Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen: Afterglow of the Setting Sun

"Azusa No. 1" arrived at Matsumoto Station, and all the passengers bound for Kamikochi got off the train, and the compartment was visibly empty.The rest are going to Hakuba, Kashima Gun, Kurobe or beyond. At 12:26, ​​the train arrived at the terminal station - Shinano Omachi. Those who want to go to Kashima to grab, change to the bus here.In winter, the bus only runs to Yuanji, and in summer it extends to Daguyuan. At the bus station heading for Otanihara, a large number of heavily armed climbers lined up and waited to get on the bus, but there were very few people at the station heading for Heisi Reservoir. The two stations formed a sharp contrast.From the mental outlook and equipment of these climbers, Hexi had a premonition that the mountain he was going to was very steep.

Hexi and Mikiko met again here.Mikiko came a step ahead of him. There were some strong men behind her, and she stood timidly huddled there.When she saw Hexi, she showed a shy yet happy smile. The shyness was like a child's face when an adult sees his naughtiness, and the joy was like a lost child seeing his relatives. Kasai estimated that the two of them might meet here, because Mikiko had said at Shinjuku Bookstore two days ago that she would come to Kashima Gun. In the hazy anticipation, Kasai has a romantic color that is not commensurate with his age. He wants to see the beauty of Mikiko when she is standing at the foot of the Northern Alps. "When she turns her back on the peaks of the Northern Alps and the dense forests at the foothills, what will her often sad face look like?" Hexi let his imagination run wild like a lyric poet.

"Did you come here by this bus too?" The slim expectation came true, and He Xi was overjoyed.But he never expected that Mikiko came here alone, and Hexi thought that the serious-faced men before and after her might be her companions.He didn't know that Mikiko bought this morning's express ticket through an acquaintance according to his departure time. At first Mikiko only wanted to see the foot of the mountain, but later met Kasai by chance in Shinjuku and knew that he was going to Kashima Gun, so she changed her plan and decided to climb the mountain.But she told Kadowaki that she was going to a summer camp at the foot of Mt. Hakuba with her friends.She intends to stay with Hexi to the death. She thinks that hiking with the police will not only give her peace of mind, but also allow her to guess why the police suspect her father.

Mikiko instinctively felt that Kasai had a good impression of her.She thought that Hexi might not chase away her follower, he couldn't do that kind of thing. After inquiring about the station, she knew that the "first express train the day after tomorrow" that Hexi accidentally said was the "Azusa No. 1".She also made another preparation. If she didn't see Hexi after getting in the car, she would only go to the foot of the Northern Alps to play as originally planned.She made a secret observation in Shinjuku and saw Hexi. Mikiko doesn't understand why Hexi is so happy to see her.She thought: "What will happen if He Xi finds out that I am going to walk the whole journey with him? I will see his surprise after a while." Mikiko secretly rejoiced like a naughty child preparing to play a prank.

There are many buses during the climbing season.They arrived at Daguyuan at 1:30 in the afternoon, and they had to walk the rest of the way.On the bus, Hexi found out that Mikiko had no companions, but at that time he didn't expect that she was going to board the Kashima gun alone.From Otanihara to Lengchi via the Red Rock Ridge is the shortest climbing route in the Houli Mountains, so it is also the route with the steepest slope. "Did you come to Kashima gun to take pictures?" He Xi asked Mikiko with a small camera in her hand. "Hey." "one person?" "It is convenient for one person to move around."

He Xi didn't ask where she was planning to go to Kashima gun, he thought it would be too unprofessional to ask.Mikiko doesn't look like she's going into the mountains from her clothes. In fact, in terms of clothing, Hexi himself is not as good as those experienced climbers. This does not mean that he has less climbing equipment, but that his clothes look awkward. The bus terminal is located by the grove to the right of the depression called "Big Lengze".There is a building in front of the terminal. This building is the Go Tateyama Mountaineering Command Center of the Northern Northern Alps Mountaineering Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Association.

"It's here." He Xi looked at the building and said to himself in a voice that Mikiko couldn't hear.This is the photo location marked with the number ⑴ on Kadowaki's film, and the shooting time is roughly the same. The wide riverbed in the depression is nearly dry.Next to the road sign in front of the river bed is the location where Kadowaki filmed ⑵. After getting off the bus, Hexi hurried forward, because he had to rush to Lengchi today. About 1 km up the forest road going back to the left bank of the riverbed depression, the right bank of the Great Lengze meets another depression called Little Lengze.Climbers start their ascent from the eastern foot of the mountain on the right side of the river bank near the power station inlet.The mountains here are steep, and there are ladders hanging everywhere.

