RPC-PL-024 [EN]

Wrath of the Gobi
Original: RPC-PL-024 by Astryda and Big Panda
Translated by: JakisPorus

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Register Phenomena Code: PL-024

Object Class: Gamma-Orange

Hazard Types:Additional Properties:

Grouped

Sentient

Toxic

Mind-Regression

Titanic

Containment Protocols: The region affected by RPC-PL-024 is to be completely physically isolated from the rest of the Mongolian territory. Flight within a 2 km radius of the area's center, as well as unauthorized satellite photographies of the region not created by the Authority or other approved entities, are strictly prohibited.

Together with the public administration of Mongolia and the native inhabitants of the Gobi Desert, a preventive policy is being carried out against the access of individuals and private entities to RPC-PL-024-1. In particular, this policy consists in forming and promoting a folkloric interpretation of the so-called “Mongolian death worms” – the species E. mortiferum should be publicly considered a cryptid. In addition, any sightings of RPC-PL-024-1 instances made by the public sphere should be actively discounted, and such occurrences should considered as misidentifications of fauna native to the region.

Every week, an evenly distributed 3,600 kg of pork, 4,100 kg of beef, or 5,800 kg of poultry should be placed in the designated crevices within the basement area of RPC-PL-024's main estate. It is prohibited to make contact with the RPC-PL-024-1 instances or use any other type of meat or sustenance. For safety, it is recommended to maintain a distance of at least three meters from each instance.

The venom of RPC-XXX comes in two distinct variants: type α and type β. If an individual comes in contact with RPC-PL-024-1's venom, the following procedures should be followed, depending on its variant:
* α – administer the antitoxin to the victim, connect them to a ventilator, and promptly refer them to a toxicologist for treatment;
* β – proceed as outlined below, and immediately notify the Head Researcher and the head of the Protocol Laboratory at Site-199;

should a victim of β venom fall to a quasi-lethargic state, a team of medical specialists must be immediately dispatched: a toxicologist, a neurologist, an anesthesiologist and a psychiatrist to secure the subject and transport them to Site-199 in Ulaanbaatar for research and development of a treatment method;
should E. mortiferum be observed outside of RPC-PL-024 – make immediate placement of the aforementioned amount of meat in the designated crevices within the basement area of RPC-PL-024's main estate.

Description: RPC-PL-024 is an abandoned desert plot with an area of roughly 2.5 hectares, with geographic coordinates of 43° 20' 18" N; 108° 11' 49" E. The plot includes 2 hectares of apple orchard and 0.5 hectares of roads, a one-story residential property, and a shed. The area was separated from the rest of the region by a corrugated fence and considered taboo by local nomadic tribes. It is now secured by Field Site-199, and the fence has been replaced with reinforced concrete.

RPC-PL-024's anomalous phenomena are linked to the geography of the area and the basement room of the aforementioned property. It should be noted that the property was abandoned in the 1930s and has not undergone any maintenance work since then. After the property was acquired in 1948, minimal architectural work was carried out to secure the building for research purposes.

The area is currently infested with about 120 specimens of Eisenia mortiferum, a species known in Gobi folklore as the “death worm”. These specimens generally show no aggression toward humans. Individual instances usually spend several hours next to the plot at night, less often during the day. It has been established that the hungrier an instance is – as expressed by a decrease in the intensity of its body color – the more eager it is to move away from RPC-PL-024. Details on the species are included in Supplement II.

Once discovered, the area was determined to be the site of murder of at least 38 people, whose bodies were fragmented and placed in crevices located in the solid rock enveloping the basement room of the main mansion. The corpses were analyzed by the Authority's forensic scientists conducting DNA genome analysis. However, the variables that lowered the rate of decomposition of the bodies have still not been determined. It is presumed that the close presence of RPC-PL-024-1, or more specifically, the slime covering the instances, had a moderating effect on the micro-climate of the room. However, staying in the RPC-PL-024 property was not found to be a threat to life or health. Investigation of this hypothesis requires the presently-inviable acquisition of a slime sample for analysis of its reactivity with air components and long-term effects on nearby dead tissues. In addition to biological traces, Mönkhbat Atkiray's diary was secured. The notebook was found between loose tiles in the basement; it was most likely not placed there accidentally.

