"A snake?"
It was indeed a snake.
Zhang Shutong's heart skipped a beat.
"How are things on your side?" he asked urgently.
"Don't panic. I see these kinds of snakes all the time. There are a lot on the island. Don't forget what your mom does," his mother's voice returned to a nonchalant tone. "It's bluish-black with some patterns. Let me think. I once attended an ecological lecture and heard someone talk about it. It seems to be a type of Colubridae. There's a subspecies on the island. What was it called... a 'mottled water snake'?"
This description was basically consistent with what he had seen last night.
"Mottled water snake?"
As Zhang Shutong spoke, he opened his browser and searched. It was a very common type of snake. Although he hadn't found the one found outside the villa, at least he knew what it was.
"Is it non-venomous?"
"Non-venomous... I think?" His mom wasn't sure. "Didn't they say most of the Colubridae are non-venomous? If they are, the venom is very weak and won't harm humans. Tongtong, how did you study biology?"
Zhang Shutong just reminded her to be careful. His mom said she was about to drive, and he hung up the phone with a frown.
Unconsciously, he walked to the side door. Looking out through the French windows, the auntie was feeding the dog in the backyard. Zhang Shutong didn't know if this easily poisoned dog was reliable, but he hoped it could be of some use.
He went out and reminded her that she could tie the dog next to the fence gate so it could bark if anything happened.
The auntie, however, quickly stood up and waved him away, telling him not to come closer. Zhang Shutong stopped, and the woman explained that this dog was very fierce and only recognized Mr. Gu and Mianmian. When I first fed it, I had to stand far away.
Sure enough, the large dog stopped eating and crouched down, a pair of eyes with almost no whites staring at him, and a low growl came from its throat.
"This is an old dog." The housekeeper stroked the Doberman's head, and the large dog finally narrowed its eyes in enjoyment, letting go of its guard. "It was here when Mianmian was very young. So Mr. Gu brought it over not expecting it to do much work. He's just a bit nostalgic."
Well, it was indeed a little cruel to have such a loyal old dog stand guard in the snow.
Zhang Shutong didn't say anything more. He entered the living room and found that Gu Qiumian was no longer there. The TV was still on, playing to an empty sofa.
Looking at the elevator again, the number on the display was "2." He thought he had messed up again, but this time he wasn't as at ease as before, solving the case and being able to take care of the young lady's mood at the same time.
At this time, a very cheerful laugh came from the TV. A handsome man and a beautiful woman were gathered together. He just noticed that it was still Tricky Brains. They hadn't finished it yesterday, so it was playing from the beginning again today.
But playing it again was destined to have no audience.
Zhang Shutong just sighed, put on his shoes in a few steps, and thought about the meaning of the snakes.
It's a snake again.
Was this also a change in the "timeline"?
Or were they always there, but he just didn't notice them, and they were coincidentally exposed by this heavy snow?
Zhang Shutong knew there were no snakes near his house. But now, snakes were found in two places: his home and Gu Qiumian's home. In this murder case spanning eight years, both of them were at the center of the vortex. This could no longer be called a coincidence. To confirm this, he even sent messages to his friends one by one, asking them if they had seen any snakes recently.
The answer was no.
The three of them discussed it. Du kang even wanted him to take a picture of the snake stick for him to admire.
But he didn't have time for that now.
The recent discovery undoubtedly strengthened his idea of going up the mountain.
He couldn't wait any longer. It would take half an hour to walk down the mountain road, so he hurriedly hugged his jacket and found Old Song.
"You're leaving now? Should I go down with you?" Adults' worries were indeed consistent.
"I'll go by myself. It's better for you to stay behind." He explained. "Now the road is blocked. Only the two of them are left. If anything happens, it will be hard to get back in time."
"Okay," Old Song hesitated a little. "Then, how about this? You send me a QQ message every ten minutes... no, five minutes, until you get in the car."
Zhang Shutong nodded and said yes. He asked Old Song to let Gu Qiumian know as well and was about to run out the door, but the man stopped him:
"Shutong, don't forget to put this on. Don't worry about how it looks. Keeping warm is important."
He looked back and saw that Old Song was holding up the black down jacket from the sofa. But the clothes had clearly been put into the closet by himself. How did he find them?
Old Song insisted on seeing him wear it before he gave up.
A mentor is someone who babbles when you're depressed, has no dignity when you're feeling down, and is there for you when you're acting crazy.
Zhang Shutong carelessly put on the slightly short jacket, waved at the man, and pushed open the main door.
