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Chapter 5 grave on the mountain

carnival of death 森村诚一 20319Words 2018-03-21
At 1:00 p.m. on January 2, Showa 40, the snow-covered mountaineering campaign aimed at the east wall of S Peak in the Northern Alps began.The mountaineering masters Tatsuhiko Ozaki and Ryojiro Misawa of the Tokyo Rock Peak Climbing Association have already broken through the first rock peak. In the morning, the temperature was high, and the cloudy sky felt like it was about to change. At this time, the clouds and fog filled the air, and the snow began to fly down. The first rock peak that has just been climbed is now surrounded by thick fog. When breaking through the second rock peak, they ate soda biscuits with black tea in a thermos while exploring the rock cracks ahead of the climbing path.The sudden drop in temperature did not allow us to settle down and have lunch in a leisurely manner.

The wind has picked up, the snow has become dense, and it has turned into a blinding blizzard.Even wearing a windproof jacket can't resist the cold, piercing the flesh like a knife, and the temperature has dropped to an unusual level. But the journey isn't halfway there yet.Above is a group of precipitous rock peaks, they are showing their ferocious faces, standing tall. "What should I do?" Ozaki, the No. 1 athlete, suddenly looked timidly at Sanze. "Climb, even in this weather, you still have to persevere!" Sanze was resolute and courageous.If you miss this opportunity, you never know when you will be able to climb again.Almost all sacrificed precious vacations and salary income to come to the famous and steep east face of S Peak in the Northern Alps. In the middle of the climb, we should not be defeated by such weather.

Sanze's heart was filled with the enthusiasm and vigorous ambition of mountaineering fans.Resolutely ran into this bad weather, so I stubbornly didn't want to give up. Ozaki's heart was heavy.If you continue to climb with this posture, when the mountain is completely buried in this bad weather, you have to put on armor and hang the suspension belt directly below the summit. If he got to the top, he had won on his part; but what if he couldn't?Ozaki's body wasn't shivering just because of the cold. However, I represent the Tokyo Rock Peak Climbing Association together with Misawa. As a mountaineering athlete, I cannot show weakness, especially in front of Misawa...

"Do you need to take the place of No. 1?" Sanze asked as if he had seen through Ozaki's heart. "No, it's okay." I continued to be number one because I still had the consciousness of being a competitor. And judging from the current rate of temperature drop, I still have the idea of ​​climbing a little more. "Let's go!" "Oh." The two continued to climb vigorously.The wind and snow became more and more violent, snow flakes fell continuously in the sky, and the sky above could no longer be seen when looking up.The depressions on the rock platform that are easy to see during the snow-free period have been blocked by the accumulated snow.I had no choice but to grab the convex corner along the wall on the upper right before climbing up.

Ozaki hit the wall hooks continuously because he didn't catch the head and the foothold. It was after three o'clock when they seized the badly weathered rocky foot. "Change." Sanze forcibly took the No. 1 position.Ozaki, who had climbed up here, was exhausted, so he gave up bluntly this time. Sanze first relied on the wall hook, climbed up to the depression of the steep wall slate slightly to the left above, hung double leather pedals on the rickety wall hook, and crossed over. After all, it is a very skilled movement.Then, on the vertical rock wall with a foothold, he drove into the wall hook section by section, and continuously used the leather pedals on the suspension to climb up to the height steadily.

At this time, the blizzard blew on the cheeks mercilessly, and even the figure of Sanze, who was climbing immediately ahead, was invisible. "Bad thing! Bad thing!" Sanze wrestled with the rock wall, cursed smoothly, punched the wall hook in, and continued the suffocating climb. "Okay, bring up the climbing rope!" At this moment, Ozaki just threw the climbing rope, and with a whoosh, snow and smoke fell straight down like a waterfall.Ozaki stood firm in shock and took a posture of self-protection. Soon, Misawa's body fell down the rock like a snow block. Oops!It was too late to think so.Unable to withstand the terrible impact, Ozaki held on to the climbing rope and, together with Sanze, fell straight down the steeply sloping snow wall.

Falling to 60 meters, finally stopped.It was a slightly sloping snow field, and Sanze's body was still 20 meters away. "Sanze!" Called him but did not answer.My body was trembling and I couldn't move. The wind and snow from the side took away my vision. The ski poles were thrown away under the impact of the fall. The backpack with food and climbing equipment was also missing. However, fortunately, there was no injury anywhere in the body. It is a miracle that there is no injury from falling rocks. While looking around carefully, he went down to Sanze.Sanze's feet were bleeding, and the nearby snow was dyed bright red.

"Is it all right?" "Hey! Is it okay?!" Ozaki approached, shook Misawa's body several times, and finally got a weak reaction. "Ah, Ozaki? Probably broke his foot." Misawa's pale face was distorted, and there were scratches near his cheeks, which were not serious injuries. "Can you move?" "Look around, please help!" Sanze stood up slowly while supporting Ozaki's shoulders, and suddenly frowned tightly! "Ah! It hurts, it hurts, no matter what!" He yelled.The long handle of Sanze's snow pole was broken, and the assault mountaineering backpack was still on his back.For the fickle Ozaki, what makes him more happy than the fact that Misawa is still alive is that the mountaineering backpack is not lost, and there are still some utensils and food left in it.

Most of Sanze's injuries seemed to be serious. In the freezing cold, every time his body moved, he would sweat profusely in pain. In that place, it couldn't be dealt with anyway, but moved slightly downward.Although the slope of the rock wall is slightly weaker, it is still an extremely dangerous place without knowing when the avalanche will strike. Ozaki, who carried Misawa on his back, left the snow, relying on the climbing rope tied to his body, using the rock wall as a pillar, and hanging down along the rope.Then, I saw a birch tree that fit my hand, I used it to descend again, and pretended not to hear Sanze's screams, I fell 40 meters below, and found a rock pit that could accommodate two people.

Ozaki used a broken ski pole to pull the snow rake out of the rock pit, and used this place as a camping ground.Wedged a wall hook into the rock wall behind, tied the person with a climbing rope, and built a small light tent to prepare to spend the night here. Mountain, it's completely dark.The two yelled as if they were crushed. Sanze's injury was a complex fracture of the left foot joint. In addition, the right thigh was stabbed by the tip of the snow pole, causing a lot of blood. The stab wound on the thigh was temporarily tied up with a towel. In the mountaineering rucksack carried by Sanze, there are soda biscuits, chocolate, cheese, maltose, and canned condensed milk.If two people save food, they probably won't be able to last three days.

