Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Another Statue

Ten minutes after the H300 drove away, Deng Fei started his own car.A few days ago, he secretly glued a signal generator to the rear of Xiao's car, and through satellite reception, Xiao's whereabouts could be displayed on the screen in his car at any time.This tracking device is so advanced that it is difficult to detect even by experts. Compared with his old-fashioned gasoline cars, the performance of hydrogen-powered cars is much better, and the speed is often over 150 kilometers per hour, which made Deng Fei very anxious to catch up.Fortunately, Xiao Shuihan is considerate of his pregnant wife, and often deliberately slows down, taking a break after every meal.Only then can Deng Fei barely catch up.

The car travels east along the Longhai Expressway.According to Deng Fei's conjecture, Xiao Shuihan may have gone to Beijing, to the Chinese Academy of Sciences to continue his exploration of Mr. Li Yuanlong.But after passing Luoyang, the car in front turned around and headed south, and arrived at Baotianman National Forest Park in southwest Henan two hours later.Judging from the signal, Xiao's car did not stop at the entrance to the mountain, but drove straight to the center of the forest area.Deng Fei had never been here before. He drove the car with one hand, and called up the introduction of Baotianman Nature Reserve on the screen in the car with the other.According to the introduction, it is on the edge of the transition from the second-level landform to the third-level landform in my country. It is the highest mountain extending southeast of Funiu Mountain, with an altitude of 1830 meters.It not only blocks the invasion of the northwest cold current, but also intercepts the subtropical warm and humid airflow. It is a typical transitional climate from the northern subtropical zone to the warm temperate zone.The ecological environment is unique, and many ancient plants still thrive here.There are more than 160 species of forest trees such as birch tree, green bar, Huashan pine, lacquer, tung, linden, and mulberry; more than 20 rare tree species include Qinling fir, fragrant fruit, magnolia tree, and big fruit green pestle; There are more than 100 kinds of animals such as antelope, otter, giant salamander, red-bellied golden rooster, etc.; there are natural landscapes such as broom cliffs, shepherd roofs, fossil tips, and central stacks.The car gradually drove into the center of Baotianman, and the scenery it saw was indeed very beautiful and quiet.Henan is located in the hinterland of China. It has been over-developed for thousands of years, not to mention it is a battleground for military strategists. It has been plagued by wars in history. Therefore, it is very rare to be able to retain this pocket-sized virgin forest.

From the screen, Xiao's car had stopped, about five or six miles away, but the end of the regular road was already in front of him.Deng Fei got out of the car and inspected it carefully, and found a gravel sidewalk overgrown with weeds on the side of the road, which led to a mountain stream, and there were traces of cars passing on it. Xiao's car must have driven up from here.But Deng Fei didn't dare to drive any further. There were few people in front of him, so Xiao could easily find him.For the time being, he doesn't want to have a face-to-face meeting with Xiao Shuihan. He reversed some way back and hid the car in the bushes.The suitcase contained a pre-packed bag with enough items to last seven days in the field, including a sleeping bag.He put his bags on his back and walked along the mountain stream.The electronic map in the car just now showed that this place is not far from the Broom Cliff in the nature reserve, what did Xiao Shuihan do in such a remote place.

He paid attention to the traces of Xiao Shuihan driving past.Faint ruts left the river beach, and drove 200 meters forward on a roadless hillside. In front of it was a courtyard built against the mountain, which must be Xiao Shuihan's destination. Xiao Shuihan parked the car in an open space in front of the courtyard.The surrounding forests are lush, and the pine trees are stuck in the crevices of the rocks, with their twisted roots exposed.A clear spring passes through the courtyard, and several magpies are drinking water beside the clear spring.Xiao Shuihan is obviously familiar with the path here, but after Qiu Feng visited Li Yuanlong's hometown, he has learned not to be surprised—this is the place her husband experienced in his "previous life".

The door opened, and a middle-aged man looked at them in surprise.He's an intellectual, casually dressed, in casual clothes, with a bald head and a big beard.The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Hey, it's a rare visitor. There are very few people here. No wonder the magpies have been chirping this morning. The magpies are calling, and the distinguished guests have arrived. Please come in, please come in." There are three bungalows in the courtyard, with blue bricks and blue tiles, and the flowers and plants are neatly trimmed.Xiao Shuihan said, my wife and I came to play in the name of Mu Baotianman. When we saw this courtyard in the deep mountains, we rushed in rashly. I hope the owner will not blame me.The middle-aged man said: "Where is it, I can't even look forward to it. I have been living here in seclusion for more than ten years, and sometimes I feel too lonely. I often look forward to seeing guests from outside the mountain." The middle-aged man asked. The guest changed his name and introduced himself. His surname is Bai, and he is a mathematician. "Actually, I am not a mathematician, but an enemy of mathematics. What I have studied all my life is the uncertainty of mathematics, which is invisible to the naked eye on the mathematics building." I want to hide in a remote mountain and launch an attack on the giant of mathematics, so that it will come back to life.” Mr. Bai smiled, and then asked abruptly: “Mr. Xiao, are you Mr. Liu Shixiong? Descendants?"

