest that contained nothing else but water.

Chen Yang pondered over it for a moment and suggested, “It might be rain water.”

“Rain water?” Zhao Yuan had a look of utter confusion on his face, “Why collect it in tubs?”

“You can use it to water plants.” Chen Yang said, “Life on the island is very crude and the residents here are extremely frugal. It wouldn’t be surprising for them to do so.”

Zhang Yan and the rest remained silent, not entirely agreeing with his explanation. Chen Yang did not elaborate further and planned to take a look himself in the afternoon.

Zhao Yuan said he went diving and investigated the seabed. There were no issues with the marine life, which ruled out radiation-induced mutations. He also spent some time playing games with the kids on the beach and hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Everything seemed normal.

The low heels Lin Yue wore were covered in mud and bits of vegetation. She only mentioned that she didn’t find anything and any further inquiry was met with cutting remarks. The current state of the situation seemed to be driving her insane.

The last person to offer up information was Chen Yang. The group had automatically skipped over the young man.

Chen Yang licked his lips and said, “I’ve discovered something.”

The atmosphere tensed.

Under their scrutinising gazes, Chen Yang said, “Mrs. Liu, the neighbour, had her fertiliser stolen. Her son hasn’t been going to school or leaving the house lately, which I found strange. So I lured him out of his room, and that’s when I noticed the pungent smell of fertiliser whenever he spoke.”

Zhang Yan frowned, “So the fertiliser wasn’t stolen, but eaten?”

Chen Yang nodded.

Silence enveloped the surroundings. Zhao Yuan muttered, “I was baffled by the first part. When I went diving, I left my watch on the beach, but no one stole it. How could fertiliser compare to a watch…” He suddenly stood up and his eyes widened in shock, “Eaten?! What the f*ck. Can you even eat that?”

Chen Yang seemed to smell fertiliser again. He cleared his throat, “Mrs. Liu’s son appeared perfectly normal.”

“Fertiliser isn’t meant for human consumption; that’s common knowledge. Eating it causes vomiting and dizziness, and can endanger your life if taken in large quantities.”

Lin Yue pursed her lips and suggested, “There’s only one reason why someone would eat fertiliser: mutation.”

“That’s impossible. The fish are still fish. It’s definitely not a mutation.” Zhao Yuan frantically rejected, looking a bit unhinged, “It’s not. It’s absolutely not a mutation.”

“If it’s not a mutation, then what is it? Why would anyone eat fertiliser? It’s deadly, right? What about Zhou Xiaoxiao and Huang Qing…” Zhao Yuan’s voice trailed off and he slumped onto the chair, his face ashen.

Lin Yue left.

Zhang Yan also departed from Li Dafu’s house. The mission had finally begun. He breathed a sigh of relief, but the anxiety remained. Tomorrow was the last day and they would be met with danger before they left. He hoped that his luck from the previous mission would hold and he could find a breakthrough before then.