But after turning a corner, we could walk on the rocks again, and after turning the second corner, we stopped.
In front of us, there was light!
We immediately shrunk back, and Mr. Nelson and I peered ahead. For a moment, we couldn't make out if what we saw was real or an illusion!
We saw two lamps with about a hundred bulbs each hanging on the rocky walls.
In the light, we saw three people.
They were all young, but their hair and beards were long, like wild mountain men. One of them held a pickaxe and was drilling holes in the rock.
On a piece of rock, there were scattered items: three green thick felt blankets, many canned foods, a large box, several water cups, and a burning alcohol stove with coffee brewing on it.
Judging by these things, it seemed like the three of them had been living in this cave for a long time. Perhaps that was why their faces looked so pale.
Mr. Nelson and I were both stunned.
We couldn't figure out who these three young men were.
If they were members of the Moon Society, working on something in this cave, why would they sleep and live here? Living in such a dark, damp, and cold cave required courage akin to living in hell!
But if they weren't from the Moon Society, how did they bring in a generator, pickaxe, and so many items? What were they doing here?
We stared for a while, and Mr. Nelson asked me in a low voice, "What do you think they're digging that hole for?" I had already figured it out; it looked like they were preparing to place explosives, so I answered accordingly.
Mr. Nelson was an expert in military engineering, so naturally, he understood better than me. He nodded and said, "Yes, it's for burying explosives, but this hole is big enough to contain enough explosives to blow up half a mountain. Why are they continuing to dig? What do they want to blow up?"
I said, "We'll have to ask them."
As soon as I said that, I stepped forward, turned the corner, and held my pistol, shouting:
"Hey, friends, put your hands up!"
The three men froze suddenly. The one holding the pickaxe even forgot to put it down, causing his body to shake with the pickaxe's vibrations. Seeing that I had taken control of the situation, I walked forward, but as soon as I took a step, one of them suddenly crouched down!
At the moment he crouched down, a seven-inch-long dagger flew swiftly towards me!
I was only a few steps away from them. The dagger came so suddenly that I couldn't dodge it unless I was willing to jump into the water. But I didn't want to show weakness in front of the three men. Fortunately, the dagger was aimed at my face, so I tilted my head, opened my mouth, and bit down hard, catching the dagger with my teeth!
The tip of the dagger pierced into my mouth about half an inch. Not only did it shock the bystanders, but honestly, even I broke out in a cold sweat! The dagger didn't manage to hurt me, but it actually worked to my advantage because I knew these three men were definitely not from the Moon Society!
Because if they were from the Moon Society, upon seeing someone intrude, they would surely ask loudly who the person was and wouldn't be panicking to the extent of immediately throwing a knife! I reached out and grabbed the dagger, then said:
"Friends, don't misunderstand. We escaped from the Moon Society headquarters and hid here. Who are you guys?"
The three men looked at each other, showing disbelief. At this moment, Mr. Nelson stepped forward a few steps and loudly asked in his somewhat broken Japanese, "What are you doing here? Do you want to commit the biggest murder in history? Are you criminals?"
After turning the corner, we could be sure that the three men were drilling holes in the rocks to hide explosives, because we had seen about eighty sticks of high-powered TNT and remote-controlled detonators.
Anyone with a little military knowledge knew the power of such high-powered explosives. And these three men had prepared eighty sticks of them. No wonder Mr. Nelson was questioning them like this.
The faces of the three men turned pale, and they looked at each other, closing their eyes and saying, "It's over, it's over. We've tried so hard, but we can't destroy the demon. Perhaps it's the will of heaven."
Mr. Nelson and I were puzzled by their words. From their conversation, the three men seemed to be intellectuals, but they were engaged in such terrible activities here. What secrets were they hiding?
Mr. Nelson approached the large box of explosives and looked at it. With a "hmm," he said, "So the large quantity of explosives stolen from the US military camp last year was stolen for you guys?"
The three men opened their eyes and said, "Yes, it was us." They pointed to the generator sunk in the water and said, "The generator submerged in the water is also from the US military."