But he had always been experiencing goodbyes recently. Leaving wasn't smooth. He happened to run into the housekeeper, who had just returned from feeding the dog. The auntie was surprised and asked why he was suddenly leaving and if he wasn't used to something.
He didn't know how to explain it. He subconsciously looked back. Old Song had also returned to the house. The TV was noisy, the living room was empty, and the brewed tea was on the coffee table. It had been hot a short while ago, but now it was cold.
This was a quiet and leisurely morning. The indoor heating meant he didn't need to wear a lot of layers. A thermal shirt was enough. The most suitable activity was to lazily sink into the sofa, hold a cup of tea, and take a nap. Watching a newspaper or a movie would be very happy.
On a day like this, kids don't have to go to school, and adults don't have to go to work. Almost all social activities came to a standstill. No one was willing to run around outside, not even the most miserable office worker. Even the Doberman had to eat in its small kennel.
Zhang Shutong wasn't really a stupid person who didn't understand anything. He turned his face back, a little speechless. He thought for a moment and could only say not to blame herself. Actually, he was used to everything. The food was delicious, the auntie was very kind, the bed was comfortable, and the villa was huge...
It's just that this life isn't for me.
He said goodbye to the auntie again. The auntie helped him open the main gate and told him to come back to visit when he had time. Zhang Shutong nodded but hoped he would never have to return here again.
It was, of course, very cold outside. He couldn't help but tighten the down jacket, but the down jacket was a thin one for women, so it wasn't of much use. His feet were in sneakers. After just a few steps, he felt his socks were wet, and the cold slush began to seep in. But he deliberately didn't change into rain boots. Although the boots were waterproof, they were a size too big and would slow him down in the snow.
He thought he could just go home and change clothes later, so he would just make do for now.
He had long been used to making do.
He made do with what he ate, what he wore, and how he lived. So Zhang Shutong tucked in his pants and stomped his feet hard. It was said that this could promote blood circulation. He had read it from some public account somewhere, but if public accounts were trustworthy, they wouldn't be on public accounts.
Running would make it better. He then quickened his pace, telling his mom that he had set off. A long string of footprints was quickly left on the snow.
Zhang Shutong only focused on moving forward and didn't look back, so he wouldn't notice if the curtains on the second floor were pulled back.
He quickly walked out of the small path in front of the villa. The vast white snow made him lose his judgment of distance. All living things looked tiny in the world. He finally walked onto the winding mountain road and carefully stepped with his hand on the mountain rock. He looked up. The mountain was also covered in a layer of white. If he yelled, he didn't know if it would cause an avalanche.
It was better to be careful.
Zhang Shutong still remembered the general information of the road and chose the safest route. In fact, there was nothing else but the cold for a person walking on it, unlike a car, which could easily lose control and drive off the road.
He paid attention to the time. Five minutes passed, and he took out his phone to send a QQ message to Old Song.
This section of the road was particularly long. The surroundings were quiet. The white snow was the best soundproofing material. He still remembered the pit from last night. Falling in would be troublesome, so he deliberately took a longer route.
Soon, the second five minutes came.
He had overestimated these sneakers. The muscles in his feet started to cramp. Zhang Shutong knew what it felt like for his hands to be cold. It only made him want to hide them as soon as possible, whether in his pockets or by his mouth to breathe on them. There was always a warm place to go. But what about his feet? There was nowhere to hide them.
It reminded him of a little person hopping on a hot iron plate, but he couldn't stop now. The more he stopped, the colder he got.
However, as he walked, he stepped on something hard again.
Zhang Shutong's heart sank. He squatted down and dug it out. It was another frozen snake. Its body was arched, looking comical, as if it was still in the posture of moving forward a moment ago.
This time it was daytime, so he could see a little more clearly. The snake's eyes were open, and its red vertical pupils had lost their luster. Zhang Shutong felt a little creepy. He raised his head blankly, and in front of him was an endless expanse of white.
How many snakes did this heavy snow bury?
He was now on an uninhabited winding mountain road. On his left was the tall mountain, and on his right was a steep cliff. The road was silent.
But what if the snow melted and revealed the dense figures of snakes on the road?
Were they crawling in groups toward the villa?
Zhang Shutong shivered.
At this moment, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Old Song. Zhang Shutong just noticed that the third five minutes had already passed.
"What's the situation on your side?" Old Song asked anxiously.
"I'm fine..." Zhang Shutong replied in a low voice and continued to walk. "I just saw another frozen snake."
"Are there that many of these strange things?"
"Mmm, it's a little eerie. You guys be careful and keep the doors and windows closed."
Zhang Shutong hung up the phone.
