Chapter 7: The Anomalous Object
After dropping off the young men, the official car continued for over a thousand meters before stopping in front of an ordinary streetlamp. Director Qin got out, reached out to the surface of the lamp, and activated a concealed verification device.
Click—
A staircase leading underground opened beside the road.
At the bottom of the stairs lay a research institute hidden fifty meters beneath the surface, responsible for managing and coordinating this current field operation.
“Welcome, Director Qin!”
“How are preparations going? Those young people should have already started ascending the mountain.”
“All departments have conducted self-inspections more than three times, and all equipment is in optimal condition,” came the report.
“Additionally, the four participating youths’ physical examination parameters are all above average, with one nearly reaching excellence. This practice is bound to succeed.”
“Oh, by the way, Director Qin, would you like to join our luck game?”
An employee held a transparent box filled with folded slips of paper.
Despite his usually serious demeanor, Director Qin did not decline. He placed a pre-written slip into the box, betting one thousand rubles.
The bet concerned the “objects” that the four high school students were about to choose—a lighthearted pastime amid their work.
Though he participated, Director Qin sternly reminded everyone, “Entertainment is entertainment, but the simulation must proceed flawlessly. If any errors occur, I will hold the project leaders strictly accountable.”
“Understood.”
At that moment, a notification came from the monitoring department: “They have started ascending the mountain!”
Employees with no pressing tasks immediately gathered around.
The monitoring area was an open circular room, lined with numerous electronic screens arranged in grids. Standing before them, one could easily access information from the entire practice zone.
Up to three hundred surveillance feeds were managed by AI algorithms, automatically centering the most critical views.
The participants’ footage remained fixed in the central area, accompanied by auxiliary screens to assist researchers in observation and record-keeping.
Everyone silently prayed—some for the smooth progress of the exercise, others hoping their bets would coincide with the choices of the four youths.
Five minutes earlier—
At the roadside, at the foot of the mountain.
The team leader was performing standard stretches, eyes fixed on the slope tilted at a 35-degree angle.
“If timing starts only when we step onto the slope, we might as well prepare here by the roadside,” he suggested.
Following his advice, everyone took out potential climbing gear.
Since it was the height of summer, temperatures were high and everyone wore short sleeves and shorts, making them susceptible to scratches from dense foliage.
The team leader was well-prepared, equipped with knee pads, leg bindings, gloves, and telescoping trekking poles.
Roddy, however, had not considered any of these and carried no such gear.
The fully equipped leader continued, “Should we split up to search for the objects or stick together?”
“According to Director Qin, the practice officially begins only after we find and activate the relevant objects, which is when danger might arise. Splitting up to search isn’t out of the question.”
“Since we only have half an hour, I suggest we search separately and regroup in the last ten minutes.”
The proposal met no objections. First, they gathered and activated the “real-time location sharing” function on their wristbands.
At 07:10, the ascent began.
The four set off in completely different directions, moving swiftly given the limited time.
Anna, the blonde, was the fastest and most professional, disappearing from sight first.
As Roddy marveled at her stamina and skill, the team leader’s voice came from the side.
“Heh, our Anna is quite something—excellent in sports and skilled in various survival techniques. Don’t let her outpace you later.”
Roddy did not respond, pressing on in his chosen direction.
Once separated from his teammates and out of sight of anyone, Roddy relaxed.
His mind drifted back several years to a rare moment of joy while hiking with his family.
But the pleasant memory was short-lived.
A cold wind suddenly swept through the mountain, brushing past him.
His exposed arm felt as if icy fingers were tracing it, every hair standing on end.
Alert, he stopped and observed.
His fingers hovered over the chainsaw’s start button.
Though no living creature was in sight, his gaze fixed on a peculiar tree nearby.
Unlike the others, this one was larger, thicker, and more sinister, its trunk twisted in a grotesque bend—commonly called the “crooked neck tree.”
The chilling wind seemed to emanate from it.
Though average in academics, Roddy recognized the tree type: a locust tree.
The eerie wind felt as if the tree itself were calling to him.
So strange, Roddy was nearly certain this tree was linked to the object they were meant to find.
Cautiously, he approached.
His eyes locked onto a pitch-black hollow in the trunk.
The wind poured out from this cavity, and as he neared, he heard a hissing sound—like the groan of a dying old man.
He pulled out a flashlight from the side of his backpack.
The beam pierced the hollow, revealing a square box inside, made of rosewood inlaid with gold.
Considering possible risks inside the hollow, Roddy refrained from reaching in with his hand.
Instead, he found a suitable stick and carefully maneuvered the wooden box out.
As soon as the box left the hollow, the chilling wind ceased.
It was as if the old man had breathed his last breath and finally passed in peace.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Anna, the fastest and most experienced outdoorswoman, stopped and glanced at her wrist for shared location data.
She had already distanced herself far from the others.
“Heh, the ‘amazing’ one Wenwen talked about doesn’t seem that impressive after all,” she muttered.
Just as she prepared to search this section of forest, a sharp clicking sound echoed from within the woods.
“Who’s there?”
No one could have caught up with her so quickly; she had just checked their positions seconds ago.
She did not react like a typical high school girl afraid but instead raised her tactical axe, remaining highly alert.
Her mind was clear: the practice followed strict research institute rules. Since it hadn’t officially started, no immediate danger was expected.
Most likely, the clicking sound was coming from one of the objects.
Anna immediately followed the sound and soon found a clearing in the forest.
It was a true clearing—no trees or even weeds, just bare, extremely dry soil, making her feel inexplicably warm.
Between the slightly raised earth lay a distinct fissure, just wide enough to slip an arm inside.
Click—
The clicking sound came again, unmistakably from the crack.
Anna pulled out her flashlight from the side of her backpack and cautiously approached the fissure.
The beam tilted as she got closer.
When the light shone straight down, Anna’s eyes fixed on the bottom of the crack.
In a blink, she saw what appeared to be a charred black tongue writhing below, startling her into stepping back.
Shaking her head, she looked again more carefully.
There was no tongue at all—only a metal box marked with a hexagram and a goat’s head symbol.