Chapter 144: The White Dog Zombie!

When the noise was heard, Fan Debiao and Hu Beikang sneaked in through the darkness. As soon as Fan entered, he was struck on the head by a protruding rock lying across the ground, hitting it against a pillar in the shed. A sharp pain shot through his head, and he felt a surge of panic and frustration. He roared, “Motherf***er! Who the hell can light the lamp quickly…”

Soon after, someone lit the lantern hanging in the shed. When everyone saw the scene, they were stunned. Liu Dashao was sitting on Huang Peng’s back, hands poking him, drenched in sweat.

Rubbing the lump forming on his head, Fan’s temper flared immediately, “What the hell are you two doing having so much fun, humping around like that! Get up now!”

Liu, panting heavily, replied, “Report, Comrade Fan…Captain…It’s…it’s a ghost! There’s a ghost here!”

Fan’s forehead veins bulged, “You dare pretend to be a ghost to me…” He trembled with rage, then suddenly shouted, “What a damn life we’re living!”

Liu stammered desperately, “C…C…Captain, something’s wrong…Huang Peng…there’s something wrong with him!”

Fan, furious, pushed Liu aside. Liu, not daring to resist, rolled to the side. Fan glared at him, “I’ll settle this with you later,” then kicked Huang Peng, “Still playing around? Get up now!” But after the kick, Huang Peng’s head wobbled slightly, yet he remained motionless. A chill ran down Fan’s spine. He felt Huang’s chest for a while, then quickly checked his nose. There was no breath. His legs weakened, and he collapsed onto the ground, shouting, “Oh my God…he’s…he’s dead?”

Liu Dashao was delighted, thinking to himself, “Now you finally realize it!” He blurted out excitedly, “I told you he was dead! It was a ghost! There’s a ghost here!” His speech suddenly became fluent. The migrant workers around stared in shock. Upon hearing Liu’s words, they looked at him as if he were mad. Fan turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, trembling finger pointing at Liu for a while before finally spitting out, “Tie him up!”

The workers rushed forward with thick ropes used for carrying stones and bound Liu like a captured Japanese soldier. Liu, still confused, shouted, “Didn’t I say he was dead? Why are you tying me up?” They dragged him to the post where animals were tethered and added another rope, binding him tightly to the pillar.

At this point, several windproof lamps were brought over, illuminating the area. Hearing the news of his brother’s death, Huang Peng’s younger brother Huang Shitou could barely stand. He was supported by others from another dormitory, crying out, “Oh my brother, my brother…” He wept bitterly over Huang Peng’s body, finally realizing his brother was truly dead. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a cleaver.

Liu, tightly bound, now realized the cold wind blowing around him. He finally understood—he was being mistaken for the murderer of Huang Peng. Overcome with fear and urgency, he wet his pants, exclaiming, “Oh my God, this is really impossible to explain now…I’ve become a murderer!”

Under the lamplight, he saw Huang Shitou approaching with the cleaver, his face filled with murderous intent, like the black whirlwind warrior Li Kui. Liu panicked, trying to break the ropes with all his strength, thinking he must escape as far as possible, unwilling to die here tonight. Just then, he saw Fan Debiao and a group of people rushing over to block Huang Shitou, and he exhaled in relief, deciding not to run. If he fled, his parents would suffer, and even the village chief might be implicated. He thought, “I’ll tell the truth when the superiors come. Whether they believe me or not is up to them. Anyway, life has been hard enough!”

Before he could fully relax, he saw Fan take off his belt and hand it to Huang Shitou, saying, “Beat him, don’t kill him. We’ll hand him over tomorrow to be shot!” Liu sucked in a cold breath and looked around desperately for someone from his village to help. But everyone kept their distance. A wave of bitterness surged in his heart.

Huang Shitou, filled with hatred, approached with the belt, his bloodshot eyes making Liu shiver. “Wait, Brother Huang, don’t…don’t…hear me out first…” Before he could finish, Huang roared, “Shut up! Pay for my brother’s life!” and lashed Liu with the belt. The strike landed hard, producing a loud crack as Liu screamed, “Ahh…yaa…” At the same time, someone in the crowd also shouted, “Ahh!” even louder than Liu. Liu cursed inwardly, “You bastard, why are you screaming when it hit me!”

Everyone turned to that person, who was shaking as if convulsing, pointing at the sky, “Ahh…doggone it, dog!”