"Does it hurt?" Ozaki asked, but Sanze's pale face only trembled slightly. The weather didn't clear up the next day either, not only did it not clear up, but it got worse.Because the radio was installed in Ozaki's lost mountaineering backpack, he couldn't hear the weather forecast.However, the low pressure generated by the East China Sea split into two when it reached Kyushu, expanded violently in Japan, and rushed eastward. Taking advantage of the consecutive holidays in the first month, mountaineering tourists began to flock to the Northern Alps.Mountainous areas across Japan are being engulfed in a massive snowstorm that has claimed the lives of tourists in what has been described as an unprecedented record in Japan's mountain disaster history. Both were trapped in a blizzard.The bad weather had turned into two ferocious low-pressure shells, and they didn't know it yet. Sanze was unwilling to be reconciled to the initial failure of climbing to the top because of his eagerness to win, but at this moment he paid a heavy price. Crawling like worms on the heights, these two recalcitrant beings against bad weather were met with mountain fury, blizzards, avalanches, and depressions, all conceivable abominations in the mountains all at the same time.This dealt a severe blow to both men. The snow continued to fall on the third day, and a large amount of snow mercilessly piled up on the steep slope, unable to bear the weight, and avalanches occurred everywhere. Suppressing the sound of the wind and snow, the loud noise of the new avalanche, like the explosion of strong gunpowder, roared in the surrounding ridges and rock ditches.Echoing this, like boiling water, is the sound of snow falling continuously. At this time, the low pressure facing the eastward on the mainland merged into one body when it descended to the East China Sea, and the wind became stronger and stronger.The very dominant high pressure triggered by this came from the mainland of China, and the pressure slope was very strong.The strong monsoon wind gallops with a murderous ferocity on this steep slope, which is high in the west and low in the east. Located at the northern end of the Northern Alps, the Sfeng mountain area is baptized by the monsoon. Although it is far away from the low pressure, as long as the monsoon brought by the high pressure continues, the bad weather will continue for many days, and the snow will fall more and more. thicken up. Sanze's body also deteriorated rapidly.Frostbite on the tips of hands and feet was developing, and there was nothing to do.Ozaki's own physical strength was also rapidly declining.In short, if the snow doesn't stop, people can't move. "At that time, if you just listen to me and go back!" Now that he was firmly grasped by the God of Death and gradually strengthened his grip, Ozaki recalled the reason why he was forced into this desperate situation. "No matter how much you wait, the mountain will not escape. This is because that guy Sanze stubbornly wanted to climb to the top, but he fell into the snow and couldn't do anything." Thinking like this, we must give help in this situation to keep Sanze, who was alive, had unbearable hatred. It turned out that Ozaki and Misawa were not quite right.For Sanze, who has a strong sense of superiority and is not satisfied at any time if he is not centered on himself, nothing is more appropriate than saying that he is the most annoying person. However, Ozaki didn't realize that this kind of disgust was born from the similarity between his own personality and Misawa.It seems to enlarge the ugliest part of oneself to show off to Sanze, and this is the same in Sanze.Therefore, the mutual exclusion of two people is not only because of the consciousness of competitors. Why group these two opposites?That is first of all because they have a route from the open cliff A that they want to take the east face of Peak S, which is also one of the few extremely dangerous cliffs in the Northern Alps.Although it is not the first time to climb, it is also the first attempt to make a short-term assault by a two-person team during the snow-covered period.It is also because in the Yanfeng Climbing Association, where there are so many warriors, there are no mountaineering masters who surpass them. It was Misawa who first came up with this plan, and he expected Ozaki to be his partner, which is also a challenge.Coupled with the reason that neither party can find a satisfactory partner, this also contains the murderous intention of the contestants to fight one-on-one. Therefore, when Ozaki felt that the weather was bad and hinted to retreat, Sanze advocated moving forward, and he had to follow. Looking back now, it was because of a stupid competitive spirit.However, after the accident, the mountaineering community will use "reckless mountaineering" to ask questions.When I was on the mountain, the mountain that was my goal was right in front of me, so it was really difficult to go back.But the greed for the top bee, the persistence in deliberately striving for heights, the childish vanity shown to partners, these are multiplied by personal heroism, and the result is that he knows the danger and waits there