Xiao Shuihan smiled and said: "No, we are not. Why do you ask like that?" Mr. Bai said that Liu Shixiong was the original owner of this house and an outstanding biologist. Leaving here suddenly, there has been no news since then.This was 90 years ago.Before he left, he set aside 100 years of house inheritance tax and repair fees, so until now, the house is still owned by Mr. Liu.The housing management department of the forest area also attaches great importance to the protection of this house. "You know? I got residency without paying a penny, but only on the condition that the house be kept in its original condition and well maintained. As you can see, I have fulfilled my promise."

"Yes, you did a good job keeping the house in its original condition." Mr. Bai regarded this sentence as a polite compliment, but Qiu Feng took a deep look at her husband: Does he really understand the original state of this house?Did he really spend another "previous life" here?Mr. Bai said with a smile: "So I always feel that one day Mr. Liu's descendants will come here to deal with the real estate." Xiao Shuihan smiled: "We are not descendants of Mr. Liu, so you can live in peace of mind. After 90 years, no one will come to ask for this house again."

"Your husband and wife will stay overnight in the humble house tonight. Tomorrow I will take you to visit the surrounding area. The mountains and rivers here are quiet and there is no smell of troubled times. It is worth seeing." "Thank you." Xiao Shuihan said with a smile, "We are about to ask for a place to stay." Mr. Bai arranged the two of them in the study room, opened the sofa, and made out a wide bed.On the wall is a posthumous photo of Liu Shixiong, with solemn eyebrows and cold eyes.Qiu Feng stared at the photo obsessively. What's the relationship between him and her husband?How could the husband regard him as his previous life?There are simple rattan bookcases in the house, and hundreds of books are standing or lying in the cabinets.Qiu Feng casually flipped through a few books, all of which were biology books.Mr. Bai explained: These are the books left by Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu can be said to be his comrade.He respected this scientist whom he had never met, so he even kept the study as it was in memory of Mr. Liu.

"Thank you, I thank you on behalf of Mr. Liu." Xiao Shuihan said. Mr. Bai looked at him attentively: "Are you really not a descendant of Mr. Liu? Of course you are not, you have already said it, and besides, neither of you are surnamed Liu. But why do I always have this illusion." He laughed at himself With a wave of his hand, he put the subject aside. Deng Fei slept soundly in the sleeping bag.The place to sleep is on the hillside at the height of the house, under the shade of several Huashan pine trees.From here, the lights in the house can be seen across the courtyard wall, and laser bugs can also be used to eavesdrop through the window glass.The lights in the house were turned off soon, and it seemed that the Xiaos were also tired and needed to recharge their energy to climb the mountain tomorrow.But are they really here to climb or enjoy the view?The place Xiao Shuihan visited was obviously selected in advance, and he was more likely to come for the residents of the house.Deng Fei has been following for so many days, but he still doesn't have a clue in his heart.

Before going to bed, he called Long Boqing and asked him to check the situation of Mr. Bai, the resident of this house, through the Henan police, especially the whereabouts of the original resident Liu Shixiong.He has discovered that Xiao Shuihan is always associated with missing scientists.At dawn, a phone call came, and Long Boqing said: "Hey, Lao Deng, where do you live now?" "In the deep mountains and old forests, where else can I live! The car can't drive up, so I sleep in a sleeping bag." "Pay attention to your body, you are 66 years old after all. Your wife called me last night and asked me to tell you to be careful. If you make any mistakes, she will settle with me. Hey, the situation is clear. Room The owner is Bai Jiyuan. He is a mathematician. He is not a big eater. His resume is very clear and there is no doubt. You are right. I also think you should pay more attention to the original owner Liu Shixiong. His file says that he He did disappear after leaving here in 2060, and has not been heard from since."

