The next day, I discussed the itinerary with Old He. He thought it was too rushed. I replied that it wasn't a grave matter, just to inquire around. He wanted me to bring a companion, but I declined. The shop was already short-handed, and I wasn't a child needing a companion for a trip to Hami.
The flight departed from Beijing at 7:50 in the morning. I rushed in the early hours, causing me to fall asleep as soon as I boarded the plane. I slept soundly until the turbulence woke me up just before landing. It was my first time in Hami, and stepping out of the airport, the strong wind caught me off guard. I had heard about the wind here, but I didn't expect it to be so fierce.
Looking at the clock, it was almost noon. I found a quaint local shop nearby, ordered roasted flatbread and skewers of lamb, and had two large slices of chilled Hami melon at the entrance. Satisfied, I left the airport and headed to the nearby Hongxing Bus Station.
The sunlight in Hami was too intense, giving me a bit of a headache. I regretted not bringing sunglasses. When I reached the bus station, I unluckily discovered that the tickets for the previous bus were sold out. The next one was scheduled for 5:30 in the afternoon. Calculating the time, I realized it would be almost dark by the time I reached Xingxing Canyon. Deciding on the spot, I opened the map and checked. It was nearly 200 kilometers, and if I drove on the highway, it would take just over two hours. I could grab things at the Sunlight Station and still make it back to Hami at night.
With the decision made, I went to the street to hail a cab. The driver quoted 700 directly to Xingxing Canyon. I negotiated for a round trip at 1000, and he agreed. We set off, and the driver, familiar with the route, didn't need navigation. Soon, we entered the county road and then onto the highway, steadily heading towards Xingxing Canyon. I was wide awake after a morning nap, so I offered the driver a cigarette and chatted with him, partly out of boredom and partly to keep him awake.
He asked about my purpose, and I replied that I was taking a break. He regretted that I came late, mentioning that it used to be livelier in the earlier years, especially after the opening of the Lanxin Railway. As he talked, he delved into the history of Xingxing Canyon, from Lin Zexu to the struggles of the Red Army on the Hongxi Military Road. It was like a living local history book.
While he spoke, I gazed at the mountain ranges outside the window. Xingxing Canyon was indeed worthy of being called a military town, exuding an imposing aura of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to open."
The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror and cautiously asked, "Brother, you're not here for fun, are you?"
I retorted, "Why'd you say that?"
He rolled down the window, flicked the cigarette butt outside, and chuckled, "I've been doing business in this area for years. I can tell if someone's here for leisure or not. The moment I saw you, I knew you had something on your mind. You don't look like a tourist."
"Oh, brother, you have a sharp eye. I'm heading to the Sunlight Station to pick up something."
He hesitated for a moment and said, "Which station? I'll drop you off directly."
"Riguang Station."
The driver laughed, "Brother, you're kidding. There's no such station."
I said, "No joke. I'm really going to pick something up. Wait for me outside the station, and we'll return the same way."
The driver glanced at me again through the rearview mirror, ensuring I wasn't joking. Then he said, "Brother, are you sure you didn't get it wrong? Riguang Station closed down years ago."
"What?" I frowned. "Closed down? The station doesn't operate anymore?"
"It was abandoned long ago, many years back."
"Are you sure?"
"Hey, how could I be wrong? Don't look at me running around in Hami. My family is from Yamansu Town nearby. We have an iron mine there. I used to drive heavy trucks for the mine. That's why I'm familiar with this area. If you took another car, you might not even recognize the place you're talking about. I know Riguang Station; it's near Hongliu Village. It used to transport goods mainly, but due to the restructuring of the railway network, the station was abandoned."
He finished and glanced at me again through the rearview mirror, hesitating before saying, "There's another saying. Back then, there was a serious accident at Riguang Station. Many people died. The higher-ups suppressed it, and the station was closed down."
I couldn't believe Riguang Station had closed down. I had intended to go to the station with the key to inquire, but now it seemed futile. I sighed and regretted not asking around earlier. I lifted my head and asked the driver, "What did you say?"