with his mouth open, but he still moves forward Before, continue to take your own steps. The veterans who blamed the mountaineering themselves must have experienced this once or twice in the past. However, as long as you are saved, you can be talked about in any way.If you don't get help, don't you just die like this! ?This ominous premonition gradually raised his head in Ozaki's heart. He gradually realized that this kind of low air pressure was definitely not just a simple low air pressure. "In this bad weather, the rescue team can't come, and the food on hand is almost finished. If you wait for the rescue team with Sanze, you will indeed die." The shadow of anxiety quickly enveloped Ozaki . I'm hungry, the tent is leaking, my butt is wet, and the excrement is all over the floor. It's really embarrassing. "In this way, there will be only freezing to death and starvation to death. Instead of sitting around waiting to die like this, it is better to take a chance. It is time to make mental preparations for the danger of avalanches." "But what about Sanze? That guy can't get down alone." "However, there is not much energy left to satisfy my own activities." "Leave Sanze alone?" In the process of growing uneasiness, Omai asked and answered excitedly.In the past, Ozaki and his companions were trapped on the top of Mount Kitakama on Gun Peak by a snowstorm.My friend M, who was caught in the same situation as me now, had the strength to escape alone, but sacrificed his life for his friend.He recalled this heroic anecdote now. "Working hard depends on fate, does roommate Yu Tu also depend on fate?" Ozaki suddenly recited the last words left by M when he was dying, and kept shaking his head.He has no intention of sacrificing himself for Sanze. ——Speaking of the beginning, Sanze insisted on continuing to climb; if I had retreated honestly as I thought at that time, I would not have fallen into such a miserable situation.That guy also did it to himself—— Ozaki finally decided to abandon Misawa and escaped alone.From struggling to the safe foothills to being taken back by the rescue team, if Sanze is still alive, there is still a chance for them to rescue. "But nine times out of ten, that guy won't be able to keep him." Ozaki realized this, and started his own actions. "Do you want to go?" The drowsy Sanze opened his eyes vigilantly, his eyesight seemed to be weakened. "Can you? Sanze! You will lead the rescue team back tomorrow, don't leave here!" "Take me with you too, you can't keep it alone!" Sanze said in a thin voice. "No! I can't go down with you anyway. I'm not sure about going alone. Just wait, I'll definitely come back." "No, please take me with you! Do you want to escape alone? Leave me alone in this harsh place, do you want to survive?" Although the voice was weak, Sanze's words contained a tone anger. "Don't talk stupid things. If this goes on, both of them will die. In short, this is a last resort to survive." "I hate those decent words. You want to throw away your seriously injured partner and let yourself escape from danger! You are not allowed to do that, take me with you! Otherwise, we will die together!" Sanze He held Ozaki's leg tightly.From where in the weakened body did such strength remain?This is simply amazing and terrifying strength! "Hey, hey, you didn't understand! Let go, let go! It's better to risk one's life than to die together!" "Bastard! It's still that kind of plan!" Ozaki involuntarily said that he broke his heart, and Sanze was not frightened, but hugged his hands even tighter. "Keep your hands off! There's no room for argument in a place like this!" First of all, two people are pulling each other in the rock pit they are in, which is dangerous in itself. However, Sanze couldn't listen at all. The last hope of survival is only pinned here, and Sanze desperately clings to it.Ozaki gradually became angry.Sanze felt that Ozaki seemed to be dragging himself into the abyss of death. The other party has such a mood, and that kind of mood has also arisen here. Ozaki resolutely kicked at Misawa's wounded part with the leg that was held tightly by Misawa.Unexpectedly, Sanze, who was attacked by a counterattack, felt very painful and couldn't help letting go of his hand. "Stay here and don't move!" Ozaki dropped his last words as if grasping an impromptu line, and left the rock pit. Misawa sent Ozaki away with a look of deep hatred. When Ozaki's figure became smaller in the distance, he suddenly remembered something and turned pale in astonishment. "Ozaki! Hey, Ozaki! Give me a little bit of the food, please!" Although he shouted in despair, Ozaki would never come back here for the promised food.Sanze woke up painfully. "Bastard! If I can survive, I will never forgive this bastard!" In anger, Sanze climbed out of the rock pit, rolled down the steep slope, and got stuck in a dangerous place.Having lost his only chance of survival, he arouses deep anger. "By the way, even if I die, I have to prepare the conditions for being able to report on this beast. Write this down now." Sanze thought of writing a mountaineering diary, but the diary and pencils that had been kept in his pockets were stolen by Ozaki at some