The fissures measure 2-2.3 meters in length and 0.8-0.9 meters in width. They lead through the rocks to the surrounding sand deposits. The placement of at least 30 kilograms of pork (alternatively, 35 kilograms of beef or 48 kilograms of poultry) accomplishes the almost immediate luring of the nearest hungry instance of E. mortiferum into the crevice and enables about ten minutes of behavioral control by means of bodily gestures, restricted to the individual who has fed it. Research on the full range of control possible with the RPC-PL-024-1 instances is ongoing.

Satellite image of RPC-PL-024, dated 10/17/2003.

On October 17, 2003, a satellite photograph of RPC-PL-024 showed an unknown frame around the property, about 2 km in diameter, which disappeared before the field teams were able to reach the edge, and before a second satellite was able to take another image 20 minutes later. At the same time, it was reported that a slight earthquake was felt in the region at the time the photo was taken. It is now considered that the aforementioned framing may have been the mouth of a hypothetical instance of RPC-PL-024-2, locally known as “old worms.” According to regional folk beliefs, “old worms” are especially long-lasting RPC-PL-024-1 that have been alive for at least five hundred years. They are described as several kilometers long and are believed to feed almost exclusively deep beneath the surface of the Gobi Desert, possibly by exposure to geothermal heat, and only surfacing once in several decades. Although their sightings are considered momentous, they are narrated as irreparably devastating to human life, infrastructure, and local terrain.

Supplement I: Summary of acquisition.

[+] Summary

[–] Summary

The process of acquiring RPC-PL-024 began on December 5, 1947, when intelligence analysts at Site-199 began to combine rumors coming from different corners of the Gobi Desert. Their sources were not nomads, but tourists and transient townspeople. The behavior of the desert's indigenous inhabitants, however, showed signs of a peculiar conspiracy of silence with regard to the subject of the rumors: the sighting in the Gobi Desert of alleged supernatural beings who were said to roam the sands, mumbling unintelligible words. It was also reported that upon being touched, such a person would immediately collapse, slipping into a short coma leading to several minutes of death. While a number of disappearances had already been associated with the Gobi Desert – as with any desert – it was not until February 2, 1948, after a peculiar territorial pattern relating to disappearances had been developed and compared with reports of sightings of the aforementioned ghosts, that it was decided to conduct a research expedition to investigate the reports and interview the nomads.

The indigenous people of the Gobi Desert were initially reluctant to speak out about the problem. However, the collusion of silence was lifted after members of the Grass Seekers tribe revealed their information on the so-called “death worms,” which in turn translated into most other Gobi tribes agreeing to which in turn encouraged most other Gobi tribes to provide their own knowledge. On February 16, 1948, the expedition's leadership was shown an element of regional taboo – the property of Vanse Bloxham, who had allegedly kidnapped several Mongolians and practiced controlling the so-called death worms that had since gathered around his blocked-off property.

On February 20, 1948, the Authority secured RPC-PL-024, opening a research and containment program, establishing Field Site-199 to guard RPC-PL-024 and develop a methodology for handling and examining instances of RPC-PL-024-1.

Suplement II: RPC-PL-024-1 Species Description.