His emphasis is on the word "missing".Deng Fei nodded secretly.Li Yuanlong, Liu Shixiong, and later Sun Siyuan are already three missing biologists!Xiao Shuihan's visit to the three missing persons may be difficult to explain by "coincidence".Long Boqing knew that Lao Deng had understood what he meant, and said, "Continue to investigate, it seems that this time we can catch a big fish!" Deng Fei suddenly said: "Stop!" Then there was a few minutes of silence.After stopping for a while, he said, "I seem to hear the sound of a car in the distance. The sky has already brightened here. Did the two stalkers also enter the mountain?" "Very likely, I received a report that they have been following you, about twenty or thirty miles away. The identities of the two people have been verified. They came from abroad 14 days ago. One is a Taiwanese. Cai Yongwen has a background in the underworld. The other is from country G, named Ma Dannuo. His background is unknown, and he is probably also from the underworld. So..." He swallowed the second half of the sentence, "Let's check it out. By the way, I'll check it out tomorrow. Send someone to send you a pistol, together with a gun license. But you must absolutely avoid conflicts with these two guys, and they will be in charge of me." After hanging up the phone, Deng Fei listened carefully for a while again. He didn't hear any noise in the forest, let alone the sound of a car. Maybe it was his own illusion just now? It was getting brighter, and there was movement in the yard, and Deng Fei also packed his bags.At about 8 o'clock, a group of three people came out of the yard. Undoubtedly, it was the host leading two guests to visit the mountain scenery. Xiao Shuihan was also carrying a rather large rucksack.Deng Fei followed quietly. He followed very cautiously, keeping a long distance, but using the binoculars to keep the three of them in view all the time.The three of them didn't go very far, about three or four miles away, and there was a cliff rising from the ground in front of them.The three stopped in front of the cliff, discussing something enthusiastically.Deng Fei originally thought they were looking for a way around the cliff, until he saw Xiao Shuihan take off his coat and put a rope on his back through the binoculars, then he suddenly realized what he was going to do——he wanted to climb rocks with his bare hands!The heated discussion of the three people he saw just now must be Qiu Feng trying to stop her husband.Deng Fei was very puzzled. During the 20 years of surveillance, he knew that Xiao Shuihan had a strong physique and liked sports, but he never noticed that he was engaged in rock climbing.And for a person who has no rock climbing training, the cliff in front of him is too dangerous, let alone he is 50 years old!How could he come up on a whim, "The old man is talking about being a teenager."Qiu Feng was still trying to dissuade him, but obviously it didn't work. From a distance, he saw Xiao Shuihan patted his wife on the shoulder, walked towards the cliff in a chic way, and began to climb up.Don't talk about Qiu Feng now, even Deng Fei is sweating for him. However, after climbing a few steps, Deng Fei saw that he was obviously not a novice.He is neither fast nor slow, his movements are easy and stretched, and he seems to know the climbing path in his mind, and he hardly needs to stop to observe.After a while, he has climbed to more than 30 meters.At this moment, there is a protruding stone on the top of the head, and there is no place to put effort on it.Hearing Qiu Feng shouting, he must be told to back down.Xiao Shuihan waved his hands down, stuck his knees on the stone edge to rest for a while, alternated his hands to grab a handful of chalk powder in the chalk bag behind his hips, and then grasped the stone edge above his head with ten fingers, and his body suddenly hung up!Deng Fei's heart skipped a beat, and Qiu Feng at the foot of the cliff simply covered his eyes with his hands.Xiao Shuihan fell down on the stone edge twice with both hands, slowly pulled his body up, then swung his body, kicked his toes firmly in a pit in the distance, and then slowly moved his body over. At last he climbed over this stone, and the way above was easier. After 20 minutes, he reached the top of the mountain, fixed the climbing rope, pulled the rope and fell vertically.Qiu Feng rushed forward, ignoring the presence of a third person, hugged him tightly, and beat his back. She must be crying at this moment.Xiao Shuihan gently stroked her long hair, probably comforting her. Deng Fei admired Xiao Shuihan so much.Even when I was in the best physical strength, I didn't dare to imagine climbing this cliff with my bare hands!And Xiao Shuihan is already 50 years old.At the same time, he was also puzzled, Xiao Shuihan came all the way here just for a rock climbing activity? Over there Xiao Shuihan had already put on his clothes, and the three of them walked back.Deng Fei hid in the forest by the side of the road, listening to the three talking and laughing as they walked over.They went back to the yard, didn't stop much, didn't have lunch, and came out soon.The owner accompanied them into the car, waved goodbye, and then the H300 drove away on the river beach road. Deng Fei did not leave with them. Half an hour later, he knocked on Mr. Bai's courtyard door.Director Long said that Mr. Bai might not be the target of Xiao Shuihan's trip, but Deng Fei had to see it with his own eyes before he could rest assured.Mr. Bai