Ghost Blows Out the Light Fanfiction Fragments of the Hidden Scriptures - Saving San Francisco

Chapter 13

The tower is a three-dimensional triangular pyramid. When viewed from top to bottom, it is roughly divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower. Each layer decreases in size from bottom to top. There is a clear platform at the junction of the three layers. Unfortunately, the water is too deep, and it is difficult to find the entrance to the tower in time.

It seems this is the tomb Robert has been searching for with great effort.

Before we could even get a good look, Shirley Yang suddenly tensed up and pulled us quickly into the green algae behind the tower. Suddenly, a cloud of sand billowed up from behind the tower, and the enormous poisonous toad emerged from the murky lake water.

It pushed off the tower with both feet, causing the tower to sway gently, sending mud and sand flying everywhere. From close up, one could clearly see that this creature was about the size of three tiled houses, its dark gray body covered with pus-like poisonous particles like landmines laid by sappers. One of its short, sturdy forelimbs was as thick as a round stool, and its flesh-colored webbed claws spread out like a large winnowing basket, with large black spots resembling eyes on the webbed feet.

The giant poisonous toad lazily emerged from behind the tower, its limbs flailing lightly. Its triangular head and half-open, emerald-green eyelids revealed dull, lifeless yellow-green pupils, as if it were conducting its final survey of its territory before its afternoon nap. It seemed to have just devoured three divers, quite content with that.

After circling the lake, it quietly peeked out with its eyes peeking at the crowd on the shore, its head covered in green algae. After a while, the giant poisonous toad lowered its head, yawned with its flat, wide mouth, and swam back to the green algae about ten feet away from the tower. It habitually pawed at the soil with its limbs and then fell asleep.

Shirley Yang, Fatty, and I lay hidden in the algae on the tower, not daring to move. After about half an hour, Shirley Yang signaled to Fatty and me that we should take this opportunity to return to shore. The three of us quietly emerged from behind the tower and swam to the surface in the opposite direction from the giant poisonous toad. Fatty suggested that we bundle the grenades we were carrying together and throw them into the giant poisonous toad's nest to kill this sleeping old poisonous creature.

Shirley Yang shook her head and said, "Six grenades aren't enough to kill this poisonous toad, which is the size of three houses. If things don't go well and we anger it, we three will be in serious trouble here, more than 30 meters from the shore."

We quietly swam back to the water's edge, and Blackjack pulled us ashore one by one. After hearing Shirley Yang's account, the charcoal-headed man became invigorated and immediately ordered all the grenades to be gathered together—more than thirty in total—bundled together, stuffed into an empty backpack, and we were to go back into the water to blow up the giant poisonous toad.

I thought to myself, although there are risks involved, this is a good opportunity to get rid of the old poisoner. After making up my mind, I said to Shirley Yang and Fatty that I would go into the water alone this time, and there was no need for everyone to take the risk.

Shirley Yang and Fatty firmly disagreed. Time was of the essence, and after repeated attempts to persuade them failed, I pointed my submachine gun at them, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and tumbled into the water.

Following the retreat route, I scuba dived a considerable distance. Just as I was about to reach the giant toad's lair, I suddenly felt a slight ripple in the water behind me, as if something was there. I turned around and saw Fatty had followed us. It turned out Fatty had disarmed Shirley Yang, allowing her to monitor and direct Black Jack and his gang of foreigners on the shore to ensure a safe and unobstructed retreat.

The fat guy swam over, poked my shoulder, held up two fingers, pointed at me and him, and then firmly snapped them down, meaning good brothers would live and die together. I patted his back helplessly, and the two of us stealthily made our way towards the giant toad's nest.

Finally, we reached the nest of dense green algae, and through the gaps in the algae swaying with the water, we saw the short, flat buttocks of the giant poisonous toad.

The fat man's eyes lit up, and he mischievously tapped the giant toad's fat buttocks, indicating that he should put the grenade pack under its rear end so that it could sit on a landmine and be blown up, causing a shower of blood.

I had the same thought, so I gently took off the backpack that was slung over my chest and was about to move closer. Suddenly, that old beast swerved, kicking up dust, and immediately turned around.

Damn, it's quite alert.

I yelled "Oh no!" and waved my hand to retreat hastily. The fat man was already on edge. He raised his hand and fired both guns simultaneously, a burst of bullets hitting the giant poisonous toad's flat mouth.

The giant poisonous toad suddenly opened its eyes wide, its gaze gleaming. With a whoosh, it pushed off with its hind legs, using the buoyancy of the water to leap into the air, and then crashed down on us with the force of a mountain.

Fatty and I dodged with all our might, but the buoyancy of the water was too strong, and we barely managed to avoid it. The giant poisonous toad landed on the bottom, kicking up a cloud of mud and dust, breaking off strands of green algae that drifted away, creating utter chaos. We seized the opportunity to flee as fast as we could.