Mr. Nelson's voice became very stern as he said, "What exactly do you want to do?"
One of the three said, "Who are you people? Why should we tell you anything?" Mr. Nelson said:
"I am the Far East Director of the International Police Force!"
This was a very alarming confrontation, and he must have thought that revealing his identity could intimidate the three young men in front of him. But to our surprise, when the three heard this, they suddenly burst into laughter. One of them said, "The International Police Force? Aren't you responsible for eradicating all the crimes in the world?"
The young man's voice was full of mockery.
But Mr. Nelson solemnly said, "That's our responsibility!"
The young man burst into laughter again, pointing upward, saying, "Right above your head is the root of all evil in the world. Why don't you try to eradicate it?"
Upon hearing his words, Mr. Nelson and I understood what he meant, and at the same time, we began to grasp what these three men were up to!
The "root of evil" they referred to naturally meant the headquarters of the Moon Society.
And we could be sure that the path leading from this cave must lead to the Moon Society's headquarters. The three men wanted to plant explosives here to cause an explosion, aiming to obliterate the entire Moon Society headquarters!
What a bold move!
I immediately felt admiration for the three men. I exclaimed, "Alright, carry on!"
Mr. Nelson exclaimed loudly, "No, this is criminal behavior."
I retorted immediately, "Why not commit one crime to prevent millions of crimes?"
Mr. Nelson turned to me. "Who gave you the right to commit crimes to stop crimes?"
I was not willing to concede. "Sir, then who gave you the right?"
I challenged him, "You're human, they're human. Neither of you wants to see criminal behavior, so you're both doing something about it. Why can you do it, but they can't?"
My words may have been forceful, but Mr. Nelson couldn't refute me at the moment!
The three young men couldn't believe that we would argue with each other, especially since I was completely siding with them.
They exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward, bowing deeply to me, saying, "We appreciate your support, but we agree with the gentleman's view. We are committing a major crime, but we have already decided that when the explosion happens, we will not leave the cave and will perish with the demons. Perhaps that will absolve us of our own sins."
Mr. Nelson and I were deeply moved by the young man's words!
I quickly exclaimed, "Only fools would do such a thing." But the young man didn't reply to me. He said, "What we ask of you two is to never mention anything you've seen here to anyone else, to avoid hindering our actions."
I hurriedly said, "You're doing well, but you don't have to perish with the Moon Society headquarters!"
The three men shook their heads unanimously, saying, "We three are like-minded. We all died at the hands of the Moon Society criminals. It took us more than a year to come up with this revenge plan. And now that we're still alive, it's only for revenge. After we get our revenge, why should we continue to live?"
It was a terrifying idea, perhaps influenced by the spirit of Bushido deeply ingrained in the Japanese.
I bluntly said to Mr. Nelson, "Sir, the work these three young men are engaged in is extremely noble. You are not unaware of the criminal activities of the Moon Society not only in Japan but also in the Far East. But what have you done?"
Because Mr. Nelson and I were good friends, we could speak to each other so frankly.
Mr. Nelson sighed and said, "I feel ashamed."
The three men exclaimed happily, "So you've decided to keep our secret?" I nodded, "Of course, but I suggest that one of you stand guard at the entrance of the cave, and you don't have to—"
Before I could finish, the three young men interrupted, saying, "We understand your goodwill."
Naturally, I couldn't continue speaking. I gestured to Mr. Nelson and said, "Let's go out."
One of the three men said, "Hey, aren't you trying to evade the pursuit of the Moon Society?"
I replied, "Yes." The man said, "But when you leave, you're in the Moon Society's waters, along the Moon Society headquarters, forming a crescent shape, laden with mines!"
I asked, "We know, but what else can we do?"
Suddenly, the young man laughed and pointed to the things piled on the rocks, saying, "Do you think we brought these things in through the minefield?"
I caught the implication in his words and felt ecstatic. I asked eagerly, "Is there another way out?"
The young man said, "Yes, it took us months to discover that passage."
