Early the next morning, I got up at six thirty, had a cup of coffee, and after breakfast, I started thinking about how this story would finally end. As Ethan Zhang, I couldn't help but wonder if there was ever going to be a way out.
As for the story of the eight climbers, I had heard bits and pieces. The main theories boiled down to two.
The first possibility is that six people, including myself in the story, are all ghosts. We died on the snowy mountain, became spirits, couldn't find Louis Liu, so we returned to camp to wait for him and his girlfriend Joanne Lu—and then killed them.
The second possibility: Louis Liu is killed by someone, and now Harvey Zhou has shown a strong intent to murder him. Maybe Louis Liu gets killed, becomes a ghost, and comes back for revenge on us—including Ethan Zhang. We flee back to camp, holding onto his girlfriend Joanne Lu to use her as leverage.
Back then, discussions about this story were heated, with plenty of theories. These two were the most popular, because the story itself had no follow-up—like a tale with no beginning and no end, just a middle. Stanley Zhang always said it felt like we were trapped in a loop.
"This is so messed up. Seriously, what the hell!" Sean Wu swore, unable to hold back his frustration.
I couldn't help but curse out loud. Thinking about that Blue Wraith behind the scenes—Edward Lee and Mason Lee probably thought it was laughing at me right now, watching me struggle. Rage bubbled up inside me.
"Just wait—if I find you, I swear I'll kill you."
I shouted into the empty surroundings.
"Who are you planning to kill, Ethan?"
I gasped. There was Louis Liu, standing at my doorstep, twirling his keys. He was over six feet tall, strong and handsome. But most importantly, he was rich. He didn't have a real job, but money always flowed his way. Half of our dirty income ended up in his pocket every time.
After all, Harvey Zhou and I were honest men once. Desperate for cash, Louis Liu always had ideas—what we could skim, what we couldn't. He knew it all. With his guidance, our fake accounts and embezzlement went off without a hitch.
He kept his hair dyed blond, messy and wild. As he walked over, a crooked smile on his lips, he slung an arm around my neck.
"Who were you just threatening to kill, Ethan? Not me, I hope."
"No," I said, shoving Louis Liu's hand away, annoyed. The memories they'd given me said I hated him, but seeing him act so high and mighty, ready to step all over me, I was furious. I wanted to punch him, maybe even kill him first—maybe that would end the story.
Strangely, the moment I had that thought, I stood up automatically and began serving him tea.
"Ha, Ethan, you'd better behave. We're partners now, and I don't want any trouble. Did you finish what I told you to do last time?"
I grunted and nodded, remembering how Harvey Zhou taught us to cook the books. We made a lot of money.
"I've got my eye on a new coat—mink, costs over two hundred grand. When we get back, buy it for me and bring it to my place."
I grunted again. Suddenly, Louis Liu came over and slammed my head down on the table.
"Did you hear me, Ethan Zhang?" Rage flared in me instantly—I was ready to get up and kill him, and the malice inside me began to seep out.
Then Louis Liu left, laughing. Even if I wanted to kill him, my body wouldn't obey. But my malice could leak out, and Louis Liu didn't seem to notice at all.
Finally, eight o'clock came. Harvey Zhou arrived to pick me up, driving an SUV. He was all smiles as he looked at me. After I got in, we headed straight to the place Louis Liu had mentioned to pick up the others.
When we arrived, there was already another SUV parked there, with four people inside. They looked like Louis Liu's friends.
After introductions, we learned the driver was Stanley Zhang, a taxi driver who looked honest and plain.
In the passenger seat was Sean Wu, a handsome guy who worked at a bank. He seemed lively, never stopped talking.
In the back sat two brothers—Edward Lee and Mason Lee. They looked a bit alike. Edward Lee was Louis Liu’s college classmate, and both brothers were civil servants. The older brother looked cheerful, while Mason Lee seemed gloomy, clutching a PSP and barely saying a word.
Then there was Louis Liu’s girlfriend, Joanne Lu, with her fashionable curls, looking like a doll. She was sweet and cute. Louis Liu wrapped his arm around her and got in our car.
Both cars set off together, heading toward the city. From here to the foot of the mountain was over two hundred kilometers. We left in the morning and would probably arrive around noon.
The weather forecast said there wouldn’t be heavy snow for the next few days.
In the rearview mirror, I saw Louis Liu holding Joanne Lu, kissing and cuddling. The two of them acted as if Harvey Zhou and I didn’t exist. My mood was foul, especially with no news about Jianhui Wang—I had no idea where he’d gone.