point. "Beast!" Sanze groaned in pain, which was no different from killing someone.In the vertical space where the blizzard was fierce and violent, what awaited the thrown seriously injured body was indeed death and no way out.Before death, the possibility of the rescue team coming is gone first. Ozaki struggled to walk to the foot of the mountain smoothly, but he did not correctly inform Misawa of the location where he left Misawa. Ozaki stole the mountaineering diary in an attempt to completely conceal his "murderous behavior". "When the rescue team finally found out, I had already become a corpse that could not speak." Sanze realized that he had completely caught Ozaki in the net of complete crime. Facing the found body and the flames of cremation, Ozaki may still shed a few "commendable" tears for losing this incomparable mountaineering companion. And anyone would believe it.Although he is about to die, but he is not yet completely dead, he has no way to escape from death. A new avalanche occurred in the nearby ice ditch, and the space below where Ozaki walked was also filled with snow and smoke.He hoped that it would be best to be buried in this avalanche. For the current Sanze, this is the only thing he can do. After several years. Invested by Keikyu, a large private railway company in Japan, the first official mountain hotel in Japan was built in O-cho City, Nagano Prefecture, where mountaineers from all over the country gather at the northern Alps pass. "Keikyu" has noticed that the 4 million to 5 million mountaineers and large tourist groups in the country are becoming luxurious year by year, and they have broken away from the original flavor of mountain guest houses and built high-end hotels like big cities. The first generation manager of this hotel is Tatsuhiko Ozaki, a young manager who is famous for his talent at the Keikyu head office. Centering on the route network of private railways, various businesses such as hotels, tour centers, and department stores have been established."Keikyu", which comprehensively develops tourism along the route, has become the originator of mountain tours and a bridgehead for entering and leaving the Northern Alps. The one who helped Ozaki become a businessman was promoted because he was a well-known mountaineering master of the Tokyo Iwamine Climbing Association, and he often appeared in the mountaineering world. Even so, it is dangerous to manage a large hotel with 200 guest rooms and 300 waiters when you are only about 30 years old.Such objections are not without exception.However, "Keikyu", which was operating the mountain hotel for the first time, could not find another suitable candidate. Probably because of the reason of "no talent", the youngest manager was appointed in the "Keikyu" joint venture. Sure enough, Ozaki lived up to expectations and put in a lot of effort. A weekly magazine of a large company, almost at the same time as Ozaki took the management position, was preparing to edit a special issue on the topic of "Do employees need to love the spirit of the company", and asked him to write a comment. "Why do you ask such meaningless questions? Isn't that a very clear question? Okay! As long as you come to the company, the staff's life can be guaranteed. Because you have to pay tuition fees to go to school; make suits, eat canteens, and live in houses , all cost money. But after joining the company, they will teach you how to do things, provide food, let you live in staff dormitories, and pay monthly wages. Isn’t it strange that you still don’t love the company?” He said in an incredible gesture , Ask the society back. The reporter of the weekly magazine office could only nod his head and say "it's true" before leaving; but in his heart he felt that Wei Wei seemed to be a simple-minded person. The reporters who came to interview under the contract with the publishing house couldn't understand Ozaki's spirit of serving the public as he did in the feudal era to repay the emperor's favor, but he didn't care about his own life. Different from the hereditary master-slave relationship, the modern labor-capital relationship is a sales contract relationship with labor as the object.Although born in such an era, it is also a strange thing that there are wage earners who have not taken a step out of the ideological circle of "feudal loyal ministers". "This guy can be the content of an interesting special!" The reporter was delighted.But in Ozaki's case, it's not because of the salary that he has the "suspected spirit of loving the company", but because he loves the company just like a woman. It wasn't the love that came from being promoted this time, but from the moment he joined the company, he was like the "adopted son of the company" and devoted himself to loyalty and diligence. "As a wage earner, needless to say at work. It is when you are wandering after get off work, and when you are relaxed and happy at home. No matter at any time, you must face the company with this attitude. The attitude of a man to his job is different. This will not work!" This is Ozaki's "employee philosophy". It is indeed admirable not to use work as a means of obtaining wages, but this attitude