The joy in our hearts was indescribable upon hearing this. I asked, "How do we proceed?"
The young man said, "That passage is all waterways. In some places, people have to lie flat on the boat to pass through. You go forward, and you'll find a small boat. Where the boat is docked, there are markings made with luminous paint. Follow the markings and row the boat, and you'll be outside the minefield in the sea. But you'll still be very close to the Moon Society headquarters, so be careful!"
I exclaimed, "But the small boat—"
But the young man understood what I meant and said, "Don't worry about the small boat. We only have two more days of work at most. Once we're done, there's no need for it. Now, we're too excited about our impending success to eat anything, and the boat is no longer useful!" These three young men were determined to die!
Mr. Nelson and I didn't say anything more. Fang Tian, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and said, "You three are the bravest Earthlings I've ever seen. After I return to Saturn, I will definitely mention you to my kind!"
The three men were stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Sir, you're the funniest Saturnian we've ever seen!"
They emphasized the word "Saturnian" with a heavy tone, clearly not believing that Fang Tian was from Saturn!
Fang Tian remained silent, and the three of us continued forward. We could hear the "clink clink" of pickaxes behind us as they resumed their work. Mr. Nelson turned back and said, "Wei, you were right. I was wrong just now."
I sighed and said, "We never asked for the names of these three men, but I believe they wouldn't have told us anyway."
Nelson said, "These three men not only are brave but also have tremendous perseverance." I added, "Stealing high-explosives from a US military camp is not an easy task. They must also possess high intelligence!"
As we spoke, we walked about twenty yards forward and indeed saw a small wooden boat beside a lush green arrowhead. The three of us squeezed into the small boat.
We picked up the oars and rowed forward. Along the way, there were arrowheads guiding us, winding through the darkness. After about an hour's rowing, we encountered several places where the cave was so low that we had to lie flat on the bottom of the boat to pass through!
After more than an hour, we could already see light coming through ahead.
Before long, the small boat emerged from the cave and onto the surface of the sea. The three of us breathed deeply!
After taking a deep breath, Fang Tian said, "There is something perhaps I shouldn't bring up." I asked, "Do I also have a topic in mind?" Nelson continued, "I know what you're thinking because I'm troubled by the same thing."
I said solemnly, "Koji Sakaki!" Both of them echoed, "Koji Sakaki!"
We looked at each other, and then there was silence.
We all knew that Koji Sakaki was in the Moon Society headquarters. And within three days, the Moon Society headquarters would face a fatal explosion. Judging by the large hole the three young men had dug and the high-explosives they prepared, if the explosion occurred, the Moon Society headquarters might not even leave a single intact brick!
Of course, even Mr. Nelson had tacitly accepted that those in the Moon Society headquarters deserved their fate, but Koji Sakaki was entirely innocent!
She was trapped by the Moon Society, and there was no reason for her to become a sacrificial offering at the Moon Society headquarters.
But although the three of us knew this, we didn't speak up because we all wondered: How could we save her again?
Fang Tian himself had just been rescued by us. Although he came from Saturn and his wisdom surpassed that of any Earthling, this wasn't just about "wanting" but about doing something, and Fang Tian naturally couldn't figure out a way.
As for Mr. Nelson and me, although we had experienced many adventures, we were still very frightened when we recalled how we rescued Fang Tian from the Moon Society headquarters just now.
Moreover, if we were to break into the Moon Society headquarters again to save someone, it wouldn't be a question of courage but simply impossible!
The silence between the three of us continued. Suddenly, Fang Tian covered his face with his hands and said, "I'm ashamed, I... I have no way to save Koji."
Nelson sighed, stroking the stubble on his chin, and I looked up at the sky for a moment, saying, "I wonder if Koji can leave the Moon Society headquarters?"
Nelson looked at me and asked, "What do you mean?"
I myself felt my thoughts were scattered, so my words were hard to understand.
I explained, "What I mean is, even under the supervision of the Moon Society leaders, as long as Koji leaves the Moon Society headquarters within these three days, she won't die in the explosion."