He even started to wonder how the dog had died in the first place. Was it related to the snakes? A venomous snake? But on Friday evening, he had clearly found pieces of hot dog sausage outside the fence. Zhang Shutong wouldn't misremember. He trusted his memory. Even so, he subconsciously wanted to find someone to confirm it with.
But no one could confirm it with him.
Old Song "had seen it," but he no longer "remembered" it.
At the fourth five-minute mark, Zhang Shutong stopped. He carefully walked to the edge of the road and estimated the distance. Looking up from here, he could no longer see the outline of the villa. There was probably one-third of the way left, which was about what he had expected.
His feet were gradually losing all feeling.
It was only a twenty-minute walk, which would not even be a warm-up on a normal day. But this time, it was extremely difficult. That's right, walking in the snow was not romantic at all. The warmth in his body from the villa had already been exhausted, but Zhang Shutong knew this was only the beginning and he was not far from the starting line.
—He still had to go up the mountain later. The road would be even harder to walk, and there would be more variables. He only regretted not wearing sunglasses. When moving forward, he had to focus on the road under his feet, but after staring for a long time, his eyes lost focus, and his vision was a blur of white, making him dizzy.
He rested in place for a moment, breathing in small sips. After reporting on QQ, Zhang Shutong stepped onto the last section of the road.
His brain had always been good. He learned to drive quickly, and even walking, he could slowly figure out some experience. He didn't know why, but the snow in the second half of the journey was a little thinner. What he had originally estimated would take ten minutes, he walked in just over six minutes, and he could see the entrance of the winding mountain road from a distance.
He would be there soon.
This was a moment that should have made him feel a little relieved, but Zhang Shutong froze in place again. A chill rose from his spine.
A string of footprints...
Of course, they weren't his...
But on this clean and flawless snow, there was a string of footprints in his line of sight.
Footprints!
The string in his brain instantly tightened. He looked left and right, but there was no one around. Zhang Shutong wasn't shocked to find human traces in this area, but rather...
Who was that person?
What was he doing here?
Who would come to the winding mountain road in heavy snow and walk up, and the end of the road just happened to be a villa?
He didn't care about catching his breath and rushed to the footprints, squatting down.
The footprints were not clear and were messy. He followed the footprints and investigated. The starting point was at the entrance, and the end... He double-checked and was sure he wasn't mistaken and that it wasn't a hallucination caused by eye strain:
Because the footprints had disappeared directly at the edge of the road!
Could it be that the person returned here and turned back?
That was the only possibility.
In any case, he hadn't found any footprints in the first half of the journey, which meant that the other person at least didn't go up. This was the only good news among countless bad news. But why did they go back?
Was it a reconnaissance trip?
Zhang Shutong squatted by the footprints, his brows locked.
He closed his eyes and simulated the route:
A person stepped into the entrance of the winding mountain road, walked in the snow for about two or three minutes. The footprints were dense, indicating that the speed was not slow. Then the person looked around at the edge of the road and finally chose to give up...
Wait, could it be...
Zhang Shutong suddenly had a flash of inspiration and dialed Old Song's number again.
"How is it? Are you in the car?"
"Not yet." Zhang Shutong said quickly. "I just want to confirm something else. When the car repair shop person came to deliver the tire this morning, did he get out of the car and walk for a bit?"
"I didn't ask about that. What's wrong?"
"I just found a string of footprints at the entrance, heading up the mountain."
Old Song seemed to realize something was amiss:
"Okay, you wait. I'll ask him."
Zhang Shutong hung up the phone and studied the string of footprints again.
He stretched out his shoe and compared it. He found that the footprints were a little smaller than his. He had forgotten what shoe size he wore in middle school, probably 39 or 40?
At this time, the phone rang again. Old Song said:
"I asked. He did walk up a few steps along the snow. How else could he confirm that the car couldn't go up? Don't overthink it. Everything is fine on our side..."
"That's good."
Zhang Shutong finally let out a sigh of relief.
His phone rang again. It was a message from his mom, saying she was delayed on the way and would be there soon.
He replied with a "good."
Zhang Shutong had been wondering just now. He had run down the mountain, and even if driving was slow in the snow, she should have arrived by now.
It's good that she's coming soon.
He returned to the mountain road and found a place to shelter from the wind.
He was about to lean against the rock wall to rest, but then remembered that this jacket wasn't his and he couldn't just ruin it. It would be a hassle if it got caught on a protruding rock and was torn. So he just kept standing.
While waiting for the car, he didn't hang up the phone but instead asked Old Song how things were on their end.