actually contains a strong sense of fame and fame. From his student days, Ozaki believed that wealth and power are always on the side of the current system, and on the side of the anti-system against power, in the final analysis, there is no possibility of defeating the current system. A lot of youthful energy was wasted. In the end, what I got was the mantis holding back the car, and the injured person was the mantis himself. There is only one youth in a lifetime, why not do your best to assimilate into the current system.When assimilation is achieved, the huge power and wealth of the current system will also become their own. Ozaki's spirit of loving the company and his selfless loyalty to public service all started from here.And his attitude is probably closely related to this promotion. It's mountaineering. This first ascent and the development of new climbing routes are all for the sake of fame and fame under the pretext of interest. Let's not comment on the right and wrong of Ozaki's utilitarianism for the time being, but because of this promotion, his attitude has played an effective role in the company system. As a result, Ozaki's emotions were high, and his loyalty and hard work to the company were further strengthened.Now that I am an independent person in power, it doesn't matter what I do.However, the 300 subordinates, whether willing or not, were impatient with his gesture. As a manager, Ozaki manages as follows: First, gather those who work on the day shift at 8:00 a.m. for a morning meeting.At this time, all employees should sing the oath of "Gratefulness, Loyalty, and Service" loudly to the company's fundamental policy. Then, salute to the portrait of the founder of "Keikyu"; dedicate adoration to the "Mikage" of His Majesty the Emperor during the war. It is also necessary to determine the "today's slogan", which is the "duty code" for the day considered by Ozaki, and requires the staff to resolutely implement it in action. For example, "serve with a smile", "determine responsibility", explain inexplicable slogans with inexplicable words. "We are workers, work, work, work hard!" Finally, the morning meeting ended with such an oath. Those who do not obey or chant are absolutely not allowed. "Since you have joined the company, you have the obligation to obey the company's rules. Those who hate this may be fired at any time!" He shouted. The system he adopted, which was opposed by all the waiters and finally had to be abolished, was called the "pure labor system." The working hours of the hotel are 8 hours of actual work and 1 hour of rest, which should be limited to 9 hours in principle.Night service and intermittent service, everything is based on that. Ozaki's actual service time is the real and thorough actual labor time.During this time, of course, chatting and drinking tea are not allowed, not even going to the toilet. However, if it is impossible not to go to the toilet at all during the 8-hour actual working time, Ozaki stipulates the toilet time for men, 15 minutes for men and 20 minutes for women. The time was extended. His further "counting operations" are truly terrifying.The rented rooms should be compared with the total number of guest rooms, that is, the proportion of rooms that guests pay to live in in the hotel, which is called "room occupancy rate". Among the 100 rooms, if 80% are rented out, the room occupancy rate is 80%. However, Ozaki did not include this 80%, but expressed it with the term "corruption rate" of 20%. That is to say, hotel guest rooms are different from formed products such as TVs and refrigerators. If they cannot be rented out today, they cannot be transferred to rent tomorrow. Guest rooms that cannot be rented out today will never be rented out today.Vegetables and meat are rotten, and there is still waste value to be turned into fertilizer, but the guest rooms that cannot be rented out are not even worth the waste, so the "corruption" is thorough. Because it is such a point of view, instead of using the method of calculating the occupancy rate like ordinary hotels, this method of calculating the "corruption rate" is used to blackmail the waiters. In order to implement thorough efficiency management, he classified each department in the company as finely as possible, making them "independent business units" and assigning their respective labor quotas. For general management departments such as personnel and general affairs other than business relations that do not directly contribute to the turnover, the scope of expenditures is determined one by one in advance, and those that exceed the scope are counted as debts, and those that are controlled within the scope are counted as surplus. Racking his brains to improve his grades, Ozaki received unanimous resentment from the waiters. Just then an event happened.Ozaki is still a bachelor. Although he is not old enough to marry as a man, when he has to consider getting married, because he is promoted to an "important position", he has no time to spare. Because I am single, I stay in the hotel all day long.As the general manager, of course he had to live in a dedicated room, but in order to carry forward his "loyal minister