Huang Shitou, furious, muttered, “Crazy man!” and turned back to Liu. As he turned, the belt slipped from his hand. He opened his eyes wide, his body frozen, and cried out, “Doggone it…dog!” Startled, everyone turned their heads.

Twenty meters away, high in the dark sky, a large-tailed white dog floated slowly westward, three men’s heights above the ground. In the darkness, its white fur was clearly visible, its tail swaying in the wind. Everyone saw it clearly—it was indeed a dog. They all sucked in a breath through their teeth, shouting in unison, “Ahh…doggone it…dog!”

Fan Debiao’s legs trembled, and he squatted on the ground, “The dog flew into the sky…What a damn life we’re living!”

Su Yougui, the cook at the stove, trembled as he said, “Brother Biao, could it be a fox spirit finally attained immortality and flew to heaven?” Fan, trembling as he lit a cigarette, replied, “Have you ever seen such a big fox?”

Liu Dashao desperately wanted to turn his head to see what everyone was looking at, but the ropes were too tight. He could only ask, “What do you see?” Huang Shitou, noticing him again, turned his gaze back to Liu. As soon as he looked, he suddenly trembled like he had malaria, his face turning pale green.

Fan Debiao sat down hard on the ground, “Oh my God…Pengzi…Pengzi…” All hundred people turned to look behind Liu Dashao and suddenly screamed together, “Oh my God…”

It turned out that during the commotion, several people had already carried Huang Peng to a straw mat beside the animal shed. Now everyone saw clearly—Huang Peng suddenly sat up, lifting his head high. His hollow, murky eyes stared at the crowd. Strangely, as soon as their eyes met his, a chill ran through their bodies.

Huang Shitou whispered, “Brother…brother…” For some reason, he felt fear, taking a few steps forward but unable to move further. Huang Peng’s stiff body turned, then his legs moved swiftly, running westward in the direction the white dog had floated. In a few quick strides, he disappeared into the night.

Fan Debiao jumped up, running in Huang Peng’s direction, shouting, “Don’t stand there—chase him!”

With many people together, they felt braver. The front runners carried kerosene lamps, and everyone chased after. Liu Dashao was left alone, tied to the pillar. He only knew that Huang Peng had appeared again, probably another ghost. Seeing everyone run away, he thought they had been scared off. He felt bitter—left alone with a ghost, what a damn life!

They ran fast, but Huang Peng ran faster. At first, they could still see a white shadow, but after a few miles, everything vanished. Fan shouted, “Split up! Let’s see where he goes!” They ran for over ten miles, finally reaching a small mountain range with no further path.

Liu Dashao was lost in thought for over an hour when someone returned, panting heavily. Fan, supporting the still-crying Huang Shitou, signaled for Liu to be untied.

“Tell me what really happened,” Fan’s voice was hoarse. Liu, not yet loosened from the ropes, quickly explained everything in detail. Finally, he emphasized, “When he was beside me, he wasn’t breathing at all. At that time, he…he…he wasn’t alive anymore!” Liu crouched aside, thinking, “Believe it or not, it’s up to you!”

Fan Debiao and Hu Beikang exchanged a horrified glance. If Liu was telling the truth, then the Huang Peng they saw entering the shed had already been dead. In early May’s weather, everyone had run themselves into a sweat. Now, standing still, thinking of the bizarre and eerie events, they felt chills on their backs and chests.

Liu Dashao, seeing everyone fall silent, coughed twice, “Um, Captain Fan, I used to know a little about these things back in the village. This isn’t really a ghost. It might be a soulless corpse!”

Fan, confused, asked, “What’s a soulless corpse?”

Liu cautiously explained, “When a person dies, their soul leaves. A soulless corpse is one that lost its soul before death.” He hesitated, “Like a headless person still living for a while…” He struggled to explain further.

“Like a chicken. After its head is cut off, some chickens can live for days. That kind of chicken, once it stops moving, is called a soulless corpse.” Liu finally managed to explain his thoughts, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Huang Shitou leaned on Fan, crying nonstop, and the surroundings were noisy again. Fan opened his shirt, feeling extremely tired, and shouted, “Stop making noise! Go back to sleep! Tomorrow we’ll find him—alive or dead, we must see the body!”

Of course, no one could sleep that night. Many lay awake with their eyes open the whole night.