opened the door and looked at him curiously.Before waiting for the master to ask questions, Deng Fei hurriedly asked: "Excuse me, have Xiao Shuihan and his wife come to your place? We got lost when we entered the mountain, and I found his car's rut ​​leading to this side." "Oh, they just left, maybe half an hour ago. Did you meet them?" Mr. Bai asked suspiciously, "There is only one road from here to the outside of the mountain." Deng Fei said angrily: "I didn't come across it. I took the wrong way just now, and I must have missed it at that moment." He smiled and said, "They left so quickly, did Lao Xiao climb rocks? He sued me He said he was going to come here for rock climbing." Mr. Bai smiled and said: "Climbing, he came here to climb rocks, and then left in a hurry, without even taking a look at the mountain scenery. I really admire this Mr. Xiao. I heard that he is 50 years old. He is 50 years old. I'm afraid there are not many people who can climb rocks at the age of 10." Deng Fei smiled wryly and said: "To be honest, I really don't understand why he must come here for rock climbing. Xiaofeng—that is, his wife—has been persuading him, but has not been able to persuade him. The rock climbing activities here are very famous. ?" "No, no one here has ever engaged in this activity." He thought for a while and corrected: "I heard from the forest administrator that Mr. Liu, the original owner of this house, liked rock climbing when he was alive, but that was 90 years ago. It’s over, and the villagers have almost forgotten about it.” Deng Fei let out a cry—maybe, Xiao Shuihan's rock climbing this time is a commemoration of the late Mr. Liu?He chatted with Mr. Bai for a while, and he had a good impression of Mr. Bai. He was a frank, warm and easy-going man. Judging from his speech and behavior, he was just an outsider on Xiao Shuihan's trip.Mr. Bai sincerely asked him to have lunch, but he politely declined, saying that he would hurry out of the mountain to chase those two, and he would not be able to catch up no matter how far away.Mr. Bai sent him out of the courtyard. Before leaving, Deng Fei glanced at the courtyard inadvertently. It was this glance that made him the biggest discovery of this trip.The east side of the courtyard is built against the mountain, and the stone wall used as the courtyard wall is strictly covered by vines.But at this moment, the vines were pulled away, and the sunny sides of the vine leaves were all dark green, but now many dark red leaf backs were exposed, which looked messy.Until now, he hadn't realized what would happen there, but because of the old An's instinct, he pointed there indifferently: "What's there?" Mr. Bai smiled: "Oh, I forgot, I should let you take a look. The Xiao couple have been watching for a long time." Mr. Bai led him over and brushed away the vines: "Here, that's it." Deng Fei's eyes suddenly lit up!A sphinx is carved on the whole boulder of the cliff, with rough knife skills and elegant and agile shape.The surface of the statue is covered with moss, which seems to have been quite old.Deng Fei saw at a glance that its shape was very similar to the ivory statue in front of Tianyuan Company, no, it could be said to be exactly the same, and even the size was similar.The only difference is that this statue is not so delicate.Deng Fei asked: "It's beautiful! Is it your work?" "Ah no," Mr. Bai said with a smile, "I don't have this kind of artistic talent. I heard that it was left by the original owner of this house. In fact, I was surprised that the Mr. Xiao who came just now knew about it. After climbing, he told me directly that he wanted to see this Sphinx statue." He asked curiously, "How did he know? He said he was not a descendant of Mr. Liu Shixiong, but he was very familiar with this place. " Deng Fei's mind was spinning rapidly.The statue was like a boundary marker on the way to the investigation, and since then the nature of the investigation has been completely different.Before that, they were only suspicious of Xiao Shuihan, just reasoning, but after the appearance of this statue, it can be completely concluded that Xiao does have some kind of connection with the three missing biologists.The two statues, separated by at least 90 years, are so similar that there must be a line connecting them.But what exactly is the connection?He still had no clue in his mind, it was Director Long's words, 90 years ago, 120 years ago, Xiao Shuihan was still stretching his great-grandfather's thigh. Mr. Bai stared at him closely, and asked again: "How does Mr. Xiao know about this statue? To be honest, his lightning visit has left a big mystery in my heart." Only then did Deng Fei wake up from his contemplation: "Oh, I don't know, he didn't tell about this statue." Mr. Bai was not very satisfied—he thought Deng Fei must be reluctant to speak—but he remained politely silent.Deng Fei felt sorry in his heart.This Mr. Bai is a curious big boy, he must think that "Xiao Shuihan's friend" is lying.But he couldn't explain it. He thanked Mr. Bai and hurried after Xiao's car.Along the way, he kept frowning and thinking hard. Three missing scientists in their prime.Two similar sphinx statues.There are also two suspicious persons who are tracking with him.These details have formed a sufficiently solid logical framework.During the 27 years of monitoring, Deng Fei had for the first time truly developed hostility towards Xiao Shuihan. He was sure that there must be something hidden under Xiao Shuihan's saintly coat.