style", he was on duty that day and walked around in the empty room. Dedicated to a room, it is bound to be contaminated with the smell and characteristics of the occupant of that room, which is the reason why it cannot be provided to other guests. After 12 o'clock that night, Ozaki exited the empty room.At that time, it happened to be the peak summer season for mountain tours in the Northern Alps. In order to entertain the closed body who stayed overnight, he was busy almost all night for several days, and even the tenacious Ozaki felt tired. Since it is a mountain hotel, it cannot only accommodate mountaineering guests.In order to increase the room occupancy rate, ordinary guests who visit must also stay overnight.And to ensure that there are no empty rooms, even those men and women who come in undecent companions must stay. Since the room was no longer available for single use, he used a double use instead.After rushing through the shower, I got into bed and went to sleep. While feeling tired, there is also a sense of fulfillment after a busy day.After roughly reading the evening paper, I went to turn off the lamp on the bedside table next to my pillow.At this time, he accidentally touched something, which was an odorless, sticky liquid, which was slippery and covered his palm. Ozaki jumped up suddenly, carefully observed the slimy object on the bedside table, from the initial stupefied Looking at each other, a terrible scowl finally appeared on their faces. Ozaki, who was flicking the phone at the service desk with trembling fingers, shouted, "Who is the supervisor on duty tonight? Murakoshi? Come to me right away!" Murao Yue ran over in a panic.He was sent from the hotel of this system, because he is very weak, he is nearly 40 years old, and he is just a room manager, and he hasn't been promoted for a long time.He is an out-and-out hotel waiter who came out of handyman. "Manager, what's the matter?" He was very sensitive to Ozaki's unusual expression, so he asked anxiously. "I don't know what it is? Look at this!" Ozaki said as if to fight back, pointing at the things on the bedside table.Muraoshi began to feel surprised, and when he saw this thing, his face turned pale with fright. "Have you checked the cleaned rooms one by one?" Ozaki said more and more forcefully. "Yes, it is." "Then, why did you throw this unclean thing here?" Muraoshi was questioned at a loss for words. That thing was a used condom.The man threw it on the bedside table when he was done using it. This room was cleaned by the work-study female students, who didn't seem to notice the things on the bedside table.Unfortunately, on this day alone, Murakoshi did not inspect the cleaned room, and that's when Ozaki came in here. "If we see that it's okay, what should we do if guests come in! Hey, is it still like a first-class hotel directly operated by 'Keikyu'?" Ozaki reprimanded Murakoshi as if he was catching prey that could not escape.The initial exasperation quickly turned to sadistic glee. "I'm sorry!" Murakashi lowered his head deeply, and didn't express anything else. "The mistakes are not over!" Ozaki suddenly opened his lips and snickered secretly, grabbed the things on the bedside table, and threw them at the unsuspecting Murakoshi's face. Murako didn't dodge, and slapped the rubber cover in the middle of Murako's forehead, just stuck there. It was Murakoshi's duty now to bite his lip hard and endure this insult without saying a word. Tatsuhiko Ozaki, the general manager of the Keikyu Mountain Hotel, went to Mount H of the Northern Alps to inspect the work of the tour guides of the mountain tour group, and he has not returned five days after the scheduled return date.The hotel issued a report to the O Town Bureau in the last ten days of September. H Peak is the main peak of the Northern Alps.The mountain with a mature figure was severely eroded by the glacial period and perennial wind and snow, forming jagged rock edges and unusually steep bare rock slopes.This is a central resort for rock climbing. The mountain is huge and steep, but it is relatively easy to go from the foot of the mountain to the mountain. There are mountaineering roads and mountain guest houses, and the mountaineering routes generally pass through here.Because women and children can easily reach the top of the mountain, in summer, mountaineering tourists from all over the country flock in droves.Among the mountains of the Northern Alps, it boasts an overwhelming reputation. In terms of elevation, it is only 2 meters lower than the second-ranked Southern Alps.In Japan, people are familiar with the style of the Northern Alps, and at the same time, it is also a superlative place for mountaineering enthusiasts. After climbing Peak H for five days and not returning, of course an estimate of death must be made. But just after the big typhoon in this season, the advantage of mobile high pressure is very prominent, the whole country is in a state of stable climate, and there are no conditions for death.And Ozaki will not climb too high now, he belongs to the mountaineering master group of the Tokyo Rock Mountain Climbing Association, and he is also a well-known mountaineer there. The