Hu Bayi's Story at the Kunlun Glacier

I might have to go to the Kunlun Glacier this time to resolve Hu Bayi's nightmare of over ten years, and perhaps I'll even get a reward from the system.

Three days later, the westbound train roared past, galloping across the vast land...

On the old train, the scenery outside the window flashed by, possessing a dreamlike beauty.

Hu Ming was sitting by the window, watching the scenery, when his shoulder was suddenly patted. He saw it was Sa Dipeng and immediately gave the guy a cold shoulder.

"Comrade Sa Dipeng, don't talk to me about aliens again. My patience is limited."

Seeing this, Hu Ming couldn't help but coldly snort. He had no choice but to act this way. Sa Dipeng, that scoundrel, always pestered him, talking about aliens, refusing to let up. It was like a fly buzzing in his ear incessantly.

"Brother Hu Ming, I'll just ask one last time, were there aliens in the Jingjue Ancient City...?"

Hu Ming glared fiercely at Sa Dipeng. This good-for-nothing was so clueless. He was about to hit him.

"I say, Sa Dipeng, can you stop bothering my brother? Watch out, Master Fatty will beat you up." Fatty, sitting opposite Hu Ming, yelled at Sa Dipeng. Only then did the scoundrel slowly move to the outermost edge of the lower bunk.

This was a six-person sleeper compartment, considered quite luxurious.

"Mr. Hu, could you come here for a moment?" Shirley Yang stood outside the compartment, looked at Hu Bayi, then turned and went back to her own compartment.

"Go ahead, Old Hu." Hu Bayi nodded at Hu Ming, then went to Shirley Yang's compartment. A moment later, a rather angry voice could be heard, followed by the sound of a door slamming shut.

"Mingzi, let's go take a look!"

Hu Bayi arrived at the connection point between the carriages and looked outside through the transparent glass installed on the carriage door.

His face was grim; he was extremely angry right now.

Fatty arrived first, standing by the carriage door. Seeing Hu Bayi's frosty face, he was slightly taken aback, then asked with concern, "Old Hu, what's wrong?"

Ever since Hu Bayi returned from the army, his personality had become steady and reserved. Fatty had never seen him so angry before, and had forgotten that his brother could be so furious. He had thought that his time in the army had stripped him of his temper and spirit.

"They want to change course to the Kunlun Ice Mountain. They didn't mention it before, and now they're setting a trap for us halfway? What do they think we are?" Hu Bayi's cold words sent goosebumps all over Fatty. It was the first time he had seen Hu Bayi so enraged.

He took out a cigarette and offered one, lighting it with a lighter. After the cigarette was lit, he tentatively said, "I think we should just go. We can tell them..."

"No," Hu Bayi roared, almost like a beast, his eyes turning red.

Before Fatty could even say the words "add money," he was startled by Hu Bayi's shout. With his mouth half-open, he didn't know what to say. He was a bit dazed, shaking his long hair that fell past his ears, and took a drag from his cigarette.

"I say, Old Hu, if you don't want to go, then don't. But don't get so angry."

"Old Hu, can you just talk things through? We're brothers, not enemies."

Fatty complained, but he could also understand that Hu Bayi must have had unspeakable difficulties. He turned his head to look at Hu Ming beside him and said, "Mingzi, you saw Old Hu's mood. Why don't you try to comfort him?"

With that, Fatty took out a cigarette and handed it to Hu Ming. Hu Bayi was smoking fiercely, not saying a word.

"Old Hu, I'm not trying to lecture you, but if you have something on your mind, tell us brothers. Anger won't solve anything. Just talk about it, and you'll feel better. What exactly happened back then? You have nightmares every night, what's going on?"

As Hu Ming spoke, Hu Bayi exhaled a puff of smoke and took a deep breath.

The anger in his heart subsided considerably. He looked at Fatty apologetically and said, "Fatty, I was a bit loud just now, but you don't know many of the things that happened to me during my years in the army. I didn't dare to tell you in letters, and even after I was demobilized, I received orders to maintain strict secrecy."

Fatty's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Could it be that he had encountered something strange!

"It's okay, Old Hu."

Hu Bayi took a deep drag from his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and stomped on it with his foot, clenching and then releasing his fists.