[+] Description

[–] Description

Due to the difficulties associated with making direct physical measurements of RPC-PL-024-1, information on them has been collected in unsatisfactory quality and quantity, which is reflected in the lack of a definitive taxonomic characterization of the species. Particularly noticeable is the lack of phylogenetic data, with the help of which it would be possible to clarify the path of development of the unique mechanisms with which instances of RPC-PL-024-1 are equipped, and on the basis of common ancestry with known species to deduce a more solid basis for systematization. On June 6, 2018¹, the zoological community, however, made a preliminary classification of the species into: domain of eukaryotes, kingdom of animals, type of annelids, cluster of saddlebacks, type of Oligochaetas, family of earthworms, subfamily Lumbricinae and genus Eisenia. RPC-PL-024-1 was given the official name Eisenia mortiferum. The common name – “death worm” – may be used only auxiliary to the official name and in internal staff communication.

It should be emphasized that on the day of the announcement of the preliminary systematization of RPC-PL-024-1, budget expenditures for the research and development program of Site-199 in Ulaanbaatar were increased by 10 percentage points, on the subject of developing the technology and technique for obtaining specimens of E. mortiferum for research and storage purposes. A side goal is to develop a way to deactivate the biological mechanisms responsible for the explosiveness of the carcass of the specimen, which will also be important in terms of the safety and hygiene of the handling of RPC-PL-024-1 under the full supervision of the Authority in the future.

Basic zootomic data on E. mortiferum:

body length: 4.2-9.8 m;

body width: 40-45 cm;

body weight: 160-220 kg.

One finding worth noting is the relatively small spread of the width relative to the length of the bodies of instances. Repeated observations have strengthened the hypothesis that instances that are more often at the surface reach greater length and body mass during the daytime – presumably ultraviolet radiation is an important factor promoting the growth of tissues in E. mortiferum. However, a similar relationship was not found in the width of the bodies of instances. It is now accepted that the most plausible reason for the discrepancy in the body width of instances are their hunting habits – foraging instances more often seem to have wider bodies. It has been proposed that the muscles surrounding the rings of instances may consist of tissue that is less or completely insensitive in terms of proliferation to UV rays. As an aside, it is worth stating that on average, instances stay underground 140-165 hours a week. They have been observed to be able to burrow into any type of soil found in the Gobi Desert, with the exception of areas exceptionally rich in rock deposits or for other reasons requiring too much force to penetrate.

Also noteworthy is the fact that signs of having a visual system have been spotted in instances. No sensory organs were detected, but the behavior of the instars allows us to assume that they are able to perceive changes in light intensity and length. This hypothesis explains why the instars respond to the gestures of instances who feed them. However, it is not clear why the instances understand the gestures. It is proposed that instars possess intelligence of an exceptionally high level for other members of the ring type.

It has not yet been possible to determine the lifespan of the instances or their developmental stages – it is impossible to assess the age of individual instances of RPC-PL-024-1. In addition, no cocoons or definite juveniles have been recorded. The hypothesis that juvenile instantiations can be recognized by their shorter body length was disproved by repeated observations, which proved that this length is variable: for if an instance avoids being on the surface for a long time, its body will begin to shrink, and the analogy will be with those instantiations that begin to come to the surface more often. The hypothesis that representatives of E. mortifeum do not experience aging processes is currently technically impossible to test – no technique has yet been developed to preserve the corpses of instances that may have died of natural causes. However, even with superficial consideration, this hypothesis cannot serve to explain the lack of recording of juvenile instances. Incidentally, hermaphroditic genitalia have been recorded in instars of RPC-PL-024-1, yet other than the accumulation of them at RPC-PL-024, ethologists have not found that these instances exhibit basic herding behavior, except for mutual tolerance and the absence of cannibalistic behavior.

In terms of feeding patterns, it has been determined that the instances hunt any type of animal moving through the Gobi Desert, with the exception of humans², whom they attack only in terms of self-defense or when fed human meat. Hunting takes place during daylight hours; at night, some instances rest near RPC-PL-024. Instances overwhelmingly hunt from below the ground, reinforcing the hypothesis that RPC-PL-024-1 instances possess magnetoreceptors that allow them to use the Earth's magnetic field to search for prey. Instances on the surface develop a speed of up to 3.5 m/s, while below the surface – up to 23 m/s, accompanied by a peculiar rippling of the sand above the rushing instance. So far, the senses used by the instances have not been determined, but it has been assumed that while on the surface, they do not use magnetoreceptors, which forces them to focus specifically on the other impulses received by the body. Below the surface, on the other hand, instances can only focus on developing high speeds when navigating using magnetoreceptors.