Mr. Nelson smiled wryly and said, "I can't think of any way."
I couldn't think of a way either. We had already reached the shore, but still, no one spoke, especially Fang Tian, who looked particularly disheartened.
As we walked slowly along the rugged path, Fang Tian suddenly lifted his head.
His face showed an extremely horrified expression, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, and his face turned blue.
He was originally looking at the sky, but his head was moving to the right, as if he was staring at something moving in the air. Nelson and I were puzzled by his strange behavior, and we looked up together.
The sky was very gloomy, with nothing in sight except deep gray clouds.
But Fang Tian's head continued to turn to the right. To the right was the direction of the Moon Society headquarters, where the castle was located.
I couldn't help but pat Fang Tian's shoulder heavily and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Fang Tian's expression remained horrified as he said, "He's gone, he's gone!"
I exclaimed, "Who has gone? Who?"
Fang Tian said, "He went to the Moon Society headquarters, he 'resides between the shells and poison'!"
This wasn't the first time I had heard those five words.
I had been wondering what those five words represented, and when Fang Tian, at this moment, after his strange behavior, uttered those five words again, my patience reached its limit. I said sternly, "Fang Tian, what do those five words mean?"
Fang Tian lowered his head and glanced at Mr. Nelson.
I immediately said, "Fang Tian, Mr. Nelson already knows that you are from another planet. I didn't tell him; he figured it out himself."
Within a moment, Fang Tian's expression became very ugly, but in less than a minute, he sighed and said:
"Even if Mr. Nelson doesn't know, I'm going to tell him."
I knew that it was because Mr. Nelson and I risked our lives together to rescue him that he was moved. Mr. Nelson obviously had extreme doubts about Fang Tian's strange behavior, and he hurriedly asked, "What did you just see? What went towards the Moon Society headquarters?"
Fang Tian thought for a moment and said, "That... it's nothing..." He smiled bitterly, "I've told Weiss before, this thing is completely beyond the comprehension of Earthlings, and I find it extremely difficult to describe it accurately in any language on Earth."
I chuckled and said, "We don't understand the language of Saturn either, so do your best."
Fang Tian thought for a moment before saying, "Even up to now, Earthlings have no way to deal with the most common disease, the flu. That's because the flu is caused by a filterable virus so small that it can't even be seen under a microscope."
I had to interrupt Fang Tian, saying, "What does this have to do with the filterable flu virus?"
Fang Tian apologized and smiled, saying, "I have to start from here. When Earthlings contract the flu, they feel uncomfortable, and severe cases can even be fatal. However, although the filterable virus is small, it does exist. But on the satellites of Saturn, there is something unique, which Saturnians call 'resides between the shells and poison,' but in reality, there is no such thing..."
Mr. Nelson and I became more and more confused as we listened.
Fang Tian continued, "It's like a kind of brainwave that comes and goes abruptly. But when it invades the human brain, it replaces the original activities of the brain cells. The person is still alive, but they are no longer themselves; they become the 'resides between the shells and poison' invading their body!"
Mr. Nelson gently touched me.
I understood what Mr. Nelson meant; he was asking me if Fang Tian was crazy.
I didn't have such thoughts because I had seen the situation of Kimura Shin with my own eyes.
Fang Tian sighed and said, "The development of science doesn't necessarily bring happiness to advanced organisms. There are examples of this on Saturn."
I asked, "What do you mean?"
Fang Tian said, "Saturnians had no idea that there was something so terrifying on their own satellites because outside Saturn, there is an ionosphere full of electrons that prevents the 'resides between the shells and poison' from coming and going. However, when the Saturnians launched the first spaceship to the satellite, and the spaceship returned to Saturn, the whole Saturnian population celebrated the success, and at that moment, the 'resides between the shells and poison' also arrived on Saturn!"
"In just three short years, the 'resides between the shells and poison' reduced the population on Saturn by one-third. Scientists abandoned everything and studied the reasons for people's bizarre deaths, only to discover what was happening!"
