Chapter 35: A Mountain of Bones

The deeper they ventured, the more humid the air became. Water droplets trickled down the stone walls, landing with a rhythmic "plip-plop" that only deepened the silence of the surroundings.

"It’s so dark in here!"

Ji Yuanyuan’s voice echoed through the hollow cavern, and she rubbed the goosebumps rising on her arms. "Doesn't it feel even colder in here?"

"And there are so many tiny flying bugs!" Zhao Xiaoting swatted at the air with an expression of disgust. Suddenly, she stepped on something and nearly lost her footing. She looked down, cursing, "What the hell is that?"

When the beam of her flashlight hit the object on the ground, her pupils contracted sharply, and she let out a piercing scream: "Ah!"

The sudden outburst startled everyone else.

"For heaven's sake, are you trying to scare us to death?" the man with the yellow-dyed hair glared at her irritably.

As the others looked at what had caused Zhao Xiaoting’s scream, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. It was a white skull—clearly human.

"There are actually human bones in this cave?!"

Before seeing it for themselves, they had assumed the rumors were just exaggerations.

Zhuzi, however, seemed unmoved. "I told you, didn't I? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

Jiang Yao leaned in to examine the remains closely. The bones were completely bleached. Though she wasn't trained in medicine, she couldn't determine their age. Standing up, the group decided to continue exploring further inside.

An indescribable odor hung in the air, forcing everyone to cover their noses and mouths.

"What is that smell?"

Jiang Yao stopped in her tracks, a flash of horror crossing her eyes. Before them lay a dense, tangled pile of bones—it was a veritable ossuary!

Gasps echoed around her. Xiang Yu asked, stunned, "Are all these bones… human?"

"How many people had to die for this?" Wei Kai was equally shocked.

There were scattered bone fragments as well as relatively intact skeletons. At just a single glance, those with weaker stomachs had to look away. Jiang Yao, however, leaned in closer. Duan Yiren was startled and quickly grabbed her, "What are you doing?"

She pursed her lips and explained, "It’s my first time seeing human bones. I wanted to take a closer look; there might be some research value here."

The others looked at her with strange expressions, thinking she was simply too immersed in her role. Duan Yiren awkwardly let go of her arm. "Go ahead then, but be careful not to fall."

Up close, Jiang Yao stared at the bleached remains, her lips pressed into a thin line. She couldn't help but take out her phone and photograph the scene.

Wei Kai leaned toward Chi Xing and whispered, "You can't criticize her for this; she's truly professional!" Even as a guy, he found the sight bone-chilling, yet Jiang Yao hadn't even blinked, showing genuine interest as she leaned in to inspect them.

Zhuzi also chimed in, "This young lady has some real guts!"

Chi Xing didn't respond. He suspected that Jiang Yao, like him, had already guessed the truth.

Jiang Yao ignored them, snapping several photos from different angles. She zoomed in on the images to inspect them closely, her eyes growing colder by the second. While she wasn't a medical student, she knew one thing: compared to men, female pelvises are wider to accommodate childbirth. Looking at the pelvic bones scattered there, the vast majority belonged to women, with only one or two potentially male specimens characterized by narrower structures. Furthermore, there were many tiny bones, likely from infants—undoubtedly, female infants.

The thought that so many of her own kind lay in this cave left her blood running cold.

"Yaoyao, we should head out. Are you finished?"

Jiang Yao snapped back to reality, suppressing the turmoil in her heart so it wouldn't show on her face. "Yes, I'm done."

Once they were outside, she casually probed Zhuzi, "Brother Zhuzi, do you know how long these bones have been in there?"

A flicker of something passed through Zhuzi's eyes, but he shook his head and sighed. "I remember them being there since I was a kid. At least twenty or thirty years, I’d guess?" He began to recount it like a story: "When I was young and unruly, I didn't listen to the elders and ran into the mountains alone. I got lost and had to hide in that cave. Seeing all those bones almost scared me to death!"

The man with the yellow hair nodded. "Coming across a scene like that out of the blue, it would be terrifying!" He mused, "Do you think maybe people got lost in the mountains, ended up in the cave, and with no food, they just… starved to death over time?"

Zhuzi sighed, "Who knows?"

The rain outside had gradually stopped, but the mountain paths were still treacherous and muddy; continuing upward would have been risky. Zhuzi asked for their opinion, "Do you still want to head further up the mountain?"

The group discussed it and collectively shook their heads. The mountains were even colder after the rain, and the risk of hypothermia at night was high, not to mention the possibility of wild beasts—there were simply too many unknown variables. They were only here to go through the motions; they had no intention of risking their lives.

"Let’s head down," they decided unanimously.

The descent was easier and faster than the climb, though the slick, rain-soaked path required cautious footing. By the time they reached the base of the mountain, the sky was already darkening.

The group bade farewell to Zhuzi, thanking him, "Brother Zhuzi, thanks for your help today. Here is the payment we promised."

Chi Xing handed over a few red banknotes. Zhuzi tried to refuse, "I just showed you the way; I didn't really do anything. I was just idling anyway..."

Chi Xing didn't argue, simply stuffing the cash into the man's pocket. "Life isn't easy for any of us. Just take it."

Zhuzi gave an honest, rustic smile. "Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Once Zhuzi had left, Chi Xing withdrew his meaningful gaze and turned to Jiang Yao. "Tell me, what did you discover?"

The others looked at Jiang Yao with surprise.

She wasn't caught off guard and stated her findings truthfully: "Most of the bones in that cave belong to women. And judging by the state of decay, the most recent deaths couldn't have occurred more than ten years ago." She had noticed that some of the clothing remnants on the bones hadn't fully disintegrated yet.

The group’s eyes widened.

Duan Yiren’s expression shifted as a thought occurred to her. "Are you saying… it’s highly likely these people were killed by someone in the village?"

It was obvious. Few outsiders ever entered the village. Even if there were accidents, it was impossible for so many people to accidentally end up in that cave and die at the same time. The only explanation was that their bodies had been dumped there.

"This is a society ruled by law. They couldn't possibly be that bold, could they?" Ji Yuanyuan asked, horrified.

Jiang Yao curled her lip. "This place is so remote that barely anyone comes here all year round. The police station is in the town. Even if missing person reports were filed, they could easily lie and say they went into the mountains and got lost." She paused, her expression turning icy. "Besides, in a place like this, wouldn't everyone just cover for each other?"

The first rule of safety for trafficked women: Do not trust the local police.