Instances of E. mortiferum use several methods of attack and defense. The first is for the instance to accelerate underground³ in order to gain more maneuverability and momentum, after which it will jump out and knock down the victim. Immediately after, the instance will begin to circle around the foraging object, performing a fatal crushing of its body. The instance will then begin to devour the victim, tearing its flesh with its numerous teeth lining its mouth. It has been observed that the instance is able to eat up to about 75% of a gobi bear. This leads to the conclusion that instances both must possess a remarkable metabolism and tissue extensibility parameters. Shortly after fulfilling its hunger, the instance will abandon the corpse, the remains of which will be eaten by nearby scavengers. The instance itself will change coloration from faded to intense orange for about three hours. After this period, the victim's blood, stripped of most of its iron and mixed with its metabolism products, will start coming out of its mouth, and it will leave a red trail behind it for about thirty minutes. It takes about four days for an instance's body coloration to fade.

The second method of attack is the ejaculation of α venom or, hypothetically, β venom – no samples of these have been obtained for chemical analysis – from the mouth, in a situation of imminent danger, when the instance is unable or fails to go underground in time.

The α venom causes almost immediate paralysis of the victim's body as a result of systemic acetylcholinesterase inhibition, which prevents the hydrolysis of the acetylcholine. The result is the continued transmission of electrochemical signals through the victim's body. As a result, the instance proceeds to flee from or devour the aggressor. Failure to provide adequate medical assistance to the victim leads to their or its death due to suffocation within 5 minutes.

Hypothetical β venom degrades the quality of the victim's brain activity. Victims allegedly experience rapid and complete mental regression, falling into a coma about five hours after poisoning and die up to another twelve hours. According to the interviewed nomads, this phenomenon is well-known, and when someone is poisoned in this way, they are given the opportunity to become a “ghost” and maintain permanent distance from civilization. The solution allegedly inhibits mental regression but keeps them in a disoriented state. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that it is only an element of regional folklore.

When an instance of RPC-PL-024-1 sleeps, its body covers itself with lethally toxic mucus. The bodily function is considered a passive defense mechanism of the instances, as the mucus is harmful to all tested animal species but not to the instances themselves. Death occurs due to circulatory failure within 3-7 minutes, depending on the health of the victim. The substance causes extreme stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system in terms of norepinephrine synthesis and reuptake, with simultaneous inhibition of monoamine oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase and further breakdown of norepinephrine. So far, methods of treating such infection have not been identified. The second defense is the explosion of the instance's body that occurs when it becomes trapped or suffocates – which is why no corpses have still been retrieved. During the explosion, the aforementioned mucus is splattered within a radius of up to about 2 meters from the instance, and its body is immediately and completely destroyed.

Due to the hypothesis of the existence of RPC-PL-024-2, the consensus of zoologists is that it is too early to determine the taxonomy of the so-called old worms. Nevertheless, they also mostly take the stance that RPC-PL-024-1 may be a species with diametrically different life cycle stages, which would explain both the lack of observations of definitively juvenile instances and the association of instances with hypothetical so-called old worms.

Supplement III: Vanse Bloxham's biography and Mönkhbat Atkiray's diary.

[+] Documents

[–] Documents

Part I – biography of Vanse Bloxham before his departure to Mongolia.

