Chapter 149: Brother, Can You Sing?

Liu Dashao shouted loudly, “Don’t panic! Don’t panic! Shine the lights on Huangpeng and watch out for ghosts!” Fan Debiao was drenched in cold sweat, “M-M-Master Liu… y-you mean there are ghosts?” Liu Dashao thought to himself that this guy must have been scared out of his wits by ghosts, and quickly replied, “What I meant was to be careful of trouble. Shine the light properly! Check whether your flashlight is out of battery or broken! Even batteries made in Africa wouldn’t be this useless!”

Fan Debiao looked down and awkwardly said, “Ah, I was so nervous just now that I accidentally turned the light off myself!” Liu Dashao was so angry he could’ve exploded. Several people gathered around again, and by now Huangpeng had stopped trembling. The strange insect on its head started crawling out, arching its body inch by inch, then suddenly dived headfirst into the ground.

Su Yougui swallowed hard and whispered, “Oh my God, how long is this worm?” Huang Shitou had already cried himself dry. Why did all these bizarre things have to happen to his older brother? Everyone stared wide-eyed as the worm wriggled out section by section, nearly making them vomit in disgust.

Just as everyone was watching the worm, a wailing cry suddenly came from behind them—”Wu… wa…” A cold gust of wind swept through, and as if by prior arrangement, all the flashlights went out simultaneously.

As the lights died, Su Yougui screamed first, “Oh my God! Help! Help!” Huang Shitou also cried out desperately. Hu Beikang kept calling out for Brother Biao, Fan Debiao shouted for Master Liu… In the chilling wind, ghostly cries echoed; in the sealed room, men howled in fear.

Then Liu Dashao suddenly roared, “Stop screaming!” Ge Shuanwa also shouted, “Don’t panic, everyone! We’re all still safe!” Everyone fell silent immediately, but they couldn’t help feeling anxious, sensing countless eerie things lurking in the darkness. Fan Debiao calmed himself and said, “Let’s light the lamps first! Who has the lighter?” Su Yougui suddenly remembered he had it and quickly answered, “Brother Biao, it’s with me!” He took out the lighter and clicked it several times. Sparks flew, but it wouldn’t ignite.

Everyone was so anxious they felt like their hearts were about to bleed. Fan Debiao shouted, “If you can’t do it, give it to me!” Just then, the lighter flared up, casting a pale yellow flame on everyone’s faces. “Ah!” Everyone sighed in relief.

“Wu… wa…” Another mournful cry came from behind. Su Yougui was so frightened his hand shook, and the lighter went out again…

Just as everyone was anxious, furious, scared, and angry, Su Yougui finally managed to light the lighter again. Without waiting for instructions, he lit the flame directly on his left hand. Liu Dashao had been alert to the strange sound, and as soon as he saw the flame, he turned around. His entire body froze in terror, and he immediately wet his pants, “Damn you, Su Yougui!” He shouted furiously, then grabbed the lighter from Su Yougui. In the struggle, the flame went out again…

Su Yougui was so shocked he couldn’t even speak. Fan Debiao angrily said, “Master Liu, are you out of your mind?”

But Liu Dashao lit the lighter again, his face pale with fury, and said, “Everyone light the lamps!” He pointed at the stunned Su Yougui and added, “Look at what you’re holding in your hand! Are you trying to kill us all?” Everyone looked at his left hand and were so scared their legs nearly gave way. In his hand was a detonator with a fuse inserted. If that had ignited, they’d all be done for. Hu Beikang immediately cursed, “Su Yougui, what the hell were you thinking?”

Su Yougui was so terrified his face turned blue. He cried out, “Oh my God, I was just so scared I lost my mind…” As he spoke, everyone managed to light three oil lamps again. Although the light was dim, at least they could see now, which was much better than total darkness.

Liu Dashao took the lamp and, together with Ge Shuanwa and Fan Debiao, went to check the source of the crying sound. With his keen ears, Liu had already identified the sound’s origin as the place where Huangpeng had initially hidden—the spot where the flying dead white dog had lain. This time, with lamps in hand, they carefully examined the area. There seemed to be nothing there. Ge Shuanwa, who was meticulous, touched the ground and suddenly said, “There’s something here!” This scared Fan Debiao so much he nearly jumped.

