Chen Chuan and Zhan Jiyue stood before the cliff. Torrential rain poured down from overhead, but upon reaching the space around them, it struck an invisible barrier and was kept outside.
The rainwater merged with the runoff on the ground and flowed over the cliff a few steps away, forming a downward waterfall whose rushing sound mingled with the downpour.
Chen Chuan watched for a while before slowly saying, "Before I came out, I checked some public records on this area. Hai Village was hit by a mudslide two years ago. Nearly all the villagers died. The two survivors who remained also contracted a strange illness and died several months later."
"Hai Village?"
Zhan Jiyue froze. "Weren't those two just..." Halfway through, he realized something. His brow furrowed as he looked at Chen Chuan. "Officer, can we go back and take a look?"
Chen Chuan turned and walked to the driver's side, knocking on the window. The window immediately rolled down. He asked the driver, "Assistant Lai, do you recognize the way back?"
"I do, I do. This stretch should be the mountain road leading to Shihe Mountain. It was abandoned more than a decade ago. I used to drive it back when the road was still intact. Strange... how did we end up here?"
The driver was still shaken, and at the same time deeply vexed. He had driven all his life and had never made a mistake, yet today he had embarrassed himself in front of a superior from the department.
Chen Chuan said, "Assistant Lai, this has nothing to do with you. Just drive without worry afterward. Whatever we encounter, we'll handle it."
"Yes, sir!"
Driver Lai was still highly professional, and his nerves were decent enough. Even after encountering such an unreasonable phenomenon, he quickly steadied