Vanse Bloxham was born in 1884, in London, as the only child of Danica and Professor Egbert Bloxham. In 1923, he earned a doctorate in life sciences, in the discipline of zoology, from the University of Sheffield. Despite his great efforts to follow in his father's footsteps⁴, his scientific career was relatively slow, as the researcher skipped many smaller opportunities to participate in various research projects in favor of rarer ventures. In 1928, Dr. Vanse Bloxham was blamed for falsifying the results of a number of studies conducted on his initiative, and was disciplined, stripped of his degree and job titles, and banned from accepting research and teaching positions at British universities and scientific institutes. However, the Authority has detected that the actual falsification of any results did in fact not occur, and the expulsion procedure was initiated by Prof. Egbert Bloxham's former academic enemies.

In 1929, together with his wife Eva and son Jon, Vanse Bloxham left Britain and traveled to Mongolia to conduct supposedly independent research that would help him return to the good graces of the British academic community. No sources, excluding the testimony of the Gobi nomad presented below, comment on the zoologist's subsequent fate. It is noted, however, that some of his colleagues commented on the trip, claiming that it had to do with the researcher's hope for a better future. He intended to research the so-called death worms allegedly repeatedly observed in the Gobi Desert, as noted three years earlier by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews⁵.

Photo of the Bloxham family near the shed, taken in September 1929. In the photo, Eva in the middle, Jon and Vanse on the right. Also on the left and right are the local children.

Part II – Mönkhbat Atkiray's diary⁶.

Today is September 7, 1929. My name is Mönkhbat Atkiray⁷ and I have been doing English-Mongolian translations for several years. I live in a village of the Horse Whisperers tribe⁸, since I was born, which is twenty years. I decided to keep this diary because I haven't had many opportunities to practice English lately. Recently, too, an Englander named Vanse Bloxham decided to settle in our area and has already hired a dozen people to renovate the old farm and then take care of it. I have become his personal translator, although Mr. Bloxham will probably also benefit from my knowledge of local and regional culture. The whole family, that is, Mr. Vanse, his wife Eva and son Jon, seem nice people, and have already gained a good reputation in our community.

Today, on September 10, I had the pleasure of spending most of my day in the restored part of Mr. and Mrs. Bloxham's estate. They were very curious about Gobi culture and Mongolian culture in general. I also gave them a list of the most important phrases in our language so they wouldn't be completely clueless without the help of a translator. However, they were very reluctant to talk about their past. It seemed to me that for whatever reason they left the place where they lived, it was an unpleasant matter that died with the movement of the clock. My grandmother liked to remind me with this text to value the here and now, and I notice that I often return to my memories of her person beloved by all.

Ms. Eva has asked me to consider becoming an English tutor for little Jon. She wants to teach her son in a home environment, and one day send him back to where they came from. Of course, I agreed. I decided that I would not let any more opportunities to make money pass me by because of my uncertainties. If my parents were alive, they would be proud that I was standing on my own feet and getting taller every day.

September 21 marks the eleventh day since I became a tutor for Jon Bloxham. The boy was reluctant to learn at first, but I took him for a walk around the local beautiful places and also showed him some of the local children's games and he opened up to me a bit. Now it's going like clockwork. Jon is learning, and I'm rewarding his enthusiasm with fun activities, although I think he's starting to like our language a lot anyway. The writing system, somewhat confusing when compared to Latin, will probably take some more work, but in terms of grammar, vocabulary and conversation, it's getting better. I am satisfied. I have noticed, however, that Mr. Vanse has been looking at me strangely for the past few days. I'm not sure why. Ms. Eva, on the other hand, has turned out to be a wonderful lady of our apple orchard, and I am eagerly awaiting the fruit from her trees.