Hu Bayi was trying to calm his emotions, but his expression was still very grim. The things he tried hard to forget were being stirred up again, and the fear and helplessness in his heart were evident on his face. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Seeing this, Hu Ming said, "Old Hu, relax. If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it. I'll go ask Yang Xueli why they changed course."

Hu Bayi waved his hand and said, "In '70, I had just joined the army when I was assigned to a mission at the Kunlun Pass in the plateau region. Many strange things happened then."

"I still don't think about many of those things, or I dare not think about them, because those strange events are still inexplicable today."

His thoughts drifted back to his time at the Kunlun Ice Mountain!

"One day, my comrade Xiao Luan and I went to transport supplies. The vehicle was in good condition when we set out, but halfway there, an accident occurred..."

According to Hu Bayi's account, he and his comrade Xiao Luan were driving a military truck to deliver supplies. It was a snowstorm, and the area was deserted.

Suddenly, something entirely blue flew towards them at high speed and crashed into the truck's windshield with a bang. The driver, Xiao Luan, panicked and slammed on the brakes.

They stopped the truck and got out to investigate what it was. Xiao Luan saw a blue ladybug in the snow, about the size of a fingernail. Its entire body looked as if it had been soaked in sapphire ink, so blue it was almost transparent, with its internal organs clearly visible.

The blue ladybug emitted blue flames. As its wings opened, faint blue flames seemed to flow, but the ladybug appeared to be injured, struggling in the snow and unable to fly for a long time.

Neither Hu Bayi nor Xiao Luan recognized this kind of insect. Seeing how shiny and beautiful the blue insect was, Xiao Luan put it in a glass bottle, capped it, and placed it in the truck.

He planned to show his comrades this little blue thing.

Xiao Luan started the truck but found that it had stalled. Hu Bayi had to get out to check the problem. The high-pressure fuel line, which should have been fine, had inexplicably burst. Without spare parts, he had to go to the nearest military station for help, while Xiao Luan waited in the truck for Hu Bayi to bring someone back.

When Hu Bayi returned with rescue personnel some time later, he couldn't find Xiao Luan.

Ultimately, he found a pile of white carbonized ash in the shape of a human figure on the melting snow-covered ground.

Hu Bayi broke out in a cold sweat. The white carbonized ash on the ground looked like the ashes of a person burned alive. Not far from the white ash was a glass bottle, the one Xiao Luan had used to hold the blue ladybug. The cap was open and lay beside the bottle.

This incident was too bizarre and deeply etched in Hu Bayi's mind. Whether his eyes were open or closed, his mind was filled with the image of the blue, flame-emitting insect and Xiao Luan. He felt that Xiao Luan's death was inextricably linked to that insect, perhaps he had been burned to death? This made him terrified and uneasy!

Not long after, due to mission requirements, Hu Bayi led a team of soldiers into the depths of the ice mountain. They had only gone halfway when, while crossing the ice mountain, a soldier slipped and fell into the glacier.

The unit's motto was that no soldier would be left behind. They detoured to rescue him. As soon as they entered the glacial basin, the soldier who had fallen shouted at them to run quickly.

They saw several small blue ladybugs fly out from tiny cracks in the glacier and swarm a soldier. The moment the blue ladybugs touched him, he burst into flames, engulfed in blue fire. He dared not cry out, fearing he would trigger an avalanche and bury everyone.

Seeing his unbearable agony, a soldier drew his saber, crying as he plunged the dagger into the man's heart. He was finally freed, and half a minute later, he was burned to a crisp.

The ground was again a human-shaped pattern of charcoal. The soldier who had used the dagger was swarmed by blue ladybugs, instantly ignited. He gritted his teeth in pain and looked at Hu Bayi, begging him to put him out of his misery.

Hu Bayi couldn't bear to watch the soldier burn alive, so he forced himself to suppress his grief, drew his saber, and ruthlessly stabbed it into the man's heart.

But from the cracks, many more blue ladybugs suddenly flew out, swooping towards them. Another soldier was hit by over a dozen blue ladybugs and instantly burned into a pile of charcoal, only managing to let out half a scream. The other soldiers could only open fire.

However, the gunshots only caused even more blue ladybugs to pour out of the cracks and attack them.

Their commotion also triggered an avalanche. In the end, only Hu Bayi survived.