Liu Dashao approached and felt around. He immediately understood—it was a square protrusion. Judging roughly by hand, it was about a foot on each side. He felt around its edge and soon found a rim, then announced, “It’s a lid!”

Ge Shuanwa also shouted from the other side, “There are several more over here!”

Meanwhile, Hu Beikang and the other three were still nervously watching Huangpeng. Su Yougui casually glanced their way, and what he saw startled him so much he jumped up like he’d been burned, “Oh my God! That dog…”

Fan Debiao, who was near the white dog searching for any lids, was so frightened by Su Yougui’s sudden outburst that his soul nearly left his body. He immediately jumped away.

Su Yougui pointed at the dog, his face turning pale green, “Brother Biao, that dog… that dog…”

Fan Debiao immediately understood and was so furious his lungs nearly burst, “You bastard! We’re all here worrying ourselves sick, while you’re idling around like a ghost, thinking only about eating the dog! Tell me, are you even human anymore?”

Su Yougui took a deep breath and stammered, “No, Brother Biao, the dog… the dog just turned over!”

Liu Dashao and the other two gasped in shock. But looking at the dog, it was lying still as ever. They were about to scold Su Yougui when he actually walked over and said, “Look, when we first saw the dog, it was lying on its left side. Now it’s lying on its right side!”

Fan Debiao was sweating profusely from his forehead, “Su Yougui, are you sure? Don’t make things up!” Su Yougui shouted, “I noticed it the moment I saw the dog—I mean, I was paying special attention. I remember clearly!”

Ge Shuanwa turned to Liu Dashao and said, “Could this dog also be like Huangpeng, running around even after death?”

Liu Dashao shook his head, “Not sure. Doesn’t matter. Let’s tie it up first. Hey, Shitou, do you still have any rope?”

Huang Shitou spread his hands helplessly, “No rope left. We brought thirty meters, but we used it all to tie up two bundles…”

Liu Dashao felt his waist and said, “I still have one here…” He then took off his belt.

Fan Debiao praised him, “Didn’t someone say we’d sell our pants to build an atomic bomb if needed? Today I’ll do the same—screw the belt, I’ll tie this dog up no matter what!” Ge Shuanwa gave a bitter smile and said, “My pants are too big; I can’t take off my belt!” The others tied their belts together and wrapped the dog like a dumpling, finally feeling somewhat reassured.

Liu Dashao said, “I just noticed there are many lids here. Something might be wrong. Should we open one and check?”

Fan Debiao turned pale, “Master Liu, I just remembered something—don’t open the lids!” Liu Dashao paused, then asked, “What is it?”

Fan Debiao explained, “Didn’t Su Yougui bring a bunch of explosives? We don’t even know what’s inside these lids. When we leave in the morning, we can just throw some explosives inside and blow everything up. Whatever it is, it’ll be buried for good!” Liu Dashao, already shaken by the string of bizarre events, wanted to find an explanation. Hearing Fan Debiao’s words, he thought, “There are so many unexplainable things in this world. If I insist on figuring everything out, I might lose my life.” He nodded and said, “Alright, better to avoid trouble. Oh, and how many detonators do we have left? In the morning, even if that giant centipede is still guarding the exit, we can throw a few detonators to scare it off, if not kill it.”

Everyone agreed that this made sense, and hope of escape returned. Liu Dashao relaxed a bit and turned to pick up the lamp from the ground when he heard a creaking sound. He couldn’t lift the lamp—it was just a few centimeters away, but his hand couldn’t reach further.

“The lid… the lid… it’s opening?!” Liu Dashao watched in horror as the lid slowly opened a crack, his voice trembling. In such a haunted place, what kind of horrors could emerge from an opened lid? Could a beautiful girl pop out and serve wine and meat? More likely, it would be something monstrous or demonic! Liu Dashao, panicking, immediately rushed forward and pressed the lid shut with his hand.