"It feels a lot lonelier since you left," Song Nanshan muttered. "I'll just sit in the living room and watch TV. No one's fighting me for the remote control. I have to say, it's quite comfortable. The housekeeper went up to clean your room. Qiuqian seems to be in her room... Oh, I just called her and told her that you had left. She said 'mm' and hung up. Why didn't you go and tell her yourself, kid?"
Actually, Zhang Shutong didn't know how to tell her either. He looked up at the sky. There were no clouds today, and the light was bleak:
"Let's save the goodbyes for next time."
This line that he suddenly thought of was quite a dashing one. He planned to share it with Qingyi when he had a chance.
Old Song laughed and scolded:
"What are you trying to be so cool for now? No, this isn't even cool..."
Whether he was being cool or not wasn't important. He really wanted to save the goodbyes for next time.
When next time came, it would be best to save it for the time after... until the problem was solved.
At this moment, a horn sounded in the distance. Zhang Shutong looked back and saw a black RAV4 slowly stop by the side of the road.
His mom had finally arrived.
Old Song also heard the horn from the other end of the phone and finally breathed a sigh of relief:
"Do you want me to say a few words to your mom?"
"No."
"Okay, then your teacher will continue to watch TV. Contact me if anything happens."
The two of them hung up. Zhang Shutong hadn't even run to the car yet when a woman wearing sunglasses got out of the car first.
His mom was indeed very wise. She knew she had to wear sunglasses when driving in the snow, while he had almost run down the mountain and only realized his eyes were aching after a while.
Zhang Shutong was quite happy to see her. They hadn't talked for long last time before he regressed, but no matter how many times he regressed, the woman's significance to him was always unique and wouldn't be worn down by the passage of time. Maybe this was the power of blood ties?
But he was very happy and gave her a big smile, but his mom wasn't happy:
"Why did you run down by yourself without saying a word?"
The woman lifted her sunglasses and glared.
"I just... wanted to get some exercise."
His mom didn't bother with nonsense:
"Get in the car quickly. Look, your pants are all wet. Come home with me first to change clothes, or you're not allowed to go anywhere. And whose down jacket are you wearing? Gu Qiumian's? Hmm, it's ugly but cute..."
She bombarded him with a string of words, and Zhang Shutong raised his hands in surrender.
He obediently walked down the mountain road. No matter how dashing a man was, he couldn't be cool in front of his own mom.
After she said that, he realized how pathetic he looked: the down jacket was a size too small, his pants and shoes were all wet, and he was covered in snow. He could play a role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"... He didn't mean that the villa was a lunatic asylum.
However, he had finally left that place.
The plan was progressing smoothly, and the price was that he was now freezing. He didn't need his mom to remind him to get in the car quickly. Zhang Shutong got in the car, and the warm air made him sigh comfortably.
It felt good to be reborn.
The heavy car door blocked out the cold wind. The car was quiet, and his mom was surprisingly quiet. Zhang Shutong had thought she would ask about the origin of the down jacket. Even if she didn't laugh, she would at least take a picture for blackmail.
But his mom seemed uninterested and just urged him to take off the jacket quickly.
It was good that she didn't care.
Zhang Shutong let out another sigh of relief. At this moment, his mom suddenly said:
"Look behind you. Do you know who it is?"
As she spoke, the woman put on her sunglasses, shifted gears, and turned around.
"What?"
He was studying the zipper. The zipper on this down jacket was also very small and seemed to be stuck. He couldn't open it after a long time. Zhang Shutong looked up at her words and subconsciously looked at the rearview mirror—
The warm air was blowing, and there was a faint perfume smell in the car. The tires made a squeaking sound as the car turned around. A pendant with a red tassel hung from the rearview mirror in the car.
At this moment, the tassel was fluttering in the wind.
But the air was almost frozen.
In this warm and narrow space, he suddenly felt an unparalleled chill.
Zhang Shutong stared blankly at the rearview mirror, feeling a little dizzy for a moment.
In the mirror was a pair of indifferent eyes.
The girl named Lu Qinglian was sitting right behind the driver's seat.
But why...
...was she in this car?
He then thought of the frozen snakes. They were found in the villa's yard, on the winding mountain road, and on the car's front windshield, and finally...
Finally, he opened his mouth, and the fingers holding the zipper lost their color from the force.
"You..."
Zhang Shutong quickly turned around, his eyes wide. The girl also slightly twisted her neck, and those eyes, as calm as an ancient well, moved toward him. But he didn't know if it was an illusion. He seemed to be able to see that on her face, which had never had many emotional fluctuations;
She was showing a faint, playful smile.