On September 23, I finally found out what the Englishman was about. Mr. Vanse invited me for a glass of wine, in the basement. He said that he was a man of science and that he had been watching me for some time because he wasn't sure how I would react to his request. And my skin got all bristle! He said he was looking for an olgoi-khorkhoi⁹ to show the world the uniqueness of the Gobi Desert. A flash of memories of my exiled father being sprayed by a bug from his village appeared between my ears. My sobbing mother followed him. Neither of them ever returned, and I also refused to go deep into the Gobi, lest I sometimes see them, which would open old wounds. Only my grandmother remained. Olgoi-khorkhoi - a monstrosity that should be exterminated while it is possible! I bit my tongue, however, when Mr. Vanse put his hand on my shoulder and apologized if he had violated a taboo. I was sweaty, and hate was bubbling from my eyes. However, I was aware of the fact that Mr. Vanse could not know my past. I explained that it was taboo because no contact with the olgoi-khorkhoi was good, and that I was personally in favor of exterminating the nastiness.

I revealed to him the story of my parents. That for other members of the tribe it was a sign of the curse and that only my grandmother shared my pain and anger at that worms. Mr. Vanse said that the best way to destroy the orgoi-khorkhoi was to show the problem to the progressive world. Let the globe take an interest in the worms, and let it defend their victims from the superstitious darkness. It was a speech full of passion. It moved me enough to agree. I agreed to take him tomorrow to the nearby tribe of Grass Seekers¹⁰, who have traveled throughout the Gobi Desert, so they will know much more than I do.

On September 24 I did as I declared yesterday. Although the members of the Grass Seekers were not blazing with the desire to initiate a foreigner into everything, they agreed when I announced that his research would only help to warn others against tourism in the Gobi Desert. The shaman revealed that olgoi-khorkhoi usually live deep underground, and that they do not hunt humans as long as they are not fed on our meat or attacked by us. Gobi tribes agreed to abandon the shamanistic practices associated with taming the worms in order to give the Gobi Desert security. The exception was the tribe of the Lords of the Underworld¹¹, who agreed to confine their practices to their own territory – a day's journey north on horses from ours. The shaman obliged Mr. Vanse to keep this a secret from others, and asked that if the Englishman decided to go this route, he would not bring the Wrath of the Gobi on others. Mr. Vanse's eyes opened wide, as did mine. The shaman told of worms several kilometers long – old worms that appear in the desert once every few decades. Each time they bring devastation to nature, buildings and people. They are monsters in the truest sense of the word. After leaving the shaman's shack, I promised Mr. Vanse that I would take him to the village of the Lords of the Underworld.

Today is the 4th of October. We are in the village of the Lords of the Underworld after a night spent riding. I was so afraid of seeing my parents, but fortunately the sights have passed us by. The elders are now talking about us behind closed doors. They know that we want to find out how to control the olgoi-khorkhoi. At the same time, they can't know too much. If it weren't for my parents, I would feel torn between my loyalty to this man and to my people. However, he was the only one, besides my grandmother, who believed me and shared my worries.

Noon, on October 5. They agreed, but pointed out that we were not allowed to practice this anywhere else in the Gobi Desert, nor were we allowed to pass this knowledge on to anyone else. The shaman took us and a pig to a secluded spot, between rocks in which holes had been drilled. He slit its throat, cut off its head and put it in one of the holes. He ordered his men to take the pig away and give it to the butcher for cutting. We waited for maybe ten minutes. Suddenly we felt the smell of a particular spoilage. Immediately the meat was dragged to the rock. Not a minute passed, and a blood-red olgoi-khorkhoi emerged from the sand in front of us. The shaman raised his hand and for several minutes conducted the worm like a rag doll.

He told us that in the old days the number of worm shamans determined which of the warring tribes would win. He gave us the exact proportions of meat to direct the worms. Personally, I could already imagine pulling out those worms and directing them towards their own death. Mr. Vanse then asked the shaman what he knew about the old worms. The shaman froze in stillness and breathlessness, as he clearly did not expect the foreigner to know about this element of folklore. After a few seconds, the shaman revealed that the old worms are gods of the underground, who come into the light of day only to bring death and total destruction to the Gobi people. He added that no one has ever controlled such a worm. He claimed that the only way to saturate these worms is for them to reside in the depths of the earth, where there is a source of heat. He had no idea what such a thing could provide for an old worm to gain control over it, and at the same time he was glad of his ignorance. Yes, it would be a terrifying weapon, as long as there is at least a grain of truth in it.