The others didn’t know what he was doing and just stared at him. Liu Dashao shouted desperately, “The lid is opening! Something might come out! Everyone, press it down tightly!”

Now they understood—if anything else came out, they might not survive! Ge Shuanwa suddenly shouted, “Damn it, mine opened too! Oh no, another one opened!” He rushed over and pressed both lids with his hands, feeling a strong force pushing from inside. He pressed harder.

Everyone watched helplessly as the lids in front of them slowly opened. In panic, they all rushed forward to press them shut. Fan Debiao glanced sideways and his hair stood on end, “Damn it, there’s another one! Quick, Huang Shitou, stop looking at the worm! Come help press this one down!”

Huang Shitou hurried over, holding an oil lamp. In his haste, he didn’t dare put the lamp on the ground. Seeing everyone pressing the lids, he realized the urgency. As he saw the lid in front of him starting to move, he immediately stepped on it with one foot. But the lid seemed to be made of old wood, long since decayed. With a crack, his foot broke through.

Huang Shitou looked down, his face first turning pale, then blue, then black—nearly like a chameleon. Liu Dashao’s heart leapt to his throat, bracing for Huang Shitou’s scream of terror. But Huang just opened his mouth a few times, trying to scream, then stopped. He looked around at everyone and said, “This doesn’t seem like a ghost…” Then he used his foot to hook out something.

As the object emerged, Su Yougui suddenly blurted, “Isn’t that a baby?!” Huang Shitou kicked the object a bit further and said, “Look, dark-skinned and still an African baby!”

Everyone looked closely—tiny arms and legs, a big head indeed, unmistakably a baby. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered something the locals had told him before they set out. Horrified, his heart nearly stopped as he shouted, “Huang Shitou, quickly move away! That’s a baby corpse!”

Huang Shitou froze, then realized—whatever it was, something had been pushing the lid just now. How could he have foolishly hooked it out? As this realization hit him, he immediately kicked the object, trying to shove it back into the box.

As his foot connected, the black baby suddenly opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. It bit Huang Shitou’s foot hard. On its dark, featureless face, two patches of skin flipped back, revealing two pale red eyes. Huang Shitou kicked, but when he pulled his foot back, the creature came with it, and pain shot through his foot. He stood frozen for two seconds before screaming, “Dad… Dad… Mom!”

As the black baby bit down, its tiny black claws grabbed Huang Shitou’s pants and started climbing upward. Huang Shitou dropped to the ground, too scared to touch it with his hands. He thrashed his leg wildly, trying to shake the baby off. Everyone felt the things under the lids suddenly surge with strength, pushing outward all at once. They pressed harder, yet dared not press too hard, fearing they might break the lids and lose their hands in the process.

“Wuwa… wa…” A cold, mournful cry came from under the lids. Everyone felt icy chills creeping into their pants. If these things escaped, they were doomed.

Huang Shitou sat on the ground, kicking and screaming as he tried to shake off the baby. The others crouched on the ground, pressing the lids, neither daring to press too hard nor too lightly. Su Yougui wailed, “Oh my God, I’m not doing this anymore! I want to go home!”

Hu Beikang looked despairingly at Huang Shitou and cried, “Xiao Huang, throw it that way! If you throw it toward us and hit our heads, we’re all done for!” This time, Fan Debiao really started crying, his voice weak, repeating only, “This life is unbearable!”

The group was in chaos, screaming, occasionally joined by the baby’s eerie cries—it was a very lively scene.

But at this moment, Liu Dashao surprisingly calmed down. He realized that everyone else was occupied, and only Huang Shitou had no lid to press. To break this deadly stalemate, he could only rely on Huang Shitou.

Liu Dashao cleared his throat and roared, “If you want to live, shut up!”

This shout was infused with Taoist internal martial arts, powerful enough to awaken the deaf. Everyone fell silent immediately—except Huang Shitou, still thrashing his leg trying to shake off the baby.

Liu Dashao’s neck turned red from shouting. He took a deep breath and roared again, “Huang Shitou, stop shaking! If it gets on our heads, we’re finished!”

Huang Shitou cried, “Master Liu, it’s climbing up my leg! Oh… it’s already climbing up!”