Harvey Zhou kept smiling the whole way, a stark contrast to the murderous look he’d had last night.
"I need to use the bathroom."
Joanne Lu suddenly shouted. Harvey Zhou found a spot by the road and stopped the car. Joanne Lu pulled Louis Liu out with her. As soon as they left, Harvey Zhou turned to me, his face full of excitement.
"Ethan, remember—once we get to the camp, you find a way to get Louis Liu alone for me. I need a clean shot. Those four friends are a nuisance."
I grunted, feeling nothing but disgust for Harvey Zhou.
Soon, Louis Liu came back, but I noticed him staring at us, a clear smile in his eyes.
"You two—are you plotting to kill me?"
Suddenly, Louis Liu blurted it out. I started coughing violently.
"Oh come on, Louis, you’re joking, right?" Harvey Zhou laughed loudly. Louis Liu laughed too, but Joanne Lu started to complain.
Around 1 p.m., we arrived at the hotel at the foot of the mountain. There were plenty of other climbers around. After finding a place to park, we ate lunch, shouldered our gear, and prepared to take the rope-lined mountain path up to the ridge, then follow the western route in a loop before returning here.
"Check your watches, everyone. We’ll need to pick up the pace. Tonight we have to reach Snakehead Ridge on the west side—the terrain’s flat there, perfect for camping."
Edward Lee said this, pointing at the map. He was a mountaineering enthusiast. Louis Liu had told us he’d gotten interested in this trip thanks to Edward’s constant explanations.
There were shadows of climbers all along the mountain path. The route wasn’t too difficult, with ropes on the side for support. We climbed steadily. Joanne Lu and Mason Lee soon lagged behind, and then Edward Lee came over, asking me to carry some of his girlfriend’s things. I really didn’t want to, but my body moved on its own, taking some of Joanne’s gear from her.
When we reached the ridge, the terrain leveled out a lot. I finally breathed a sigh of relief as I handed some of the things back to Louis Liu’s girlfriend.
We kept walking.
But the sky was already getting dark. Because of differences in physical strength, we couldn’t reach the planned spot. Edward Lee called a halt, found a clearing, and we started setting up camp.
It took about an hour to pitch seven tents. Then we settled in, melted some snow in a pot to cook.
I watched everyone closely. Harvey Zhou kept signaling to me, wanting me to figure something out, but my body wouldn’t listen at all. It was like a machine, just playing out the actions of a character in this story.
"Hey kid, just sitting there playing games? Not helping out?" Louis Liu looked at Mason Lee with obvious annoyance. Mason stared blankly at his PSP, completely absorbed.
Suddenly, Edward Lee snatched Mason’s game console. Mason let out a cry and, like a zombie, stood up to grab it back.
Louis Liu seized Mason’s PSP and, with a sudden force, threw it into the night sky. It vanished, silent as a stone sinking into the sea.
Mason screamed, lunged at Louis Liu, punching and kicking. Louis didn’t hesitate—he grabbed Mason’s collar and punched him a few times.
Everyone rushed over to break it up.
"Louis Liu, what’s your problem, picking on my little brother?"
"Damn it, I told you not to bring a shut-in who can’t tell reality from fantasy. You wouldn’t listen—and your family doesn’t keep him in line either."
I saw Edward Lee was angry but had no choice but to let it go. Mason Lee didn’t eat anything, just lay in the tent. From the sound of it, he was crying.
"Come on, Louis, why are you getting worked up over a kid?" Stanley Zhang, the taxi driver, tried to calm things down.
"Louis, you too—why the violence? And you threw away his game console."
"Fine, I get it. When we get back, I’ll buy him the latest and best one." Louis Liu said impatiently. Sean Wu just smiled.
We started chatting, but I noticed Joanne Lu looked pale and uncomfortable. She turned in early.
We talked until ten, then went to our tents—had to get up at seven. I could feel it: the story had started.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Joanne Lu had a fever, chills all over, took some medicine and went back to sleep.
Now we were in trouble. Our plans were completely disrupted.
"How about this—there’s a place up ahead, maybe an hour or two away. We could go skiing there, what do you think?" Edward Lee suddenly suggested.
There was no other way. The original plan was canceled. We left Joanne Lu behind, gave her some food, grabbed our ski gear, and headed west.
"Ethan, just make your move there. Heh, I’ve looked into it—that area’s had a few avalanches before," Harvey Zhou whispered to me as he walked by. A chill ran down my spine.