possibility that he died when he checked the work of the tour guide of the mountaineering group and climbed the H peak in normal weather cannot be considered.However, mountains are often pregnant with sudden dangers that cannot be estimated with "worldly" common sense. Although Ozaki has experience and skills, there is no guarantee that he will not be involved in this dangerous vortex. The search request report was transferred to the Northern Alps Rescue Team and the H Peak Permanent Patrol Team via the O Town Bureau.According to years of experience, some mountaineers were gathered on Peak H, and a permanent patrol team was set up to take on the task of disaster relief. The patrol team, headed by the captain of the patrol department, is composed of 6 police officers, and they organize patrols in the H peak mountain area. 40% of the fatal accidents in the Hfeng mountain area, which is famous for its rock walls in Japan, are caused by falling rock walls, followed by avalanches, freezing to death after fatigue, rolling stones, and slipping and falling on snow valleys. The patrol team received the task from the O Town Office immediately started to search the ridges, gullies, mountain streams, rock walls, and snow valleys, especially the longitudinal roads and rock walls on the ridges and ridges where accidents were concentrated from early summer to early autumn. Carefully inspected. But in these places, there was no trace of Taiyan Dayan. The current mountain has passed the peak period of summer mountain tours, and it is just in a "vacuum state" before the new snow falls.Most of the mountain guest houses are closed, and the managers have gone down the mountain; the ones that are open are just open and closed.It is almost unbelievable how crowded it is from late July to mid-August. Even so, finding witnesses was difficult. The most famous route of H Peak is: the route along the front of G Valley; the route next to the K Valley ice pit; the route crossing the main vein and walking southward from the adjacent peak Y Peak. If an accident occurs on these routes, it has nothing to do with the season.Because it is the road frequented by mountaineers, it will be clear at once; and this is the place where the patrols search most carefully.There are more than 30 mountain guest houses scattered in the mountains, and there is no record of Ozaki's stay. Maybe you didn't climb peak H?Someone raised such a question.But the bus attendant who went to the foot of the mountain confirmed that he got on the bus, which was also confirmed in subsequent investigations; there were also people who witnessed Ozaki climbing up the ice pit in K Valley. However, no one found him on the way down from Peak H and on the bus on the way home.Because Mt. H is located between Nagano and Gifu prefectures, investigations were conducted on the descending mountain roads, buses, and aerial ropeways on the Chifu prefecture side, and there were no witnesses. To put it simply, Tatsuhiko Ozaki has disappeared without a trace since he climbed Mount H. Could it be that somewhere in the vast H peak mountain area, there was an accident and died without anyone seeing it?提出这种想法的人,想来可能是不知H峰地理情况的门外汉。 本来,H峰山域在向开发进军的北阿尔卑斯山中,是受到最大开拓的地域。不用说一般的路线,就是所有岩壁、岩谷、岩涧的最新攀登路线都被开拓出来了。 取了“小屋山”这类别名的山间招待所很多,几乎都装备了电话和浴池。 时至今日,山是“圣域”的观念已经完全没有了,它不过是一个标高3000米的旅游地罢了。H峰回到原来的“圣域”观念里去,说的只是新年以后的一两个月的严冬期,这也并非言过其实。 尾崎登山的时间是夏季游山高峰刚过的9月下旬。在这个山域的什么地方遇难、碰上了倒霉的事,完全是说不通的。 巡逻队把尾崎是知名的登山家联系起来考虑,为了周密起见,又对岐阜方面垂悬的险峻岩壁、T谷进行了搜索。 这里,被称为“岩石的墓场”。被誉为阿尔卑斯山山主的向导人说,这里是“飞鸟不栖”的极险的岩壁。 但这里也是自从大正末期的登山先驱者垒上纪念性的堆石以后,就成了日本攀登岩峰的最高练习场,受到了登山家们的亲近和喜爱。 险峻而又阴暗的岩谷啊,惊人心魄! H峰常驻队在实行各巡逻班总动员的基础上,得到本地有志者的协助,对T谷所有的路线都进行了搜索,可到底没有找到尾崎的尸体和任何足迹。 就这样,一个人在中部山岳国立公园开发最深入的地方,烟一样地消失了。 O町署非常重视这个事件,与普通的出奔者和失踪者不同,尽管人进入一定的地域是确实的,但是其中的失踪却隐伏着不平静的东西。 在遇难的估计中,考虑所以没有发现尸体,可能是因为有人在那里做了什么手脚。如果有谁人为地藏匿起尸体,而警方还当做一般山间遇难事故来查,那当然是不能发现的。 但是那个“谁”为什么必须藏匿起尸体呢?怀疑这里就有犯罪因素的存在。 因为仅仅是个疑问,不能确定就是犯罪,所以不能正式设立侦察本部,而且H峰山域也在O町署的管辖范围之外。 O町署考虑了这些情况,在向所属的M市署秘密请示的同时,派侦察一股的一名刑警,专门从事这个下落不明者的侦查。 专任这个虚幻无实案件的侦查人,是O町署侦察一股的刑警正冈武市。他最初从署长野田那里接受命令的时候,就感到非常不快。 搜索行踪不明的人,让侦查一股这个能干的刑警去干,真是找错了对象。 可署长却直截了当地说道:“有杀人的嫌疑,拜托了!”这样他就不能再说不同意了。 最近,正在进行着横穿北阿尔卑斯山、连接长野、富山两县的一大山岳游览路线的建设。由于管辖区域内从全国各地流进来大量的人工,打架、杀伤等事件频发,侦察一股进入了工作繁忙的状态。 因人手不足而极度忙碌,后来又把老手正冈抽出去,看来署长对于这个案件,给予了不同寻常的重视。 要是署长像“分数迷”一样的仅仅注意捕人率,那是不能接受的。但正冈之所以勉勉强强地服从命令,是因为野田人缘好的缘故。 “可是,到底从什么地方着手侦查呀?”受命的正冈感到束手无策。侦查没有尸体的死亡案件,在迄今为止的长期刑事侦察生活中,还是初次的尝试哩。 在估计有尸体的H峰山域,已由专门巡逻山岳的人们搜索了所有的角落。 现在再没有正冈搜索的余地了。而且说到山,就不是徒步可登的丘岗,他感到那是力所不及的。 警察一般是犯罪发生之后才开始侦查的,防止犯罪于未然当然也是本身所负的任务。社会影响大的案件可以另作别论,但对仅仅是去向不明而无犯罪嫌疑确证的也要侦查,这可说是没有前例的。 从一开始,就是破例的侦查。 结果,正冈只能像处理普通杀人案件那样,除了从“被害者”周围查起就别无办法。 也就是说,从认为有杀害尾崎达彦嫌疑的人中,查出对他确有杀害动机的人来。 因为是彻底的任意侦查阶段,所以必须像不能任意怀疑那样,非给以细心的倾注不可。 正冈暗中对尾崎周围进行调查,了解到尾崎是独身,没有家眷,他在O町市内租了一间公寓一个人住着;但他几乎不回到那里去,常在宾馆里停宿。 作为刑警,当然要从尾崎在现岗位的人际关系中,着手展开调查。 随着暗中调查的不断深入,对尾崎这个人物的轮廓渐渐清楚了。正冈获得的东西是,尾崎有强烈的功名欲,认真执著,所有的部下都嫌恶他。 受到与年龄不相称的提拔的尾崎,成了“爱公司精神”的化身,干劲十足地工作着。那是来自“一将功成万骨枯”式的功名心,他把部下完全当做工具来对待,结果没有一个部下跟着他。 部下接受命令大抵也像发薪前那样的假服从,但一有空子就举旗造反。正当他们瞄准目标的时候,对象的身影却突然消失无踪了。 尾崎如果依然呆在宾馆里的话,很可能陷入全体服务员对他大打出手这种一触即发的危机中。 然而,对此畏惧而事前隐遁,也不符合尾崎的性格。 尾崎受到了全体服务员的怨恨,而这种怨恨又向杀人动机的连结上飞跃了。 但是,在这里不是飞跃的人物浮现出来。一个叫做村越文雄的客室主任,在三个月前值班的夜里,被尾崎把一个脏东西摔到了脸上。 正冈从恰在尾崎的怒声中、继村越之后走进去的女服务员那里,听到了这件事,认为那是一种严重的侮辱。 要是换了另外的人,一定会在那个地方扑过去殴打,然后扔过去辞职书。可村越却一声不响地忍受了。