The Haunted Mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou

A green-skinned train bound for the southwest carries four young people from Beijing’s Geological Institute, each with a different fate, into the towering mountains of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. In that fiery-red era, they become members of a geological survey team, spending every day among cold rocks, endless mosquitoes, and the solitude of the deep mountains. But even more terrifying than the hardship are the strange legends and unknown horrors lurking in the wilderness: Thunder God Mountain, where deadly lightning fires are said to strike; “Ghost Soldiers Crossing,” where the echoes of an ancient battlefield ring out; “Man-Eating Pool,” which swallows people’s shadows; and “Ghosts Wall,” which traps entire groups in hallucinations... Every time, they think they have stumbled upon mountain spirits or ghosts, and struggle to survive amid terror and absurdity. Yet every time, Lin Ge’s seemingly unserious mind, Qin Ke’s meticulousness, Chen Gusui’s bravery, and Zhang Lingdang’s optimism lead them to find, in ancient legends and geological knowledge, a chilling yet rigorously scientific explanation for what seems supernatural... Or so it seems…