Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Fear of the Unknown

“Dong Wei has actually gone missing?!” The man could hardly believe his ears. “No, that can’t be! With him there, how could the mission still fail, and with the entire team wiped out?”

“That’s exactly why I say this enemy is absolutely not someone we can contend with. For our own sake, and for the company, we’d better not wade into these troubled waters,” his companion replied earnestly.

“So, are you planning to talk to those people in a bit?”

His companion nodded. “No matter what, I have to get some information out of them. If we just go back in the dark like this, I’ll never be able to let it go. At the very least, I want to figure out exactly who—or what—caused us such heavy losses.

Even if we don’t have the strength for revenge now, who knows what the future might bring? A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years! I’m certain that odd fellow with the fan knows something—he must be a specialist sent by the company that hired us.”

“Well, my friend, good luck. If you need any help, just let me know! I’ll go handle the aftermath for now. Don’t forget to tell me if you learn anything!”

With that, his companion patted him on the shoulder and walked straight toward the eccentric with the fan.

The first man shook his head and muttered as he walked away, “Damn! You’re kidding! Dong Wei missing? How could that guy just vanish? Is there some mistake?

Dong Wei is the best field team leader among all our security firms. In terms of physical prowess and experience, no one can compare. And knowing Dong Wei’s character, if he really faced such a formidable enemy, he would have fought to the death. Even if he was defeated, they should have found his body at the scene, shouldn’t they?”

His conjecture had already veered away from reality. In the past, Dong Wei might indeed have acted that way. But things were different now. First, Dong Wei was no longer the bachelor he once was; he had a family and a child, and he had to consider them. Second, years of relatively easy work and a comfortable life had dulled his fighting spirit; when faced with danger, he was no longer as fearless as before. Most importantly, the enemy he faced this time was simply operating on another level—a strength he couldn’t even imagine. This man, not having witnessed the scene firsthand, could not possibly comprehend that terror.

Often, humanity’s greatest fear is of the unknown. Whether it’s tales of ghosts or alien invasions, the reason for fear is simply a lack of understanding. Perhaps that’s still too abstract—consider high-risk professions in daily life, like construction workers. They work every day atop scaffolding built with thin rods and steel bars, always on the edge of life and death. Outsiders think it’s incredibly dangerous and terrifying, simply because they don’t understand the work. But those who do the job, though they may feel fear or anxiety, are never as terrified as laypeople.

Dong Wei and his team faced a similar situation—their terror stemmed from complete ignorance of their enemy. The best contrast is that strange man with the fan: in the midst of such carnage, he could still fan himself and even taste the blood-soaked puddles with apparent curiosity. Though he hadn’t confronted the enemy directly, it was clear he knew something about them.

“Sigh…” The man glanced at his friend, who was now talking to the eccentric, and sighed, “I hope you get the answers you want.”

Meanwhile, in another corner of Kestall, a different conversation was taking place.

Chen Hao and Chen Shaotian left the hotel room and took the elevator straight to the first floor, where Chen Hao followed Shaotian into the car he had driven there.

“Shaotian, don’t tell me you drove all the way to Kestall by yourself? That’s a long way! Weren’t you exhausted?” Chen Hao, after getting in, didn’t rush to ask why Shaotian had come for him. Instead, he began chatting casually.

Shaotian shook his head and, without speaking, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the car, opened it deftly, and handed one to Chen Hao.

Chen Hao just as skillfully took the cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply. “Ah, that’s good! I’ve been busy since getting off the plane and haven’t had a single smoke.”

Shaotian lit one for himself, too. “I didn’t drive here alone, actually—I flew in. I just rented this car after arriving.”

“Oh?” Chen Hao eyed the car with some surprise. “Does Kestall offer services like that? I was already shocked this backwater had such a decent hotel, but they even have good car rentals?”

Shaotian shook his head again. “I didn’t rent this from a car rental company, but from someone else.”

Chen Hao frowned. “From someone else?”

“Yes,” Shaotian replied. “Actually, I arrived in Kestall several days before you did. I came here with your father.”

“What?” Chen Hao was startled. “You came with my dad? Seriously? You both came to Kestall because of me?”

Shaotian shook his head repeatedly, “No.”

“I thought so—when did Dad ever care that much about me? So, it must be for work?” Chen Hao nodded. “Kestall again—I really don’t get it. What is it about this place, drawing Dad here again? Is there really some business opportunity?”

Chen Hao feigned ignorance about the situation in Kestall, probing Shaotian to see if he knew anything, or if—under instructions from his father—he would keep any secrets about Kestall from him.

After all, Chen Hao believed his guess about the possibility of aliens in Kestall was very likely. Even if it wasn’t aliens, there might be some alien technology involved. His conviction came partly from the surprising number of major companies and foreigners constantly arriving in such a remote place, and partly from the strange images that had appeared in his mind.

What intrigued Chen Hao more than the mystery of those images was Kestall itself. He had every reason to believe that if his father had come here because of something extraordinary, then his father surely knew quite a bit. And as his father’s close assistant, Shaotian would certainly know at least something. That’s why he asked—he wanted to see if Shaotian would withhold anything on his father’s orders.

Sure enough, at Chen Hao’s question, Shaotian’s expression changed. Instead of answering, he took a small box from his pocket, pressed a button, and spoke as Chen Hao watched in puzzlement.

“This is a signal and sound isolator. It blocks all electronic signals and sound within a ten-meter radius and disables most recording devices. So, our conversation can’t be overheard by anyone right now.”

After a moment’s thought, Shaotian added, “Well… I should say, it can’t be overheard by any human.”

Just as he suspected.

Chen Hao immediately noticed Shaotian’s choice of words—by any human. Thinking of the strange building, the invisible enemy, and how in movies and TV aliens always possessed advanced technology, Chen Hao felt even more certain of his hypothesis.

“So, there really is something odd about Kestall, isn’t there? Is it aliens?” Chen Hao asked Shaotian directly.

“Oh?” Shaotian seemed surprised. “You think your father came to Kestall because of aliens?”

Chen Hao shrugged. “Isn’t that the case?” He then explained his reasoning, though he kept the part about the strange images in his mind to himself.

Shaotian was impressed. “I didn’t expect you to deduce so much from just those clues!”

“You do know!” Chen Hao grinned. “So, my guess is right, isn’t it?”

But unexpectedly, Shaotian hesitated. “Well…”

“What?”

After a moment, Shaotian explained, “Actually, when we first discovered that thing in the Kestall forest, your father suspected it might be alien in origin, too. That’s why top tech companies and talent from all over the world have flocked to Kestall ever since. It’s also the reason for the new airport and luxury hotels here. On that point, your guess is absolutely correct.”

“So, there’s something you think I got wrong?” Chen Hao smiled. “Which part is it?”

“It’s about your guess that there are aliens in Kestall…” Shaotian’s tone grew hesitant.

“Oh? Not aliens?” Chen Hao was surprised.

Shaotian shook his head. “After so many years of research, we still haven’t figured out what those strange things are. Well… as for what they actually are, I can’t disclose anything without your father’s permission. I haven’t seen them myself; only in photographs in the files.

Apart from one rather odd building, we haven’t seen or captured any living entity all these years. As for their origin, we’re even less certain—so we can’t conclude whether the unknown presence in Kestall is some alien life-form or a long-lost civilization from Earth itself…”