"I said there might be something wrong with that station. Are you still going?"
After my comment, I was a bit hesitant, but thinking it was still daytime and not a mysterious tomb, I couldn't just back off. I told him, "Let's go and take a look. If it doesn't work out, we can turn back."
"Alright, your call."
Not long after, we exited the highway, and after less than an hour's drive, the driver said, "Brother, we're almost there. After the station was abandoned, the road hasn't been maintained. My car has a low chassis. If we go there directly, we'll be in trouble if we scrape the bottom. Can you manage on foot? I'll wait for you up here."
"How far is it?"
"Not far, just down the slope. I'll park the car on the side. You'll see it as soon as you go down."
Although it was still bright outside, the abandoned residential area below made me feel a bit uneasy. I had thought about asking the driver to accompany me, but it felt awkward to ask. Pretending to smoke, I hesitated for a moment, threw away the cigarette butt, nodded to him, and ended up going down on my own.
The slope was covered with white ballast, making it difficult to walk. I stumbled down, and the front was already occupied by various waist-high weeds. I wandered through the grass, bumping into things, leaving several bloody marks on my arms.
After struggling through the thicket, I found the station's main gate tightly closed, with a thick iron chain and a large lock. Unwilling to give up, I bypassed the gate and walked to the side. The brick wall was old-fashioned, painted with the yellowish color typical of vintage buildings. I could even see the red slogans from that era. Moving forward, there was a railway sign painted in white on a brick wall, composed of "工" and "人" (labor and people). To the right of the sign were three large
characters that read "ticket room" (ticket office). Luckily, the eaves still provided some shelter from the wind and rain; otherwise, these words would have been barely visible.
"ticket room" had a row of windows below it. The glass was long gone, leaving only the blue-painted wooden window frames, which were about the thickness of a little finger. Although the windows were relatively high, I could still reach them with my hand. With a few efforts, I climbed in. Landing on the stone floor, I made a loud thud. The house, originally very quiet, now seemed exceptionally noisy. Even I was startled, and my heart skipped a beat. The dust on the floor, kicked up by my foot, made me cough a few times. The cough echoed in the spacious hall, and I instinctively covered my mouth, glancing left and right. It was pitch black inside, with only the windows I came in through allowing some light. Coupled with the strange ticket window in front, a layer of cold sweat had formed on my back.
I hesitated for a moment on the spot, thinking that it was still daytime, not underground, and there was nothing to be afraid of. I took out my phone, turned on the flashlight, and carefully walked forward.
The ticket window was in the upper left corner of the hall, forming an "L" shape with the two walls of the hall. The bottom of the counter was made of bricks, painted with the color typical of old walls. The top had thin iron bars about the thickness of a little finger. However, at this moment, these bars, which should have been ventilated, were strangely covered with many white papers, completely blocking any view from inside.
Looking at the covered window, I felt something was off. Why would someone cover the window like this? Since it had already been removed, what was the point of doing so? Could there be something inside that shouldn't be seen?
My old habit resurfaced, and I began to reason as soon as I saw something strange. I reasoned myself into a bit of panic.
I unconsciously took a step back, but only hesitated for a moment. Holding the phone, I approached carefully again. I didn't want to be intimidated by a layer of paper. I raised my hand to poke a hole in the paper to see inside. Suddenly, my phone emitted a faint "crackling" interference sound, as if someone nearby had a call, interfering with my signal. This sudden noise made me shiver, and my outstretched hand retracted like lightning.
I took a few steps back subconsciously, looking at the thin white paper in front of me. The uneasiness in my heart intensified, and I swallowed saliva. What was that strange electromagnetic wave just now? Why did my signal get disturbed? Generally, strong electromagnetic wave interference affecting communication only occurred when two devices were very close. However, I only had one device. Where did the interference come from?
Suddenly, my whole body broke out in goosebumps. Looking at the thin white paper covering the ticket window, I couldn't help but feel that there might be someone behind it holding an electronic device.