On February 28, 2003, a mine in the Chinese city of Jixi in Heilongjiang Province collapsed. A total of 14 miners never reunited with their families. However, this story became famous five years later due to an unforeseen turn of events.
Only 12 of the 14 missing miners’ remains were found by rescuers. But Lao Pen and Wan Hu, two of the laborers, were never found in the mine. After five years, in 2008, Wan Hu mysteriously returned home, but his wife had remarried and his children had fled. Wan Hu moved into a new house and began gardening.
However, the authorities soon became aware of the peculiar situation, and it was discovered that his family had received compensation that they should not have gotten because Wan Hu was still alive.
When questioned if he and his family had taken advantage of the situation, Wan Hu stated that they had not and that he had paid all charges to the government. Then they questioned him where he had been all this time, and he explained that he had been living with the great hidden civilization of the Ctones during his absence. And that he was unable to transmit a message from there indicating his survival.
The authorities were perplexed by his unexpected answer, and they assumed he had become insane. Wan Hu was checked, but physicians determined that he was both physically and psychologically healthy.
They blamed their dubious past on their imagination. However, physicians were unable to explain why the former mine worker exhibited no signs of anthracosis, which is the asymptomatic, milder type of pneumoconiosis as caused by the accumulation of carbon in the lungs due to repeated exposure to air pollution or inhalation of smoke or coal dust particles. According to Wan Hu’s medical records, he was already showing indications of anthracosis and planned to retire soon before the disaster.
However, following his supposed stay in a subterranean city, the mining worker showed no signs of lung disease. Furthermore, he had all 32 teeth, despite the fact that his medical records said he should have just 25. Despite being 39 years old, his health appeared to be that of a young guy between the ages of 26 and 28.
Wan Hu also had 40,000 yuan in his bank account. An official search revealed that he had an additional 10,000 yuan in cash and uncut diamonds worth 300,000 yuan. The authorities assumed that the individual was not Wan Hu, but rather a foreign country’s covert spy.
Later, it was revealed that he obtained the funds by selling uncut diamonds to a jeweler in Shanghai. Wan Hu informed the authorities that he had received the gems from the Ctones.
In conclusion, here is his narrative. Wan Hu and Lao Pen were isolated not just from the surface but also from the other workers after the mine collapsed. They waited for three days with ample water but almost no food, with no hint of rescue efforts.
They chose to investigate old tunnels that led to the mine’s deepest area, trying to find their way back to the surface. Unfortunately, such was not the case, and they continued deeper into the tunnel maze.
And it was there that they were assaulted by weird human creatures known as the Ctones. Despite their numbers, the Ctones were able to apprehend the two miners. They fed them well, though, and drove them deeper into their domain. The Ctones had devised a system of lenses that lighted the tunnels so well that one could read a book in them.
There were big caves at the end of the tunnels where thousands of Ctones dwelt. Wan Hu was certain they were human, despite their poor status. For five years, the two miners lived among the Ctones. Their language was somewhat different from Chinese, but it was simple to learn and they were quickly able to talk with them.
When they began communicating with the subterranean culture, they understood they were not slaves. The Ctones felt that life on the surface was a horrible burden, which led them to assume that Wan Hu and Lao Pen were attempting to flee to a better realm. And the underground civilization was free of hunger and sickness.
Its main food source was the fungus that thrived in these caverns. The fungus, according to Wan Hu, had a distinct flavor, something new, but more importantly, it was extremely healthful. That’s why his teeth changed; this was frequent in the Ctones, whose teeth changed every 20-25 years during the course of their lives, which were seldom fewer than 200 years.
The Ctones even possessed a sophisticated writing system. Also included was the paper, which was created from several sorts of molds. The subterranean society was well-versed in metallurgy, but it rarely utilized iron; instead, it relied on bronze, silver, and gold.
They did not live in luxury and were satisfied with the bare necessities. Because the two miners were not considered captives, they lived among the Ctones as equals, even having families.
This wasn’t a horrible way of life, but Wan Hu yearned to see the Sun. The Ctones attempted to talk him out of it, but he was adamant. He was escorted to a cave with a hole leading to the surface.
This is merely a small portion of Wan Hu’s story. After that, he was judged insane and was sent to a military installation rather than the local psychiatric hospital. He hasn’t been heard of again, thus becoming one of the strangest unsolved conspiracy cases. What are your thoughts? Please leave a comment below.
