It turned out that even though Black Three was currently alone, he would definitely not be a match for Lin Erda on his own. However, in terms of influence in the mortal world, he was definitely much stronger than the three of us combined. The two words I had given him that night, "Songzhai," resulted in him handing me a piece of paper the next morning.
On it was a rough map of the route to Songzhai.
"A person asked me to ask you, is it this Songzhai?" Black Three asked me as he swallowed a whole tea egg.
I secretly looked at the picture. Honestly, at just one glance, I felt excited. I could confirm that the person who drew this map must absolutely know about Songzhai. In addition to the marking of Songzhai on the map, the positions indicated on both sides of the street were exactly the same as the ID answers given by Uncle Lin.
"Yes! This is it. Did he mention where this location is?" I asked excitedly.
"He did. If it's correct, he needs to meet you in person. He's very curious about how you knew about Songzhai," Black Three said.
"And, this is an old man who used to be a parasite. Several decades ago, his wife was a well-known figure in the entire Shandong underground world. Then during the Cultural Revolution, his son and daughter-in-law were condemned and died, so his mental state is a bit abnormal."
"And, he only wants to meet you alone," Black Three said in a long-winded manner.
"Is this old man crazy?" I was surprised.
"More or less. On the one hand, it was because he had suffered too much from the past, and on the other hand, it's his old age affecting his mind," Black Three said, smiling at me. Regardless of how I looked at it, he seemed to take some pleasure in revenge for my previous distrust of him.
The image of a crazed old man involuntarily flashed in my mind, making me shudder. But I couldn't say anything. I had to meet him, and as a young man, I shouldn't be intimidated by an old man who was probably around a hundred years old.
"Here's the address. Remember, go alone, and also, this old man is a bit strange," Black Three said.
I took the address and left. This time, the taxi driver must have known the address, and the driver was a woman in her thirties or forties. When she heard the address, she said, "That place is a bit remote!"
"What do you mean? I have a friend who lives in that area," I said.
"Okay, it's far. It's not appropriate to go on the meter for forty yuan. Don't worry, I won't cheat you," the driver said. I nodded and didn't say anything. Money was not really an issue for me now. The car started to drive on the main road, then turned into a few small lanes. After a while, I had lost all sense of direction. By then, I didn't know which way was north or south, and I let the driver take me wherever. It really was a winding road, and eventually, I had no sense of direction. When the car stopped in an area that seemed like it was about to be demolished, the driver said, "It's a bit far here. Do you want me to wait for you? I can wait for half an hour if you give me an additional ten yuan." Seeing that I was a bit stunned, she added, "What I mean is, when you come back, it's not easy to get a cab in this area." It seemed that this aunt was a straightforward person, with a kind heart. I paid her fifty yuan and told her to wait a little longer.
I got out of the car and found a pink signboard hung across the street. There was a woman in revealing clothes squatting at the door, and an old man with a few missing teeth was putting his hand on the chest of a prostitute in her thirties. It was a ridiculous scene. At his age, he still had the mood to engage in such activities?
I searched around and eventually found the address that Black Three had given me in the midst of the weeds. It was a nameplate with "No. 9 Qingwang Street". There was even a piece of military commendation metal on this plaque. As I peered into the courtyard, I saw that it was overgrown with weeds and the gate was locked with a rusty padlock. It looked like a long-abandoned place, and I couldn't imagine anyone living there.
Could it be that Black Three was deliberately playing a trick on me?
But it wasn't likely. He didn't even know the names of the buildings near Songzhai. The person who could draw that map definitely knew about Songzhai. I stood at the door and shouted, "Is anyone there?"
After a few calls, no one responded to me. Looking at the tall weeds inside, I wasn't sure if anyone was there. Suddenly, I thought, this old man was almost a hundred years old. Maybe he was deaf. I estimated the gate wasn't very high, so I thought about climbing over and taking a look. It was an old metal gate, very easy to climb because the metal frame could be used as a ladder. When I was halfway up, I felt a sudden pain on my back. I turned around and saw that the old man who had touched the prostitute's chest at the massage parlor had unknowingly sneaked up behind me. He had a branch in his hand, apparently having hit me without my noticing.
