Chapter 172: The Maggot Solitude

Since there was no danger here, under the leadership of Liu Dashao, they continued forward. As the four of them had just squeezed inside, a thudding sound came from behind—the stone door had automatically closed. Liu Dashao reassured them, “Don’t be afraid. We’ll find a way out later. As long as we’re patient and circle back around, this door will definitely open again.”

With the experience from the first passage, the second one proved much simpler. Just like before, they advanced while tapping the surrounding burial chambers, hoping to locate a hollow area—most likely the location of the hidden door.

However, after tapping and knocking around for quite some time without success, they began to grow uneasy. A low buzzing sound filled the air.

Suddenly, a faint mosquito-like hum reached their ears. Upon hearing it, Liu Dashao’s face instantly turned pale.

It seemed his suspicion had been correct—the cave indeed contained poisonous insects.

And judging by the sound, it was likely the legendary “Dugu,” ranked third among the most dangerous toxic insects.

Legend had it that Dugu was an extremely deadly creature; a single bite would cause the victim to distance themselves from others, eventually transforming them into a monstrous, half-human, half-ghost creature.

Master Zhang Enpu had once told Liu Dashao about this insect. He recalled an incident where his master and a fellow apprentice were robbing a tomb. His master’s apprentice had been bitten by a Dugu while trying to save his senior. Immediately afterward, the apprentice collapsed to the ground unconscious. When they shone a torch on him, his face was swollen and disfigured, his body beginning to rot. They even saw maggots crawling from his wounds.

Yellow foam kept spilling from his mouth—his own stomach acid rising up. Most horrifying was that he wasn’t dead. He struggled to crawl toward Zhang Enpu, but by then, he had lost all awareness, becoming a walking corpse, a malevolent ghost. With no other choice, Zhang Enpu killed him and fled in a panic.

Two years later, when Zhang Enpu returned to that tomb, he was shocked to find his apprentice still alive—but not truly alive. He was dragging his bloated body around the burial corridor, waiting for prey.

Out of mercy, Zhang Enpu cremated him.

Even though his apprentice had been overtaken by the toxic insect, becoming neither man nor ghost, he still retained a sliver of human consciousness. Thinking about how, for two years, a living person had wandered the tomb corridors, eating corpses when hungry and drinking blood when thirsty—it was unbearable.

Liu Dashao found himself lost in thought.

“Boss! Boss! What are you doing? Look! That thing is catching up! What do we do?” Hu Beikang shook Liu Dashao’s arm as the buzzing sound grew louder.

Damn it, looks like there’s no escaping this.

“Quick! Hold your breath and lie flat on the ground—get as low as you can! Don’t let them find us!” Liu Dashao shouted urgently.

The four of them instantly dropped to the ground, holding their breath.

The buzzing sound grew louder above them. Liu Dashao’s heart nearly stopped. He felt a rush of blood to his head, struggling to maintain control. He thought of his master’s apprentice trapped in the tomb for two years, of that grotesque, half-dead form…

Liu Dashao didn’t know what to say anymore.

In a tomb, the most important thing was to stay calm and alert. Right now, Liu Dashao had completely forgotten that. He felt panic, like the end of the world was near. He didn’t know if he could endure until the end.

The others were in slightly better shape—after all, they didn’t know what would happen if bitten by the Dugu.

Buzzzzz… Buzzzzz…

The sound gradually faded until it finally disappeared. Only then did Liu Dashao and the others dare to exhale heavily. By now, Liu Dashao was soaked in sweat, the mud from the tunnel sticking to his body, making him almost look like a mud figure.

Now they needed to open this door quickly—fast, before the insect discovered them.

Without delay, Liu Dashao grabbed a shovel and began knocking loudly.

“Listen carefully,” Liu Dashao instructed them to hold their breath and listen intently, making sure the buzzing had completely vanished before allowing them to move again.

Buzzzzz… Buzzzzz…

Suddenly, the sound returned. Liu Dashao immediately stopped moving, the first to press himself to the ground. Fan Debiao, seeing this, quickly followed suit.

Then came a loud “slap!”—Hu Beikang had forcefully smacked his own neck. The buzzing sound from the insect called Dugu vanished completely.

Su Yougui chuckled, “What a tough kid, hahaha.”

Fan Debiao also stood up with a smile, patting Hu Beikang on the shoulder, “Well done, there’ll be a reward when we get back.”

Liu Dashao slowly stood up, his face expressionless as he looked at them and said, “Start digging.” The four of them began furiously excavating, pounding and scraping until they finally reopened the tunnel.

Liu Dashao ordered, “Fan Debiao, you go first. Su Yougui, follow quickly.”

After the two entered, Liu Dashao crawled in behind them.

But just then, Liu Dashao suddenly kicked the door shut, leaving Hu Beikang outside.

“Boss! What are you doing? Let me in! Let me in quickly!”

Hu Beikang shouted desperately from outside.

Fan Debiao and Su Yougui looked at Liu Dashao in confusion, “Master Liu, why are you doing this? Why won’t you let Hu Beikang in?”

Liu Dashao roared, “Didn’t we agree earlier that everyone follows my orders? But Hu Beikang didn’t listen. When I told you all to lie flat on the ground, he refused and instead killed the insect. Now it’s too late—Hu Beikang has already been infected by the Dugu. He won’t survive. And if this patrolling Dugu doesn’t return, more toxic insects will come searching. If they can’t find Hu Beikang, they’ll come inside looking for us.”

Liu Dashao stared at them, expressionless. “What are you two still standing there for? Hurry up and go!”

With no choice, the two reluctantly moved forward. They knew Hu Beikang was doomed. What a pity—such a capable comrade, lost to a poisonous insect.

They had entered another winding tunnel. This one was clearly much narrower, so tight that it was hard to even breathe inside.

In a rush, they moved forward, hoping to find a way to survive.

They continued tapping and knocking, and after a long while, they finally discovered the entrance to another passage. The three couldn’t help but feel relieved—this tunnel seemed far less dangerous.

Suddenly, Fan Debiao let out a sharp scream. His hands had touched something sticky, and as he stood up in alarm, his head slammed into the dirt above. The impact nearly knocked him out.

Liu Dashao curiously asked, “What’s wrong, Fan Debiao? Why are you screaming?”

Fan Debiao pointed behind him, “I felt something wet and sticky behind me. Blood! There’s blood back there! Want to check it out?”

Liu Dashao’s heart tightened. He had always suspected someone else had been here before. Now the evidence was confirmed. He quickly lit a talisman and examined the area. Indeed, there were bloodstains on the ground. Following the trail, the group cautiously advanced, eager to discover what had left this trail.

But less than half an hour later, they were stunned. Before them lay the disemboweled body of an unknown creature. It was so massive that it completely filled the tunnel. Its head was on the other side, completely out of sight.

Seeing the corpse, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but gasp in horror—it was truly terrifying.

As he tapped the creature’s belly, it felt hollow and full of something inside.

Suddenly, with a loud “Boom!” the monster’s body exploded. Blood and rotting flesh flew everywhere. The three were thrown off their feet and collapsed onto the ground.

Looking at the mess before them, the three nearly vomited. Fortunately, they weren’t as covered in filth as they had feared.

“Hmm? What’s that?” Suddenly, Su Yougui noticed a round, smooth object on the ground and hurried over to take a closer look.