The dogs seemed to belong here. They knew the terrain well and led me straight into the dense undergrowth.
I still held the watch in my hand. As I listened intently for any sounds outside, I thought about what I had just seen in the dream.
The person I'd seen was undoubtedly Qi Ning.
I'd seen memories from Qi Ning's youth involving this watch. I'd also seen how he'd lost it at the resort.
More importantly, I'd seen the person who attacked Qi Ning.
Both Qi Ning and that person had become ghosts, wandering around the resort. Qi Ning was searching for these pets. He probably hadn't realized he was dead or that there was something wrong with this place. The other person, meanwhile, had gone mad. Perhaps he'd been trapped here longer than Qi Ning, or perhaps he'd realized what had happened to him sooner.
As I thought about it, the fisherman's vest that Qi Ning had torn himself free of suddenly came to mind.
Before the dream ended, I could still sense Qi Ning's thoughts. After surviving the ordeal, he'd wanted to get his belongings back. He had to find the watch, and the fisherman's vest, too. His ID was in one of the vest's pockets.
That sorrowful, troubled thought was the last thing I received from Qi Ning.
Qi Ning's ID...
After Qi Ning's body was found, I remembered the police had identified him through the belongings he'd had with him.
But what if his belongings had been lost long ago? What if someone else had found them?
I couldn't help looking at the dog lying beside me.
Its collar was right in front of my eyes. A name was engraved on the tag hanging from it: "Ruirui." It was also the name Qi Ning had called