"You old lecher, get out of here, or I'll slap you," I snarled at him. My impression of this old man was very poor. He couldn't even walk properly, and yet he had the energy to visit prostitutes. Didn't he care about his old face?
As soon as I said this, the old man acted like he was crazy. He didn't say anything, but directly started hitting me with the branch behind my back, shouting in an extremely strange voice, "Thief! Thief!"
I was startled and wished I could give him a couple of slaps. I was unsure if anyone still lived around here. Seeing the massage parlor was still there, it seemed that there were still people around. I quickly jumped down and said, "What are you shouting about? I'm here to find someone!"
"Nonsense, who are you looking for? Why don't I know you?" the old man said.
I was taken aback. Could this old lecher be the bizarre old man that Black Three had mentioned?–Thinking of this, I asked cautiously, "Songzhai?"
When the old man heard these two words, he trembled with fear, dropped the stick, and grabbed my hand, saying in a terrified tone, "You mustn't say these two words! You mustn't say them!"
The old man was close to me now, and he exuded a strong stench. His breath when speaking was even more unbearable. His hands were dirty as if covered in a layer of black armor. I didn't have a cleanliness obsession, but I felt a bit nauseous. I couldn't help but wonder how the prostitute from earlier managed to endure such disgustingness. Was the money she earned worth the revulsion?
The old man took out a key from his pocket. The old lock responded even to a key like that, and he opened the gate. By now, he was smiling and said, "Come, come inside."
He walked in front, his steps faltering, his head full of messy white hair. Even in the yard, I saw many stacked beverage bottles. I really admire Hei San. How did he find this old scavenger in one night?
The old man led me into a two-story house. The windows on the first floor were luckily covered with paper, but most of the windows on the second floor were rotten. When I entered the house, I even felt like I might have walked into the wrong place.
The house was extremely tidy, remarkably so. Despite the slightly worn-out decor and furniture, it was impeccably clean. When the old man entered, he even changed into a pair of slippers. It seemed that he was truly a strange old man, just as Hei San had said.
Trembling, the old man poured a glass of water, using a disposable cup. When he asked me about Song Zhai, I replied, "It was a friend of mine. I was just curious about what kind of place Song Zhai is."
The old man did not press me to reveal which friend mentioned Song Zhai to me, but I had a feeling that behind his thick-framed old reading glasses, his eyes seemed to see through all my thoughts.
"Song Zhai, that's a place where ghosts sing opera," the old man said vaguely.
If Uncle Er disappeared on the ground, we can still go and rescue him. But if something unexpected happened in the water, even the most skilled person, if trapped underwater for a few months, the situation would definitely not be good.
It seemed like Black Three could read my mind as he said, "Don't worry, I don't believe anything will happen to them. Underwater, there are many unimaginable things. This is not boasting. Not to mention the water city, even in the depths of the sea, I have encountered and survived such situations for months."
"I wanted to say, 'But this time it's not just a battle,'" but I didn't. I'd rather believe that everything Black Three said was true.
After a temporary agreement on the next course of action, we waited for Black Three's colleagues to prepare the necessary equipment and then headed to the location marked on the map. Professional divers would be sent underwater to search. Of course, the big tree would assist in some way. His presence would definitely be beneficial and give us the right to proceed unhindered in many cases. Otherwise, would the few of us dare to openly salvage things in the water city?
After determining the route, I returned to my room and took a shower. Today, at that moment, I was really scared, and after showering, I turned on the computer. I had recovered my long-unused QQ account yesterday. Now, upon opening it, I suddenly saw a local news alert.
Near Qingwang Street, a female corpse was found, naked and in a tragic state, with no significant external injuries. The police have issued a reward notice and are seeking reliable clues from anyone with relevant information. A taxi driver identified a man with an accent from another region, wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and brown leather shoes, in his mid-twenties, who appeared at No. 9 Qingwang Street today.
In the air-conditioned room, I broke out into a cold sweat instantly.
I saw a photo of the female corpse. Sensitive areas were pixelated, but her face was not covered.
This was the streetwalker who had said she could entertain me for 30 bucks.