从中学毕业就进了“京急”系统的宾馆,在这个行业中干了20多年的他,已经习惯于忍耐一切了。 但这不是客人施加的横暴。接待客人的老服务员,对于客人的横暴无理,是相当有耐性的。 尾崎不是客人,是称为经理的有形的上司。总之是自己人,是在同一单位工作的伙伴。 憎恶这种东西,较之对清楚了然的敌人,在有利害对立关系的伙伴之间,更容易激烈地燃发出来。尾崎所加的侮辱,就是从职业伦理中排除出去,但仅仅因为抗议也不能发散出去这点,村越所受的精神打击,也会像不完全燃烧的无处投奔的怒火一样闷在心里的吧。 那是一旦遇到什么机会,就会暴发的一种危险的“能源”。 正冈把自己放在村越的立场上考虑。 ——如果我遇到了同样的事,出于什么考虑,却不能当场抗议和反击呢? “他兴起杀人之心也不是奇怪的。”正冈这样想道。 “村越是有动机的。”正冈做了判断,对村越周围进行了仔细的调查,发现有村越不在现场的证明。 在尾崎进入H峰到去向不明的一周之内,了解到村越并没走出O町。从O町到H峰山麓,乘火车和公共汽车来回用一天时间足够了。夜间没有公共汽车。溪谷一带都是险路,因连续发生跌落事故,一般车辆禁止通行。 打消了夜间往来的可能性,当然要考虑是在白天行动的了。但,村越当时是一天也没休息地守在宾馆里。 而且,即或瞒过人的眼目能够往来,可不善登山的村越,能在山上袭击知名的登山家尾崎,那也实在是不合情理的。 但,村越不能完全被排除在外。因为是在他受到超过忍耐限度的侮辱之后,尾崎才断绝了消息的。 村越一定是以某种形式牵涉在内的——这样估计的正冈刑事,继续对村越的周围加强了执拗的注意。 最近,村越和H峰山肩的别墅经营者三泽良太郎来往频繁。此后不久,正冈就开始追查起这件事了。 H峰山肩的别墅,是在H峰和紧邻K峰之间的鞍部、把马背般的山脊凿开后建造的。顺着别墅前后垂直落下的山谷走去,可以通往长野和岐阜。 别墅被形成H峰的辉石安山岩包围着,周围是荒凉的。但是在接近H峰山顶的位置上,视野辽阔,俯瞰下去能把飞騨和信州尽收眼底。在这别具风格的山间别墅,H峰游客们几乎都在这里停留下自己的脚步。 这个别墅,是闻名于登山界、H峰的开拓者穗村音松建造的。他因衰老不能继续维持下去,数年前就把经营权让给了三泽良太郎。现在这座别墅已被改造成为坚固的石造别墅了。 村越和三泽亲密,这也没有什么值得奇怪的。三泽是一个年轻能干的经营者,又是最早认识到在O町市必须开设正式的山岳宾馆的。宾馆开张时,他曾作为客人热心地前来参观学习过。 在当今向山域开发进军的年代,山间招待所那种低劣的服务条件落后了。三泽也打算在自己经营的别墅内引进宾馆式的服务和设备,令游客从山上下来后必定耍住到宾馆里去。他因此和客室主任村越亲密起来,这样,办事就方便得多了。 正冈刑警刚刚了解到三泽的弟弟是隶属于东京岩峰登高协会的登山健将,数年前曾在H峰遇难。 而且当知道当时的合作者是尾崎达彦时,正冈在秘密侦察中才开始感到有了头绪。 对尾崎怀有怨恨的村越,和H峰山肩的别墅经营者三泽良太郎正在接触。三泽的弟弟数年前和尾崎结成伙伴攀登S峰,但仅有三泽的弟弟遇难。现在,村越文雄、三泽良太郎及其弟弟这三个侧面,逐渐地向尾崎铺下了一张网。 “在H峰遇难的时候,也许有什么问题吧!”正冈像好不容易闻到猎物的气味一样,睁大了眼睛。 从署长那里取得数日出差许可的正冈刑警,走访了S峰山麓、东京O岩峰登高协会和尾崎登山关系中的知友,调查了当时遇难的前前后后。 结果,了解到如下的一些情况: 一、根据半死半活地挣扎到山麓的尾崎的报告,知道三泽良次郎已陷于危机中,当地有关单位立刻组织救险队前去援救。但发现三泽的场所,离尾崎告知的地点相当远。 二、三泽的食物完全吃光了。如果按照尾崎的说法,分手时曾把剩余的苏打饼干、巧克力等分给了他,但那些食物的包装纸等东西,却一概没有发现。 三、没有写完遗书,而且理应三泽携带的登山日记也丢失了。 从以上各点,正冈做出了下面的推断,也就是尾崎把负伤的三泽抛下之后: “为了自己脱险,夺走了所有的食物;为了不使这个事实被写出来留下,又夺走了登山日记;而且为了让三泽停留在那里,更是故意告知了错误的地点。” 对此,当时谁也没有怀疑。那是因为人们普遍认为,登山家不会那样残忍无情。 陷于遇难的异常状态中的尾崎,正确地记住那个地点是困难的;食物的包装纸被风雪吹散了;登山日记是在坠落过程中遗失的。这样的考虑也不是一点道理都没有。 但是,这里有一个持怀疑态度的人,那就是死者的哥哥三泽良太郎。 良太郎以亲骨肉的敏感,和刑警怀有相同的疑问。至于他怎样解开自己的疑问,在现阶段还不了然。 三泽良次郎数年前与尾崎结成一个小组在攀登S峰时遇难,只有尾崎得救了。此后,尾崎就再也没有登H峰。然而,三泽良次郎的哥哥良太郎现在H峰经营山间别墅,他是绝对不能置之不理的。 正冈取得仅有的这点收获,暂时回署里去向署长报告。从专搞此案以来,已经过去三周了。 “麻烦啊!”野田皱起粗粗的眉头。 “确实有迹象,但仅凭这些,什么也搞不成呀!” “嗯。”野田哼了一声。 “三泽还在山上吗?” “本月末好像还在哩。” “直到冬雪到来,无论如何也毫无办法了。” “新雪已经下过好几次了。” 今年和往年不同,气候是安定的,北阿尔卑斯山还没有戴上雪冠。尽管如此,可从署里的窗户遥望北阿尔卑斯山连绵的山峦,那遥远的峰巅镶着薄薄的银边。再下几次大雪,到明年春天,这雪就会变成决不会溶化的冰霜铠甲了。 “如果是三泽干的,到底把尸体藏到哪里去了?”署长凝视着正冈:“正冈君,你登过H峰吗?” “不,还没登过,也不怎么想登。”正冈认为登山这个东西,是有闲而且有钱、又不惜命的人玩的一种危险的“游戏”。特别是对那些尽管有安全的路线和空中索道,却偏要故意寻找艰险路线攀向岩壁和顶峰的人,他是不能理解的。 听说是为了“追求可能的极限”。但那种极限的追求,在地上不论多少都是可以取得的。关键在于,尽管人们住在地上,却总想登到有点高度的地方去,那种装成“登山大将”的行为,不过是人们的幼稚的英雄主义罢了。蔑视自己现在生活着的地上为“尘世”,在日本想登到海拔3000米的高度上去,就露骨地显示出“我们的市街不能住”的超凡意识。 尽管因山间风暴而发生的遇难事件并不多,但却给当地和有关部门带来了麻烦。 正冈因是专门从事侦察的,没有被拉进救险活动里去。可是,去救险的署内同事们,却在第二次救险中,失去了好几个人。 个人去搞危险的游戏而遇难,那是自己任意而为的事。但其结果,却必然地把他人的生命也给拖了进去。对于登山者这种人,当地的警察官们无论如何也唤不出好感来。 那反感还在于为登山者往往花掉本市经费的大半,当地却要作为特殊的开支来接受。 正是怀有这样的成见,所以正冈虽然在“山之都”的O町居住,却对每天都能眺见的阿尔卑斯山的任何一个峰顶也没踏上过。 “也许是这样吧。”了解正冈比嫌恶山更嫌恶登山者的署长,表情稍微和缓了,“H峰峰顶和山肩别墅一带,都是坚硬的岩石地,秋初雪又很少,怎么也没有埋起尸体的场所。在山上杀掉再背下山来,途中又有被人撞见的危险。可以猜测在山下杀掉是可靠的。H峰山麓是浓密的森林带,若在那里埋掉,谁也不会知道呀!” “在尾崎登上山来的地方杀掉,到夜间再背下山去,就没有道理吗?” “那也不是不可能的。总之,像H峰山主一样的男人,对那山域是像自家庭院一样的熟悉。不管怎样,先作为参考人从三泽那里听听情况再看吧。他还有两三天就要下来,这边就不必上去了。假如登上去,也可能错身而过呢,不高度警惕是不行的。而且……” 野田看着正冈的脸,得意地微笑了: “让你登山,如又遇上危险可就麻烦了。”他又补充说道。 从M市署接到三泽下山消息的O町署,派正冈出差到M市去与他会面。 怀有疑问,也始终是主观分析的东西,不过都是在正冈侦查的基础上推测出来的情况而已。 说穿了,因为是从登山家的浪漫主义和刑警多疑的职业意识的间缝里制造出来的情况,可能性是相当小的。 正冈和三泽会面,怎样引出话题为好,也是一个棘手的问题。 三泽在M市有家,从山上下来时就住在那里。今天的访问,预先做了联系,也得到了对方的理解。 三泽亲切地迎接了刑警。那是一个有大窗户的结构朴素的房子,是一座正面镶着整块大玻璃,显示出和大自然有亲密感情的房主特征的家。 瞻望北阿尔卑斯山方面很容易,在这里能否看到H峰,正冈是不知道的。 等候不久就出现的三泽良太郎,是个瘦小的神经质的男人。曾经想象他是个粗线条的山中男子汉的正冈,初见时还以为是别人哩。 初见的应酬完了,一位品貌美好的女人送上茶来。 “来调查尾崎达彦的行踪什么的,太辛苦了。”三泽一面呷了一口茶,一面被刑警引入正题。今日来访的意图,已经事先通过M市署做了通知,这等于给正冈的谈话安上了引线。刑警的耳边似乎听到了“不要干劳而无益的事”这种嘲笑似的声音。 “攀上H峰已经了解确实,但此后的行踪就不明了。因为如果登上峰顶,当然要住进三泽先生的别墅。今天就为这事来多请指教,打扰了。” H峰山域有近30家山间招待所,对它们都已调查完毕,尾崎没在那些地方落宿也已调查确实。但在距峰顶最近的三泽别墅落宿的可能性最大,因为在日照时间短的9月末旬,从山麓到峰顶,当天就打来回是不可能的。不落宿,尾崎也理应停下自己的脚步了。 “关于这点,已经向搜索队做过报告,但尾崎先生在9月下旬根本没在我们的别墅出现过。不,数年来他虽攀登过H峰,但都没有靠近我的别墅。想来像你所已知道的,因为他和我弟弟一起在S峰遇难,结果只有他一人得救,就总觉得不好意思登我这别墅的门。不拘怎样,尾崎先生失踪的9月下旬,我正为封山准备和修复被台风摧毁的山路,带着数名佣工,一直在别墅附近劳动着,可尾崎先生的身影却根本没有看到。” 正冈认识到:三泽察知了自己的处境,所以巧妙地同时弹出自己不在现场和尾崎也没去这样的调门来了。 如果为了封山准备,三泽和佣工一起始终没有离开别墅,那么把尸体藏到山麓去这种说法就不成立了。还有,尾崎没有挨近别墅这种说法,说明三泽也就不具有和他接触的机会。 今天来访的目的,他已经知道了;对方刚才说出的话,正冈也可省却调查的时间和精力了。然而与此同时,三泽因采取完全固守的姿态,感到他对刑警的访问还要严阵以待哩。 三泽的话,如果向佣工查询一下立时会去掉怀疑的。看他那充分自信的样子,大概是得到佣工证明的保证了吧。 对搞错了的被疑者的调查,不能再继续追问下去。端出的一杯茶还没吃完,刑警的访问已经达到目的。问出佣工的姓名和住址以后,正冈已没有再在这里停留的理由了。 对于刑警来说,不在现场的旁证者的证词,是最棘手的事情之一。这么短的时间就结朿了访问,正冈只得怀着败北感站起身来。 在秋天晌晴的午后,透过窗户就可以清晰地望见山。山麓掩映在浅绿的烟霭中。山脊的棱线上装点着银鞍似的峰峦,在午后的阳光下,闪耀出素雅的银色光辉。 “山景看得很清楚呐。”站起身来的正冈,若无其事地向山那边扫了一眼:“从这儿能看见H峰吗?” “可惜被前山挡住了,从这儿看不见。稍稍登上房屋后面的斜坡,正好可以望见那顶峰。如果再稍高一点,从这里也能望见。”三泽抱憾似的说。作为H峰山肩别墅的经营者,从自宅看不到别墅所在的山,实在也是一种遗憾。 在离开三泽家的归途中,正冈访问了在同一市内的几名佣工的家,征实了三泽所说的并非是虚言谎话。 有三泽和佣工们事先统一口径的可能性。但他们之间仅仅存在着关于封山准备的暂时合同关系,也没有发现佣工们必须为三泽做出伪证的特别的根据。 而且有数名佣工,把他们全部买通这样的事实,也是不合逻辑的。 然而避开佣工的眼目,在封山准备的杂乱中,把尸体藏进别墅是不可能的。再者,尾崎消息不明的前几天,大台风直袭中部山岳,山路受到相当严重的摧毁,因而在夜暗中往返峰顶和山麓也是不可能的。这些都是很明显的事实。 正冈受挫了,回署后向野田什么也没汇报。 侦查的结果,村越文雄和三泽良太郎这两个嫌疑者虽然有作案动机,但是首先村越文雄不在现场的事实成立了。其次,三泽良太郎隐匿尾崎达彦尸体,也没有确凿的证据。 正冈在挫折感中,拼命挣扎般地把三泽的“不在现场”的情况整理起来做了观察。 认为三泽不可能犯罪,首先是因为例举了未能和尾崎接触这样的事实。 为什么未能接触呢?That is: 一、因为有尾崎登上H峰的足迹,却没有从那里回来的足迹,从而,证实他依然在H峰山域的某个地方停留着; 二、有杀害尾崎动机的三泽,他所经营的H峰山肩的别墅内部及其周围,没有埋藏尸体的场所,这已经由搜索队周密的搜查、佣工们的证实以及周围的地质条件,明明白白地得到证实; 三、虽说在H峰山域有埋藏尸体可能性的山麓森林带,但尾崎行
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