Early the next morning, Fan gathered everyone and gave a speech: “Don’t talk about last night’s events. Today, we’ll search for Huang Peng. If you spread rumors and the superiors find out, you’ll be in trouble for spreading ghost stories!”

Everyone was afraid and dared not say a word against him.

When assigning work, Fan called Liu Dashao aside. During a break from drilling, he asked, “I heard you were a teacher back home?”

Liu immediately replied, “That was a mistake. Under everyone’s education, I’ve long established revolutionary…”

Fan glared, “Don’t babble. I’m asking—are you a fraud or do you really have some skills?”

Liu sensed an opportunity and quickly lowered his head, picking up a small elongated stone, holding it in his hand, whispering, “I do have a little skill…” With a crack, he broke the stone in two.

Fan’s eyes widened in shock. He hurriedly took out a cigarette from his pocket, “Mr. Liu, please don’t hold past events against me. Today I need you to do me a favor—come with us this afternoon to search for him!” He offered the cigarette with both hands. Liu took it, surprised to see it was a high-quality filter cigarette, and replied, “Of course! Definitely!”

Before one o’clock in the afternoon, Fan gathered four people: Huang Shitou, Hu Beikang, the cook Master Su Yougui, and Ge Shuanwa, a friend Fan met shortly before leaving Wuhan, known for his martial arts skills. Fan was eager to leave immediately, but Liu said, “Captain, don’t be in a rush. Last night’s events were beyond our understanding. Searching the mountains for someone requires consulting local people first.”

As soon as he finished, Liu added, “With only six people, isn’t that too few?”

Fan sighed helplessly, “We can’t spare more people. Delaying the project is unacceptable. Besides, Mr. Liu, aren’t you a man of great skill?”

Liu Dashao had a line of black thoughts behind his head, laughing awkwardly twice.

Finding Liu’s words reasonable, Fan asked a local from his team to assist Liu in gathering information. Liu took him aside, asked a few questions, then returned to explain to the group. It turned out that the small mountain range to the west was called Buddha Mountain. Long ago, someone had tried to carve a Maitreya Buddha statue by splitting half a mountain, but ran out of money before completing the statue and left. The area had dozens of small hills, and over time, no one remembered where the statue was carved. However, the name remained. There were frequent rumors of children disappearing, though these were inconsistent and unverified—no children had been lost in the past decade. The mountain was close to water and often foggy, with dense forests. Locals rarely entered, so there were no clear paths.

Several people muttered in unison, frowning deeply. If there was no path up the mountain, finding the missing person would be extremely difficult. Yet the man had run into these mountains and vanished—how could they live with themselves without searching?

Liu Dashao then gave instructions, “Su Yougui, go fetch some tools from the storeroom, okay?”

Su Yougui helplessly shook his head, “What tools? We don’t even have a single gun!” Liu Dashao realized the misunderstanding and clarified, “Like machetes, or maybe some sturdy iron shovels—something powerful!” He then asked others to prepare dry rations and water, grabbed some stormproof lanterns, fixed up a mining lamp, and took along two sets of batteries. Feeling adequately equipped, he informed the team that if they hadn’t returned by tonight, someone should report to the engineering department early tomorrow morning. With everything arranged, they headed directly west toward Buddha Mountain.

This Buddha Mountain was about ten li away from where Fan Debiao and others had been blasting rocks. Approaching it, they found this range much larger than the previous hill—stretching for dozens of li. The nearest peak was densely covered with trees, both large and small, so thickly packed that just looking at it made everyone’s heads spin.

Fan Debiao stepped forward for a closer look, “Huang Peng must’ve run up this mountain last night. Let’s check for any traces.” The six of them spread out. Soon, Liu Dashao noticed some white threads caught on a small thorny locust tree. Further ahead, the undergrowth was in disarray, clearly disturbed by someone passing through. He couldn’t help but exclaim joyfully, “He definitely went up this way!” Ge Shuanwa then stepped forward, saying, “There’s no path here. Each person should take a machete and clear the way, or we won’t make it up.”

Fan Debiao called Su Yougui over, asking him to open the bag he carried and distribute supplies. Upon opening it, everyone was stunned—inside was only one machete, two kitchen knives, and surprisingly, over a dozen detonators. Fan Debiao immediately frowned, “Who told you to bring these?”

Seeing the dark looks around him, Su Yougui mumbled, “Didn’t Mr. Liu say ‘the more powerful the better’?” Liu Dashao sighed, almost speechless.