I took a deep breath and asked, "So, did they come up with a defense?"
Fang Tian said, "Yes, the seven countries on Saturn combined their efforts to send strong positively charged electrons to bombard the satellite, causing the 'resides between the shells and poison' on the satellite to disappear. But just like Earthlings can't eliminate bacteria, once it has entered Saturn, we can only prevent it."
I remembered the transparent hood Fang Tian wore when we went to the factory to see Kimura, and asked, "Is that transparent hood the preventive measure?"
Fang Tian said, "Yes, that kind of hood continuously emits positively charged electrons, preventing the 'resides between the shells and poison' from invading. Just as Earthlings are vaccinated with BCG at birth, Saturnians wear such hoods from birth until death."
(In 1986, BCG was used to prevent tuberculosis, but I don't know when it stopped being administered.)
Fang Tian smiled bitterly and said, "This may be brought by our spaceship. Mr. Nelson, this is the real crisis for Earthlings."
Mr. Nelson was still not paying much attention and asked, "Why?"
Fang Tian said, "Like bacteria, the 'resides between the shells and poison' can divide, and it divides very quickly. But after it invades the human brain, if our spaceship brought only one 'resides between the shells and poison' that can invade the brain, after so many years, it has divided into how many, I cannot estimate."
I exclaimed, "If this continues, won't all Earthlings die?"
Fang Tian said, "Or not a single person dies, but everyone is no longer themselves; they are just 'resides between the shells and poison'!"
A chill rose in my heart, and Mr. Nelson's face changed.
Fang Tian continued, "Or maybe it's not so serious. After 'resides between the shells and poison' invades the brains of Saturnians, because of the interaction with Saturnian brainwaves, when it leaves, the original one splits into two."
I quickly said, "So you mean Earthlings' brainwaves are weak, so they cannot split into two, they just come and go as one?"
Fang Tian said, "It's also possible. If that's the case, then Earth has only gained an elusive killer. 'Resides between the shells and poison' doesn't regularly change its 'host,' so the harm may not be too great."
I sighed, "Let's hope so!"
After listening to such a bizarre and incredible narrative, I suddenly found myself becoming nervous.
Mr. Nelson asked, "Mr. Fang, can you see that thing moving in the air?"
Fang Tian shook his head and said, "In fact, there is nothing physical to see. It's just a thought. How could I see it? I only sense it. It's heading towards the Moon Society headquarters. I can feel that it has left Kimura Shin and is now, of course, looking for a new host."
Mr. Nelson and I exchanged glances. We shared the same feeling.
That feeling was that although Fang Tian had done his best to explain what "resides between the shells and poison" was all about, Mr. Nelson and I, as two Earthlings, indeed, as he said, could not accept such a bizarre thing.
Fang Tian obviously also realized this. He shrugged and said, "That's all I can explain."
I said, "We understand a little bit more now."
As we spoke, we continued to walk forward, and by now, we had reached the road.
Since the Moon Society headquarters was built on a cliff by the sea, when we reached the flat road, we could look back and see the gray, castle-like building towering on the rocks in the direction of the Moon Society.
Fang Tian turned his head and looked at the distant Moon Society. His facial muscles stiffened like stone. Mr. Nelson and I didn't know what he was doing.
Fang Tian's eccentricities were indeed too many to count, and we weren't planning to ask him. However, he maintained that strange state for too long, and our clothes were still wet. Standing by the side of the road like this, with people coming and going from the Moon Society, would be a huge problem if we were discovered, so we had to ask.
I nudged Fang Tian and said, "What are you doing again?"
Fang Tian's expression was very serious, so much so that his voice trembled slightly as he said, "I feel like someone is deceiving us." I was surprised and asked, "Who?"
Fang Tian said, "Those three young men."
Mr. Nelson quickly asked, "What did they deceive us about?"
Fang Tian hesitated for a moment, then suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Not in three days, but now! Now!"
As he shouted, he rushed forward.
Mr. Nelson and I didn't understand what Fang Tian was shouting about at first!
But we immediately understood.