Mikiko, who naturally became Kasai's companion, was often left behind.Kasai, who thought that Mikiko was just going to play in the bottom of the mountain, began to have doubts about her whereabouts. "Where are you going?" He Xi asked nonchalantly after Mikiko followed. "Of course it's the top of the mountain." Panting Mikiko replied nonchalantly. "To the top of the mountain!?" He Xi opened his mouth in astonishment.His expression was exactly what Mikiko expected, so she couldn't help laughing to herself.She said, "Because there's nothing worth photographing down there."

"But, but don't you think it's dangerous by yourself?" "It's okay, isn't there a lot of people climbing the mountain? Besides—" Mikiko shrunk her neck mischievously, "Besides, there's you, the policeman." "I'm not here to play!" As soon as Hexi said this, he immediately realized that it would hurt Mikiko's heart.Mikiko didn't seem to mind, she said gently: "You don't have to worry, I won't trouble you." Kasai thought that taking her would delay the climbing time and lose the meaning of field investigation, and his purpose was to repeat Kadowaki's climbing route and find out the contradictions in his proof.

He Xi never dreamed that he would have the opportunity to climb the Alps with Mikiko.It's funny that the policeman responsible for solving the murder case and the young and beautiful woman are walking on the mountain road of the majestic Alps, but it's also interesting.There will never be a second chance like this, so Hexi is willing to go with her, but if it interferes with official duties, Hexi dare not agree easily, even if it is acquiescence.But he couldn't stop Mikiko from following him. Everyone can climb the mountain. At most, he could ignore Mikiko and go on by himself, but his character made him unable to bear to leave her alone.Whenever Mikiko fell behind and couldn't see her, He Xi would get worried and unconsciously slow down his pace until he saw her catch up before returning to his original speed.After doing this several times, Hexi realizes that by doing so, he has tacitly agreed that Mikiko can go with him.Although there was no agreement between them, Mikiko had gone so far with him that he couldn't leave her behind.Mikiko guessed right.