Now it was time for my question: can people who were driven out into the desert after being sprayed with olgoi-khorkhoi venom regain full health. The shaman replied that those persons are no longer human beings. They had become eyes for old worms. The olgoi-khorkhoi use this venom to provide the larger worms with the ability to see the Gobi. When asked why the old worms are called the Wrath of the Gobi, the shaman laughed like someone wanting to very gently criticize a member of his own family, after which he replied that any appearance of an old worm is absolutely devastating and the only way to come to terms with it is to accept that something has caused its wrath. People, on the other hand, will always find reasons for something like this. It's a name derived from the fickleness and imperfection of the human understanding of the world.

The 18th of November. I argued with the Englishman. He showed me holes drilled in the basement and newly purchased cattle and pigs. I was outraged by the fact that he wants to bring olgoi-khorkhoi to our village. He will lose control of the worms and our people will start dying! He said he would control the worm, put it in a cage and take it to England to show them to the scientists. There were no cages there. He said he wanted to test one more thing. He wanted to see what would happen if he fed the worm to another worm. I asked in terror if he was trying to invoke the Wrath of Gobi. He replied it's none of my business, that I'm not really interested in progress. I ran out, shouting that I would tell everyone that he was trying to bring destruction to the village. He said that he would then reveal that I had been the one who had taken him where he had needed to go, because I had disagreed with the taboo. I would be banished as a traitor. There was nothing I could do. I walked away with my tail curled.

The night of November 20-21. I watched for three hours as the Englishman performed mysterious activities in front of the estate. He was leading the worms around like that shaman. None of his actions, however, allowed any worm to either bargain for its life by throwing itself at the blades stuck in the ground, or crawl into the massive cage. In the morning, Mrs. Eva began shouting at him, asking if he had gone insane. Upset, he dropped everything and ran into the house. The worms burrowed into the sand after a few minutes and left the property.

On March 4, 1930, all the employees of the estate were fired. The Englishman began to erect a temporary fence, by himself. This is going miserably, for it is clear that he has no experience in manual labor. The former employees found that the man had switched something in his head. He has become venomous, fierce and has been lost in his own thoughts for the past few days. I watched him several more times at night. He was trying out various ways to gain more control over the bugs. None, fortunately, had the desired effect. He lost a lot in the opinion of our community. I just hope they don't associate my person with him. After all, of all of them I had the closest relationship with him. I am also worried about something else. For the past few days, I haven't seen Ms. Eva walking around our village with Jon. She used to do this constantly, every day, because she really enjoyed talking to us. I don't even see her on the property, which you can see less and less through that tin fence.

Today, May 28, I had the unpleasantness of explaining to my elders about my dealings with Vans Bloxham. I omitted all information about olgoi-khorkhoi, as it is not up to anyone to reveal it. The reason for the confusion is that nine people have gone missing from our village over the past month. The Englishman refuses to allow anyone onto the property. The elders called the police, but the police apparently proved too greedy for the charm of gold coins. It seems to me that soon the elders will order the weapons storage facility to be opened and we ourselves will be forced to forcibly check what the Englishman is hiding.

Day of August 13. I was called by the Englishman; he said, as he was passing me in the Market Square, shielded for disguise by an old fiber like an old grandfather, that he had come out of his short-lived insanity and had stopped looking for old worms. He apologized to me and declared that he had developed a surefire way to snatch a live specimen. From a distance I can see that he has set up odd devices and a large cage around the property. Everything agrees with what he said, and what's more – the money will come in handy. However, in the back of my mind something tells me to be prepared for anything. In one pocket a sharp stone, and in the other a human bone, from which the ornament on my door was made. I put it in the meat with which he feeds the bugs. If I were not to leave there, it will feed them part of the human body, and the olgoi-khorkhoi will cut short his life as well.

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