The fire was not very noticeable at first, but it quickly turned into a raging inferno, with black smoke rising into the air. Even though it was across half the lake, it was still clearly visible. If it weren't for the terrain I had chosen, which I knew would prevent the fire from spreading, I would have been worried that the fire would engulf the entire forest.
The startled birds took flight in flocks, as if a large number of hunters had invaded their territory, or as if they were spreading news of a fire.
"Why did they light the fire ahead of schedule?" Situ asked, frowning as he gazed into the distance.
Su Huilan, however, didn't think it was a big deal, saying, "They probably saw we hadn't returned for so long and were worried something might happen, so they set it on fire first. Since it was going to burn anyway, it's better to burn it now. We can deal with Ronald Cohen's body later."
Qingmu sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Thinking about it, it made sense. Leaving Mrs. Larry and Alice guarding hundreds of corpses while he'd been on the ship for so long without sending them any news would make anyone uneasy. Since the bodies were going to be burned anyway, burning them now wouldn't hurt.
But what exactly is wrong?
Seeing that Situ also looked grave and seemed to have doubts, he said, "Let's bring Madam and Alice back first, then slowly search for Petru and Ivan. We shouldn't separate now."
Situ nodded and said, "That's the only way."
They rowed ashore together, where Mrs. Larry and Alice were already waiting. Neither of them looked well, but not quite the same. Mrs. Larry looked tired and pale, as if she were ill; while Alice looked panicked, as if she had been frightened, and her face was flushed from her racing heart.
"Are you all alright?" Situ asked.
"Madam isn't feeling well. Could she be ill?" Alice asked anxiously.
"She was fine just a moment ago," Su Huilan said, helping Mrs. Larry to her feet. "How did she suddenly turn out like this?"
Alice said, "I don't know either. Not long after you left, the lady said she felt very dizzy. I gave her water, but it didn't help. There were so many dead bodies in front of me, and although the Sun was shining, no sunlight was coming down. Everything was gloomy and eerie. I was very scared!"
Duwa came over and grabbed Mrs. Larry's wrist, saying, "Let me see."
Qingmu knew that Duwa was a highly skilled doctor. The old woman who worked as Medicine Granny back then was regarded as a savior by the Mangdian people after only a few pointers from Duwa, but unfortunately she went astray.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little dizzy," Mrs. Larry said weakly.
Duwa frowned and said, "We've probably been resting too little lately. We've lost track of day and night. We really need to get some rest."
She suddenly grabbed Alice's hand and said, "Come, let me show you too."
Alice was startled and instinctively tried to pull back, but Duwa held on tightly, and she couldn't break free, so she obediently let Duwa take her pulse.
Duwa's brow furrowed even more. As she took his pulse, she asked, "Who lit the fire up there?"
"It was me," Alice said. "I was terrified. You weren't here, and the lady wasn't feeling well. I had to look at so many dead people. I got scared and... I set the fire..."
Duwa nodded. "You did the right thing, it should have been burned, it should have been burned just now."
Alice asked, "Isn't there one more person?"
Duwa said, "Not found."
She still held Alice's pulse, but her eyes were fixed on Alice's face, unblinking, which made Alice panic. Alice asked, "What's wrong with me? Am I alright?"
"You're alright." Duwa finally let go of her hand. "You're exhausted; you need to rest."
Qingmu felt that Duwa was holding something back.
The fire was still burning. Although it consisted of dry wood and mummified corpses, making it easy to ignite, it would still take a considerable amount of time to burn it all. Situ said, " Qingmu, let's go up and check how it's going. If we need more firewood, we can add some more."
Qingmu said, "Okay."
Duwa said, "I'll go too."
The three of them climbed the hillside together and arrived at the edge of the crematorium. The flames were still burning fiercely, emitting alternating red, yellow, and blue light. The booming sound was accompanied by crackling sounds, and Mars flew wildly in the surrounding air. Black smoke gathered above the flames, increasing in volume as it rose higher, like a volcanic cloud.
The fire showed no signs of going out, so Qingmu and Situ stopped looking at the fire and instead looked at Duwa, whose face was flashing with the firelight.
" Mrs. Larry is physically fine, but she has suffered psychological trauma," Duwa said.
Qingmu was startled and asked, "What kind of injury?"
"It's hard to say." Duwa paused for a moment. "It was like she was hypnotized, but she resisted. You should understand the possible consequences."
" Alice?" Qingmu and Situ said at the same time.
Duwa shook his head. "I thought so at first too, but Alice doesn't have that ability. If her Mental Power is strong enough to deceive me, then Mrs. Larry shouldn't have had a chance to resist."
That's strange.
The three of them looked at the raging fire. The flames were still fierce, the light so bright it was blinding. They stood there for a long time until Su Huilan came and called them:
"Can you please stop making us worry all the time?"
The three returned to the lakeside and discussed the situation. They decided to go back to the large boat. The small boat and raft were still there, none were missing. Ivan and Petru should still be on the large boat. They had to find them, as well as Ronald Cohen's body.
Back on the Swordfish, Duwa stayed on deck with Alice and Mrs. Larry. Qingmu, Situ, and Su Huilan went down to the cabin again to search, but still found nothing.
Of course, the Swordfish was very large, and relying solely on torches for lighting was unsustainable and made it impossible to search every corner. They returned to the deck, rested for a while, and then changed to new torches to continue searching the cabins. This was repeated several times, but they still could not find any trace of Petru and Ivan.
For a long time afterward, they slept and ate on the boat, taking turns going ashore to chop firewood and fish in the lake.
While chopping firewood, Qingmu glanced at the crematorium. It was now a scorched earth, the vast expanse of ashes a horrifying sight. But this blackened area seemed particularly eerie. Normally, human bones turn white after burning, and calcium shouldn't turn into carbon no matter how it's burned. Calcium oxide should be very visible in the ash, but where were those three hundred-plus corpses?
He searched for a long time but found no trace of bones. He remembered that when the fire first started, the birds in the forest had taken flight in fright, as if someone was driving them through the jungle. At that time, the fire wasn't very big.
Ronald Cohen is gone, and now, the bodies of the hundreds of soldiers who were turned to mummies along with him seem to have vanished after cremation as well.
Of course, the dead were not the most important thing; the lives of the living could not be ignored. They did not give up searching for Petru and Ivan, searching the cabin several more times and sometimes in the nearby woods, but they were nowhere to be found, as if the two men had disappeared along with the dead.
During a break, Alice asked, "How long have we been like this?"
Time had passed so long that Mrs. Larry could no longer rely on her accurate biological clock to make the calculations, so everyone turned to Situ.
"Twenty-one seconds."
Situ stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky as if searching for something among the stars.