They crossed the single-plank bridge at Yize, walked up for a while, and came to the highlands along the river bank.The highland faces Yeyue, and between the two is a broad-leaved forest belt composed of beech trees. Walking through the woods and downhill for a while, it is the meeting point of Ximata and Kitamata.It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get here from Otanihara, which basically met the scheduled time. According to the guide book, after crossing the single-plank bridge over the Honya River and walking about 100 meters upstream, it is considered a real mountaineering.Hexi decided to take a break.Mikiko arrived a little later than Hexi, she stopped in imitation of Hexi, and put her backpack beside him.He Xi glanced at Mikiko, and smiled helplessly, in fact he was quite happy. They both had lunch on the train, and there was no need to eat now.Kasai stood up after resting for 5 minutes, Mikiko also stood up with him. They began to climb the steep Chiyan Ridge.The slope is full of beeches, standing steeply. Looking up, you can only see the feet of the people walking in front shaking.You can't be careless in climbing this kind of mountain. Mikiko struggled, she bit her lip and followed Hexi desperately. "Slow down, climb up slowly." In this difficult situation, He Xi could not leave Mikiko.Although he himself was choked up, and his heart seemed to burst, but he was a well-trained policeman after all, and he had been tempered long ago.Mikiko is used to walking on the flat roads in the city, but suddenly she can't adapt to mountain climbing. I don't know when, the speed of the two has become the same. "Don't shut up, it's better to breathe with your mouth open," he said to Mikiko. Soon they were on the main girder.During this time, Noriko Nakami became a companion of Kasai.Although her speed was slower, her stamina was not bad, and their speed was about the same as the one marked in the guide book. Kasai didn't know that Mikiko had climbed Mt. Hotaka, nor did she know that she often played tennis in school and had exercised her body.He was worried that the delicate Mikiko would not be able to bear the hardships, but now it seemed that she could hold on. After walking for a while, the mountain became slightly flatter and the trees became sparser.The two of them crossed another single-plank bridge and came to a rocky hillside, which still belonged to the side of Ximata, and turned over to be Kitamata.They walked through the snow-covered depressions, and then they came to the flatlands of Takachiho Mountains.I had been walking through the woods until then, and the trees blocked my view.Entering the flat ground, the field of vision suddenly widens, and the panorama of the Kashima gun is displayed in front of the eyes, which makes people feel that the Kashima gun is extremely tall and majestic. Hexi had never seen the Alps so close, and Mikiko was also attracted by the spectacular scenery in front of her.Layers of rocks are as black as ink, and the valley is covered with perennial white snow. The contrast between black and white is exceptionally clear, showing the unique spirit of high mountains.The white clouds rolled over the ridge in the afternoon, as if the energy filling the air made it boil.With its combination of trees, snow and wildflowers, Gundake Kashima is a beautiful part of this part of the Alps. "Can I take a photo here?" Mikiko asked Hexi politely.So far, her camera has not been taken out yet. "Take a picture, I'll take a picture for you." "No, just light up the landscape. I don't like taking pictures very much." "why?" "It's not good to pose for outdoor photography, it will look ugly, but it's better to take natural scenery." Hexi looked at her, no matter from which angle he looked at, Mikiko's face was pleasing.Looking at it, He Xi was taken aback suddenly: "Why didn't Kadowaki take a picture here? After a long climb to such a charming place, most people would take a few pictures." Mikiko pressed the shutter one after another, and other climbers resting here were also competing to take pictures, and many empty film boxes were thrown in the trash can. Kasai carried a set of reproduced Kadowaki photos with him for reference in the investigation. Kadowaki’s (1) and (2) photos were taken in Otanihara, and (3) he jumped to the cold pond.The scenery here is so beautiful and spectacular that even people who are not interested in photography can't help but pick up the camera and take a few pictures of it.Although it is afternoon, the setting sun falling in the west adds to the three-dimensionality of the mountain, clearly showing the unique style of the mountains.However, Kadowaki did not take a picture, why?Was it bad weather that day? no, I can not.Judging from the photos, the sky was clear and the blue sky was clear when shooting ⑴ and ⑵. Although the light was insufficient in ⑶ and ⑷, it was not caused by a sudden change in the weather, but by the sun about to set.Of course, the weather in the mountains may suddenly change from bad to good. "I have to ask the local weather station about the weather that day." He Xi thought about it. ——Maybe, even though the weather was fine that day, he was too eager to get to the cold pool before sunset and didn't bother to take pictures?In May, we departed from Omachi Station at noon and had to rush to Cold Pool before dark, so we really had to hurry.It will be more difficult when there is remnant snow. —Perhaps he thought it was not worth a photo? "What are you thinking?" Mikiko asked. "Ah, no, I didn't think about anything." He felt that Mikiko had seen through his heart, and his heart couldn't help beating.He stood up, and in order to hide his embarrassment just now, he encouraged Mikiko and said: "Hey! Work harder, you will be in trouble if you don't reach the cold pool before dark." Walking along the ridge from the Takachiho mountain plain, the plants on the ridge have begun to have the characteristics of alpine plants.The two of them took a zigzag road and climbed up a hillside covered with birch trees, standing on a rocky ridge.Walking in this way can overlook the distant scenery, and it is also interesting to walk. It was almost dusk, the sky was gradually turning red, and the fog gradually wrapped around the snow-dotted mountainside. At around 6:00 p.m., the two of them came to the ridge at the junction of the two mountains, and saw Jianyue, like a battleship carved out of rock, sitting on the other side of the abyss in the Kurobe Valley. The setting sun, which had approached the mountain ridge, dyed the clouds red, but the reddest was the sky where it intersected with the deep black ridge.The sky gradually changes from red to yellow as the altitude rises, and finally merges with the part gradually eroded by mist.The colorful sky shows the endless changes of nature, like a banquet of colors.The cold pool rest house is already in sight, so there is no need to hurry.After their arduous climb, the two of them can now enjoy the rewards of nature and participate in nature's luxurious color banquet. "Kadowaki, did you take color film?" "Of course!" She had a red face, as if drunk.Indeed, she was drunk. She was intoxicated by the spectacle of the sunset, looking at the Jianyue Mountain and the peaks of Lishan Mountain that seemed to be emitting flames, and even forgot to take pictures. "If you want to take a photo, take advantage of the current scenery." He Xi urged anxiously. The burning mountains continuously consume a large amount of light energy, the light converges rapidly, the light and flames gradually disappear, and the beauty of the sunset is fleeting.Finally, the distant stars took the place of the flames and occupied the top of the mountain. Kasai, who urged Mikiko, made a new discovery.