Without thinking much, Young Master Liu followed Fan Debiao and dashed forward.
However, just after running a step or two, he was suddenly hit by something. Before he could react, that thing grabbed his arm and started pulling him back. The hand gripping his arm belonged to a person—probably Jackson, who had managed to break free from the creature’s grasp. But since the creature was difficult to deal with, it had instead grabbed Liu and fled along with Fan Debiao.
Within a few steps, the two reached Feifei Wang, who looked puzzled and asked Liu what had just happened. Liu himself had no idea from the beginning, and Fan Debiao, who acted without thinking, certainly didn’t know either. Liu hesitated, then turned his gaze to Jackson.
But Jackson didn’t answer. Instead, he made a low, guttural sound, gripping Liu’s arm tightly while showing signs of anxiety. Liu’s face darkened. “Damn it, this foreign devil must’ve been hit by something—and so badly that he can’t even speak anymore.”
Liu reached out and felt Jackson’s face. Instantly, a cold chill ran through his hand, and he quickly pulled it back. Rubbing his fingers, he felt a slimy, sticky substance clinging to his skin. At the same time, he noticed that the hand gripping his arm had also turned icy cold.
In that moment, Liu realized his earlier assumption had been wrong. The one who had dragged them over might not have been Jackson at all—it could have been the creature itself. Perhaps Jackson had already been taken down. Liu had touched it—hands, face, all human-like—when suddenly, a terrifying image of a hideous zombie flashed in his mind.
Liu’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. His mind went blank, and his whole body began to tremble. He couldn’t think straight anymore. Taking a sharp breath, he clenched his fist—about the size of a cooking pot—and swung it straight at the creature. The thing didn’t dodge. Liu landed a solid hit. With a dull cry, the creature was sent flying—who knew where.
“That thing might have been a zombie,” Liu told Fan Debiao.
“A zombie? What the hell? Are you saying Jackson got taken out by it?” Fan Debiao exclaimed angrily upon hearing Liu’s theory.
The others didn’t understand what “zombie” meant and looked on in confusion, asking what had happened. Liu explained his suspicions, though he substituted “zombie” for “mummy.” Everyone fell silent immediately. The tomb chamber became eerily quiet, and the tension in the air multiplied.
“We need to see Jackson alive or dead,” Feifei Wang broke the silence. “Until we confirm what happened to him, let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s go check it out. I don’t believe in zombies.”
Hearing Feifei’s words, Liu felt even more uneasy. Even if Jackson was still alive, something inexplicable must have occurred. Rushing in recklessly might get them all killed before they even understood what was going on.
But Jackson had been through thick and thin with them, and they couldn’t just abandon him. This was the time for Liu and Fan Debiao to live up to their reputation as treasure hunters. Liu asked Fan Debiao for a black donkey hoof, took one in each hand, and led the charge forward.
Suddenly, the entire tomb chamber trembled. Everyone froze, too afraid to speak. Then came a strange “clicking” sound, approaching from an unknown direction.
This was a case of the enemy being hidden while they were exposed—this opponent was going to be tough.
Still, Liu and Fan Debiao remained alert, scanning the darkness for the source of the sound. After all, they had already experienced many bizarre occurrences.
After a while, the sound seemed to surround them, coming from every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. Liu was sweating profusely, feeling helpless, when suddenly he heard a fight breaking out nearby. Could it be Jackson was still alive, battling the zombie?
Liu and Fan Debiao pinpointed the sound of the struggle, raised their donkey hooves, and charged forward. The noise grew louder. Soon, it was directly beneath their feet. Without hesitation, Liu swung his hoof downward.
A loud “yelp” followed, then Jackson’s voice: “Watch it! You hit me!”
Jackson’s voice was strong, not at all like someone who had been injured. If anything, he had just been bruised by Liu’s donkey hoof. Seeing that Jackson was okay, Liu’s anxiety eased a bit.
Before Liu could ask anything, Jackson shouted again, “Why are you still hitting me? Are you getting addicted to it?”
“Damn, it’s you! Why didn’t you speak up earlier?” Fan Debiao said beside Liu. It turned out Fan had charged in blindly too, just like Liu, and had hit Jackson as well. Hearing Jackson scream like a pig being slaughtered, it was clear he’d hit a sensitive spot.
But this wasn’t the time to relax. The clicking sounds continued beneath their feet, mingling with the sounds of Jackson’s struggle with the zombie. They needed to shove the donkey hooves into the creature’s mouth, but that would be difficult.
“Jackson, move aside! Let me handle this zombie!” Fan Debiao suddenly shouted.
As soon as Fan spoke, Jackson rolled to his feet. Liu and Fan raised their hooves, ready to strike—but Jackson grabbed them both.
“This isn’t the kind of zombie you can beat with donkey hooves. I’ll go back to Miss Wang first. It won’t follow us right away,” Jackson said, pulling them back. “Follow me!”
Liu was confused. He had clearly touched the zombie—it had hands and a face, just like a human. How could Jackson say it wasn’t a zombie? Could there be two creatures here—one zombie and another monster? The thought chilled him, but he followed Jackson without question.
When they reached the others, no one spoke. Liu, unable to contain his curiosity, asked Jackson what had happened. But before he could finish his sentence, something hard struck his head. Instantly, his body went numb, his head felt heavy, and stars danced before his eyes. The sensation was indescribable.
His first thought was that he had been ambushed. There was a traitor in their group. He had arrived last, so the others must have been attacked too. Before he could think further, another blow struck his head, knocking him unconscious.
How long passed, Liu didn’t know. When he finally came to, his head throbbed painfully.
He forced himself upright and looked around. He was in a tomb chamber. Looking up, he saw layers of coffins stacked above. In front of him was a large, carved stone. If he wasn’t mistaken, this must be the bottom of the chamber they had seen earlier.
Feifei Wang, Fan Debiao, Wang Zhicai, Lin Miaoke, and Klama were lying nearby. Beyond them, Jackson was tending a fire made from coffin wood. Seeing Liu awake, he came over to check on him.
Rubbing his head, Liu asked Jackson what had happened. To his shock, Jackson admitted he was the one who had knocked them all out. Liu immediately felt a surge of anger and wanted to punch him—but he held himself back. He’d hear the explanation first.
Jackson explained that everything they had experienced earlier was an illusion. There had been no white smoke, no monsters—just a product of their own minds. Hearing this, Liu was baffled and pressed Jackson for more details.
Jackson shook his head. He said that suddenly the tomb wall had opened, revealing a staircase. But instead of following it, everyone else had started wandering around the chamber like thieves. Liu and Fan had run around wildly, acting like clowns. Jackson had no idea what was going on, so he decided to knock everyone out and bring them here.
Hearing this, Liu gave up the idea of beating Jackson up. After all, he had done it to save them.
Liu, being a feng shui expert, was naturally fascinated by this place. The layout resembled the Miao people’s thousand-coffin cave, and it had immense research value. Even setting that aside, helping Fan Debiao find some treasures wouldn’t hurt either. He asked Jackson to accompany him on an exploration.
Jackson, always interested in Chinese culture, readily agreed.
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