Liu Dashao shouted, “Why don’t you use something to poke it off? Shake! Shake! What good is shaking?”

Huang Shitou suddenly snapped out of it, “Master, what should I poke it with?” Liu Dashao was so angry his head nearly exploded, “The sharp-tipped pine stick you had earlier! That’s for exorcising evil spirits—quickly!”

Huang Shitou finally understood. Rolling, kicking, and crawling, he rushed to where he had sat earlier, grabbed the pine stick, aimed at the baby’s chest, and thrust downward. The stick pierced through like soft flesh, going completely through. Huang Shitou pushed harder and flipped the stick, flinging the baby to the ground. He was finally free from the danger of being bitten to death.

Huang Shitou was so moved he started crying, “Master, it worked! This stick works! This pine stick is truly a treasure!”

Liu Dashao gave a bitter smile, “Even if you used a dry branch, it would’ve worked!” Huang Shitou looked at the stick again and his heart sank. The baby, with its two strange eyes, sharp teeth, and wide grin, was using its hands to climb the stick, inch by inch, from the hole in its body!

“Master… Master Liu! It… it’s climbing up again!” Huang Shitou screamed, his eyes nearly popping out. He held the stick upright on the ground, too scared to let go or touch it, trembling all over. Liu Dashao was sweating heavily, furious beyond words. He shouted, “Just flip the stick over! Hold the other end on the ground, and it’ll climb downward!”

Huang Shitou cried out, “Oh my God, I’m such an idiot!” He put the stick down, grabbed the other end, and lifted it. Now the ghost baby climbed downward. As long as Huang Shitou kept the stick upright, the baby couldn’t climb off.

“Master Liu, you’re amazing! You saved my life again!” Huang Shitou choked out. Liu Dashao had no time to talk. He shouted, “Now come here with the stick! We’re all waiting for you to save us!” Hu Beikang, watching Liu Dashao direct Huang Shitou to stab the baby, had just begun to feel a glimmer of hope. But when he heard that their lives depended on Huang Shitou, he nearly fainted from despair.

Huang Shitou dragged himself over with the stick and said, “Master Liu, I don’t have any skills. How can I save you? Do you want me to go call for help? There’s still a centipede outside waiting!”

Liu Dashao was exasperated with these people. He asked weakly, “Can you sing?”

Fan Debiao nearly had a heart attack at this question. Just when they were counting on Master Liu, had he gone mad? Now they were all doomed like broken baskets dropping eggs… Thinking this, his eyes filled with tears.

Huang Shitou was puzzled, “Sing? Master Liu, don’t panic, okay? Panicking will only make things worse…”

Liu Dashao’s eyes were bloodshot, “Huang Shitou, I’m talking to you now—answer directly! If you start with all this nonsense about brothers and sisters, I’ll risk my life to grab a ghost and throw it on your face! Do you understand me clearly?”

Huang Shitou was so frightened he quickly replied, “I understand, Master Liu! Whatever you say, I’ll make sure to deliver it if I get out!”

Liu Dashao bit the ground with his teeth and said slowly, “I’m asking if you can sing—lullabies for babies? Just answer one word—yes or no!”

Huang Shitou said, “I can, but…” Liu Dashao shouted, “Good! Now sing for me—softly and gently!” Fan Debiao suddenly understood something and was both doubtful and hopeful. He quickly called out, “Master Liu, I can sing ‘Mother’s Lullaby’! Let me sing instead of this guy!”

Liu Dashao spat, “Your voice sounds like a pig being slaughtered! Not a chance! Among us, only Xiao Huang’s voice is soft enough… Xiao Huang, sing! No one else makes a sound!” He saw Xiao Huang standing there, clearly confused. Liu Dashao urgently said to Huang Shitou, “Xiao Huang, sing a lullaby—sing it well! Our lives depend on it! Sing!”

After all the chaos of the night, Huang Shitou had completely lost his sense of self, his mind like mush. Hearing Liu Dashao’s words, he looked at him tearfully. Liu Dashao exploded in rage, “You little bastard, if you don’t sing now, I’ll throw this baby straight on your face!”