Ge Shuanwa grabbed the machete and took the lead. There were many thorny locust trees on the mountain, and occasionally they found threads of clothing caught on them. Seeing these, Fan Debiao suddenly felt a chill. He turned to Huang Shitou, “You… you should prepare yourself.” He hesitated, as if reluctant to say more, “Your brother doesn’t seem to feel any pain.”

Huang Shitou’s eyes turned red, “Brother Biao, I understand…” He wiped his tears, “Just getting his… his body out and burying it would be enough!” Clearly, anyone walking through thorns without flinching must have something seriously wrong.

Liu Dashao felt a wave of sadness as well. Unexpectedly, he thought of his late master, Zhang Enpu, and his eyes reddened. Suddenly, they heard a strange, eerie cry from somewhere, making their hairs stand on end. Liu Dashao recognized the sound immediately—it was all too familiar from his days in the countryside. The group froze, a chill creeping over them. Fan Debiao turned around, “Mr. Liu, what kind of bird is that? Why does it sound so creepy?”

Huang Shitou replied, “Could it be an owl? But it’s still daytime!”

Seeing everyone’s frightened faces, Liu Dashao swallowed hard, “That’s a soul-cry!”

Su Yougui’s face turned pale, “Mr. Liu, what do you mean by soul-cry?”

Liu Dashao waved his hand forward, urging them to keep moving, “A soul-cry refers to a soul calling out. Sometimes before someone dies, their living soul can’t be contained anymore and wanders out, crying. No matter who hears it, their heart trembles. Everyone fears death. When you sense someone else’s impending death, you can’t help but feel fear and dread!”

Although Fan Debiao was scared too, he couldn’t help but grumble at Liu Dashao—why not just say it’s a bird and be done with it? Why must he scare everyone like that? Clearly, Liu Dashao had no idea about morale. Yet, unknown to Fan, Liu had recently endured much criticism and persecution, treated hardly like a human being at all. Finally having a role where people listened to him as a master, naturally he spoke exhaustively and eagerly.

Walking in the middle, Fan Debiao heard Liu Dashao ominously continuing from behind, “Soul-calls usually happen at night—why is it so loud in daylight? This forest feels very eerie, very sinister!” Fan was so annoyed he almost wanted to take off his smelly socks to stuff into Liu Dashao’s mouth.

Suddenly, Liu Dashao seemed to remember something and called out, “Huang Shitou, call out once!”

Already nervous, Huang Shitou felt uneasy when Liu Dashao asked him to shout, knowing it wouldn’t be good. He asked hesitantly, “Mr. Liu, what should I call?”

After a pause, Liu said, “Well… call out ‘brother’!”

Huang Shitou’s heart sank. He opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t bring himself to say it. Listening to this exchange, Fan Debiao had to admit Liu Dashao had a talent for bringing up exactly what scared people the most.

Finally, Huang Shitou, his face flushed red with effort, let out a shaky, not-very-loud “Brother…” The trembling voice was painful to hear. As soon as the word “brother” left his lips, a sudden, piercing “Waaah!” echoed nearby, extremely mournful. Huang Shitou couldn’t help but burst into tears. The loud, close cry startled everyone else too. They all cursed Liu Dashao for his terrible idea.

But Liu Dashao looked pleased, saying, “Huang Shitou, that’s your brother. Follow its cry, and I bet we’ll find him!” Hearing this, Huang Shitou burst into fresh tears. Any lingering hope he had for a miracle was now completely dashed.

They continued walking, Huang crying and calling out occasionally. Sure enough, each time the eerie cry responded. Following the sound, they reached a larger hill as the sun began to set. This hill was probably nearly a hundred meters high. The undergrowth and grass here were much sparser.

Everyone was somewhat tired. Fan Debiao asked, “Young brother, it’s almost dark. How much longer do you think it’ll take to find him?” Strangely, upon reaching this hilltop, the eerie sound had stopped completely. Liu Dashao said, “It’s probably around here somewhere. Looks like we might have to spend the night on the mountain…”

At the thought of spending the night here, everyone involuntarily felt uneasy. If that thing suddenly cried out right by their ears at night, wouldn’t it scare someone to death? Suddenly, Liu Dashao slapped his forehead, “Oh no!” startling everyone. They heard him say, “I forgot to bring some paper and pens…”

Fan Debiao snapped, “Don’t go scaring people for no reason. What do you need paper and pens for?”