Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Chapter 193 [Domain - Tuotuo Mountain] Evil

The name had appeared so many times recently that Chen Ji wasn't even that surprised anymore.

He immediately took a close look at the mine manager. It was 2000, so the age was about right.

If this really is Zeng Guichuan.....

Chen Ji frowned. At this moment, Zeng Guichuan looked no different from an ordinary coal mine owner.

Has the amount of the compensation been determined?

"I asked the mine manager."

Four-Eyes quickly replied, "The tentative estimate is 40,000 per person. Five people died, three are missing, so the total is..."

His words were interrupted by the mine manager.

"No need to give anything to the missing person."

The mine manager simply said, "There are no bodies, so who said they're dead? Compensation is for the dead, understand?"

“Those five short-lived devils, those who came together will receive 30,000; those who came alone and didn’t send a letter to their families will not receive any.”

The bespectacled man stammered, "Mine manager... isn't this inappropriate?"

The mine manager glanced at him indifferently.

Four-Eyes dared not speak.

Chen Ji, listening from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. A human life was only worth 30,000 here!

"Thirty thousand... the family will make a scene." After a few seconds, Four-Eyes muttered again, seemingly trying to get more compensation.

"I remember those people who were traveling together, and some of them were from the same village, right?" The mine manager thought for a moment and said, "Give some money to the villagers so they can go and persuade the families."

“Remember,” the mine manager emphasized again, “this money will come from the compensation funds.”

After saying that, he turned and left with his thugs.

At this moment, Chen Ji was 80% certain that this was Zeng Guichuan, just like ten years later, who also regarded human life as worthless.

He saw Four-Eyes take off his glasses, cover his face with his hands, and sigh heavily.

The miner, Lao Yang, walked silently to Si Yan's side, his face so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

The two men were muttering something, and Chen Ji vaguely heard that Lao Yang's wife, who was cooking at the mine, had also disappeared.

After a few minutes.

Four-Eyes finally noticed Chen Ji and Xu Sandao.

He shook his head wearily and said, "We were originally going to put all of you in the same dormitory, but it's already full..."

"You should go and stay with Lao Yang for now."

He no longer cared whether Chen Ji and the other person had experience.

After a while, Lao Yang led Chen Ji and the other man away from the brick house in silence.

There were more than a dozen cave dwellings sitting side by side on the east side. Lao Yang walked towards the one on the far side.

The cave dwellings were dilapidated, with six or seven earthen beds connected together, covered with dirty cotton quilts.

Everything in this mine seemed to be covered in coal dust; there wasn't a clean spot at all.

"There are only two people living here now."

"It's me, Lao Sun. Lao Sun is going down the well," Lao Yang said. "You guys find a kang (heated brick bed) to sleep on your own."

As he spoke, he rummaged through something in the corner and quickly pulled out two slightly sturdier safety helmets:

"Don't use that junk anymore, take this with you when you go down the mine."

He blew off the soot, his expression gloomy: "Let me tell you in advance, this hat was worn by a dead person before. If you mind, then forget it."

Chen Ji and Xu Sandao, of course, didn't care.

Old Yang invited them to eat together at the mine's canteen, where they met Old Yang's two children.

One of them hasn't been weaned yet!

The little guy was being held by the older woman who was cooking, and Lao Yang seemed to know her very well.

The other one, about five or six years old, was also a boy. He was quite handsome but very quiet.

"Sister-in-law, I really don't know what I would do without you and Lao Sun." Chen Ji heard Lao Yang say sadly, took out a few crumpled banknotes from his pocket, and handed them to his older sister.

"We're from the same hometown, why are you saying that?" The older sister looked at Lao Yang sympathetically: "Qiangzi is about the same age as your second son, feeding both of them is the same, it's fine."

"Have you heard anything from Lili yet?"

Old Yang shook his head: "We still can't find her."

The eldest sister whispered, "Could it be like those five people, killed by a ghost...?"

Chen Ji immediately caught the word "ghost"!

So the previous five people didn't die because of a mining accident?

He and Xu Sandao immediately exchanged a glance.

During the meal, Xu Sandao inquired and learned that a strange thing had happened in the mine a few days ago!

At first, a loud thud came from underground, echoing throughout the entire mine, even louder than an explosion or collapse!

The sound was very regular, occurring every twenty seconds, and continued for ten minutes.

And, at the very same moment, in the minds of everyone here...

The same scene appeared in all of them!

It was a giant ghostly figure, hammering something in a furnace!

The continuous thumping sound was the sound of forging.

Afterwards, five miners died and three others disappeared without a trace, including Lao Yang's wife, Lili.

"I see." Chen Ji said thoughtfully, "Then why aren't the other miners leaving?"

"Why don't you leave?" Old Yang sighed. "More than a dozen have left. Otherwise, why would we need to hire more people?"

"Those who stayed were either the bold ones or, like me and Lao Sun, had families to support."

“Once I find your sister-in-law, I’ll go back to my hometown for the New Year. The mine manager here doesn’t treat us like human beings at all.”

Just then, a commotion arose outside—

Several miners stormed in, shouting, "The mine manager has sealed off the mine! He says no one can leave!"

Immediately, the expressions of everyone eating in the cafeteria changed.

Xu Sandao said softly to Chen Ji, "I knew it would be like this."

“Zeng Guichuan certainly doesn’t want the news of the dead to get out. Besides, people in the mine are in a state of panic right now, and there will always be some cowards who want to leave.”

"But with the weather so cold now, the demand for coal is huge, and this is the most profitable time of year."

"How can we mine coal without miners?"

Chen Ji's heart sank.

This domain will definitely be very difficult. The forging ghost has already killed five people before it even really appeared.

The miners are likely doomed.

He looked around and saw that Lao Yang looked serious and the cook looked worried.

Only the two children were still confused and unaware of what had happened.

My first meal at the mine ended in an uneasy atmosphere.

It was pitch black outside, and heavy snow was falling.

Chen Ji saw the people who had been on the tractor earlier outside the dormitory.

It turned out that, apart from Chen Ji and Xu Sandao, all the newlyweds were arranged to stay in the cave dwelling next door.

It was freezing cold outside, and only a few people were standing outside the door smoking.

After Chen Ji and Lao Yang entered the house, they asked Xu Sandao:

"Why did you ask Pan Yin if he was from Zhaotong when you were on the tractor?"

Where is Zhaotong?

Xu Sandao gazed at the snow-covered ground outside the cave dwelling and said softly, "To be precise, it's a village under Zhaotong."

"The people in this village make a living by taking compensation money."

"It was on the news before."

Xu Sandao explained it simply: This group of people roamed around various illegal coal mines.

They specifically lure inexperienced workers to work in illegal coal mines, then murder them underground and stage it as a mining accident.

Finally, they impersonate the victims' families to demand compensation.

“That boy…” Chen Ji said hesitantly, “I have to tell him about this.”

Xu Sandao glanced at him and said, "You can give it a try."

"But he might not believe you."