★ Total online clicks exceeding 20 million! The same-name film and television adaptation has officially kicked off!

★ Recommended by best-selling authors: Tian Xia Bachang (author of Candle in the Tomb), Qin Ming (author of Forensic Qin Ming), Zhu Ge (author of Ten Major Crimes), and Gang Xue Yin (author of Criminal Psychological Archives)!

★ A masterpiece of suspense by the master of horror, Ye Dun, elevating the genre of thrilling spy novels to new heights! Unraveling mysteries amidst terror, every step is heart-stirring!

★ A perfect blend of suspense and horror! 1 fragment of an archive × 2 generations × 30 years, a deadly pursuit of a shocking mystery!

★ In the battle of wits, only faith can bring light!

The inspiration for the novel comes from a fragment of a real historical archive. Set in the early period of the Chinese Civil War, the story unfolds after the quelling of the rebellion initiated by the remnants of the Kuomintang and the Japanese Kwantung Army. A mysterious intelligence device known as the "Huolín Food Box" goes missing, and a series of eerie events begin to unfold.

Beneath the ice lies a terrifying dragon turtle, a mysterious scarred man is torn into pieces, a massive underground fortress looms, and deep within the dense forests, wild ghosts and mountain goblins lurk... What secrets lie within the Huolín Food Box that cause all those connected to it to meet their deaths in bizarre ways? Why are the mysteries from decades ago so closely intertwined with the fates of the people in the present?...

Suspenseful events, a battle of wits among masters, bizarre and bewildering enigmas, hair-raising horror, and the redemption of complex human nature... This novel integrates multiple best-selling elements such as suspense, mystery, horror, and spy warfare. The mysteries are endless, the analysis is layered, the plot twists at every turn, and the truth remains hidden until the very end.

Ye Dun, writer, screenwriter. His works are known for their bizarre stories and captivating writing skills, and have won the hearts of a large number of readers with high popularity. He has published several novels, including "The Monster Investigator," "The Great Collection of Captures," and "Liaodong Anecdotes and Notes: Paper Man Cutting off the Head. The screenwriter's works include "Unjust Wanderer", "The Wind and Thunder Technique of the Sharp Blade", and "Brave Victory".

**Prologue**

**Chapter 1: The Dark Thing Beneath the Ice**
**Chapter 2: The Japanese Devils Rise from the Dead**
**Chapter 3: The Vanishing Scarred Man**
**Chapter 4: Gathering Souls**
**Chapter 5: Nine Shots, Eight Hits**
**Chapter 6: The Fragrant Master Qiu's Betrayal**
**Chapter 7: The Soul-Chilling Shot**
**Chapter 8: The Bandit Girl**
**Chapter 9**
**Chapter 10: The Golden Heist**
**Chapter 11: Wild Ghosts and Mountain Goblins**
**Chapter 12: Black Gun! Black Gun!**
**Chapter 13: Darkness Under the Light**
**Chapter 14: The Death of Zhen Jianglong**
**Chapter 15**
**Chapter 16: Huangsan and Huashezi**
**Chapter 17: The Eagle Village on Horseback**
**Chapter 18: Uninvited Guests**
**Chapter 19: Emergency Interrogation**
**Chapter 20: Qin Tie's Left Hand**
**Chapter 21: My Name is Ye Xiling**
**Chapter 22: The Japanese Woman**
**Chapter 23: The Strange Squad Leader Hao**
**Chapter 24: The Past of Chen Chongyuan**
**Chapter 25: The Secret of the Archivist**
**Chapter 26: The Fog of the Thieves' Guild**
**Chapter 27: The Oak Forest on the Hill**
**Chapter 28: Zhen Jianglong and Old Wang**
**Chapter 29: On the Brink**
**Chapter 30: Gunfire in the Sky**
**Chapter 31: The Secret in the Cabinet**
**Chapter 32: The Devil's Fortress**
**Chapter 33: A Hair's Breadth from Life and Death**
**Chapter 34: No. 28, Tian Gang Road**
**Chapter 35: The River Divides the Middle**
**Chapter 36: The Mystery of the Food Box**
**Chapter 37**

On the road, I kept pondering that dark thing beneath the ice—Old Wu had said it was a dragon turtle; and the man who had just died shouted “ghost” twice. Judging from his expression at the moment of death, he seemed to have known about this dark thing before. There was also that wild, rampaging black horse, which seemed to know in advance that the ice would crack...

The more I thought about it, the more strange it seemed. I couldn't help asking Squad Leader Hao, “Do you think that dark thing might really be something supernatural?”

Squad Leader Hao said sternly, “Comrade Feng Jian, you are a member of the Communist Party! How could a Communist Party member...”

Before he finished his sentence, he suddenly stopped in his tracks with a “thud.”

I saw that Squad Leader Hao was staring ahead in horror, his mouth, which had been wide open, snapping shut with a “click.” Following the direction of his slowly outstretched arm, I saw two towering, flickering shadows not far away. I immediately judged that they were not human! These two shadows were almost towering above the ground, with a height of at least three meters—how could there be people more than three meters tall!

I was truly terrified!

The fear brought by the dark thing under the ice had not yet subsided, and now we encountered two giant flickering shadows. I couldn't help but think of something else. On this issue, I must confess to the organization. At that moment, I indeed made a mistake of idealism, and I am willing to accept criticism from the masses and ask the organization for forgiveness.

Squad Leader Hao and I stood in the wind, each holding our breath and observing the two giant shadows. They drifted at a moderate speed, swaying sideways twice with each movement, much like the Black and White Impermanence in the Hall of Impermanence in my hometown in the south. I nudged Squad Leader Hao and pointed to the ground, saying, “Class leader, it's the... two lords from below.”

I could see that Squad Leader Hao was hesitating. He spoke hesitantly, “Well... how do you know?”

I said, “Thousands of Japanese soldiers died in the city all at once. These guys are unfamiliar with the place. Wouldn't the underworld send someone to help them find their way?”

Squad Leader Hao nodded and said “Hmm,” but then he glared at me again, “Almost let you lead me astray!” He handed the food box to me and cocked his rifle, saying, “No matter what they are, we can't afford to delay any longer. If anything happens, you take the food box and run first. Remember, that's an order!”

With a heart full of dread, Squad Leader Hao and I moved closer to the two giant shadows. To avoid alerting them, our soles almost scraped along the snowy ground. When we were about a hundred meters away, I heard some strange noises coming from the lower ends of the two shadows—“creak,” “creak,” “creak.” With each such sound, the upper part of the shadows would sway twice. I wondered to myself, do the Black and White Impermanence from the underworld also make noise when they walk?

After listening to the “creak” sounds for a while, Squad Leader Hao blinked at me and seemed to suddenly think of something. He crouched down to examine the icy road, and I followed suit. The road was dotted with some small holes, which seemed to have been pierced by some sharp objects, with small pieces of ice scattered around.

Squad Leader Hao picked up a piece of ice and examined it carefully, then measured the distance between several holes on the road. Only then did he say, “Xiao Feng, I know what they are.”

I asked nervously and excitedly, “What are they?”

Squad Leader Hao put away his rifle and suddenly sneered, “They are the Black and White Impermanence you mentioned.”