In the blink of an eye, the old poisonous creature leaped up like lightning and chased after us. Fatty and I struggled to retreat underwater, firing our submachine guns in hopes of stopping its attack.

In the water, more and more milky venom was being sprayed from the giant poisonous toad, gradually spreading to our surroundings. I felt dizzy, my hands were numb, my chest was tight, my heart was racing, and my breathing became increasingly difficult.

In my dazed state, the giant poisonous toad's flat, gaping mouth opened towards me. With my last ounce of strength, I pushed the grenade pack into its mouth, pulled the pin, and sank to the bottom with Fatty, disappearing into the mud and sand.

A deafening roar shook me so badly that my ears rang and my vision blurred, and I lost consciousness.

Volume One: The Ancient Tomb at the Cape, Chapter Thirty-Two: Survival of the Calamity

I don't know how much time passed; I felt as if I were in a dream, my head heavy and my feet light, walking upside down. In the dream, countless childhood memories, interspersed with the faces of giant rice dumplings, the figures of strange animals, and surging blood, flashed by like a fragmented slideshow. Strange voices called my name: Hu Bayi, Hu Bayi, Hu Bayi…

It was as if I were trapped in an abyss, so dark I couldn't feel my way around. The white rain fell silently, stinging my face and body like countless needles. I touched my face; it was swollen like a bun, and my thinly clad body was also swollen. In the darkness, two ethereal figures drifted leisurely towards me. They drew closer, one dressed entirely in white mourning clothes with a tall white hat; the other entirely in black with a tall black hat. The white figure held a soul-summoning banner, the black figure held a soul-binding iron chain. They beckoned to me in unison, calling out softly: "Return, Hu Bayi; return, Hu Bayi..." They were the Black and White Impermanence, the soul-binding messengers of the Avici Hell. Hearing their calls, I saw myself slowly emerge from my own body, walking towards them. The Black Impermanence placed the iron chain around the neck of that other me, while the White Impermanence, holding the soul-summoning banner, led the way with a melodious voice. I turned back and saw my own body still half-floating on the cloud path, lost and disoriented. Suddenly, a thunderclap, followed by lightning and thunder, struck my body, and the Black and White Impermanence vanished instantly. A bolt of lightning burned half of my body, and excruciating pain immediately followed—

I cried out and sat up abruptly. A breeze blew by, and I shivered, my body covered in a chilling sweat. My head throbbed with pain, and when I touched my face, I found it completely wrapped in white gauze.

Looking around, the cliffs rise majestically to my left in the distance, white sand lies below, simple tents covered with palm leaves hang overhead, and the boundless, shimmering sea stretches before me. I am back at my old island campsite.

Without warning, I touched a soft, fleshy body beside me. Because it was wrapped so tightly in white gauze, I had to bend down to look. Beside me, on the ground, lay another creature, its head and face also wrapped in white gauze. Fortunately, from its build, I recognized it as Mr. Wang Kaixuan, the fat man I'd played with since childhood.

I struggled to my feet, stepped out of the wooden shed, and stretched, gazing at the sea. It seemed I'd slept too long; my whole body ached. The sun was blazing hot, making me a little dizzy, but it was warm and quite comfortable.

As my senses gradually returned to normal, I suddenly saw a beautiful mermaid swimming gracefully in the sea before me. Her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her fair and rosy oval face and slender figure were dazzlingly alluring in the blue water.

The mermaid dove in and out, tossing glistening seawater droplets into the air with her jade-like hands, making them look like tiny pearls scattering everywhere.

Suddenly, she clucked, and a group of jade-colored dolphins leaped out from around her, circling her joyfully.

I stared in disbelief, my mouth agape for a long time, still wrapped in white gauze. When I touched it, damn it, my jaw was dislocated.

The stunningly beautiful mermaid inadvertently turned her face to the side, revealing herself to be Shirley Yang, who usually dressed in men's clothing.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind him, and Wang Kaixuan, whose head was bandaged up like a fat pig's head, woke up.

I hurriedly turned around and stood in front of Fatty Wang, who was still dizzy and had just sat up. I shouted, "Miss Yang, Fatty and I are both awake!"

Upon hearing this, Shirley Yang turned around in astonishment. After a moment of surprise, she saw me and Fatty hugging each other. She couldn't help but throw away the little dolphin she was holding and ran over with water splashing everywhere.

I quickly exclaimed, "My clothes! My clothes are wet!"

Shirley Yang suddenly woke up, her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she turned and ran towards the wooden shed on the other side of the beach.

Fatty Wang's sly eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

I gave him a hard flick on the forehead, almost knocking him to the ground.

The fat guy rubbed his head sheepishly and said to me, "You damn bearded man, if you don't make your move soon, I can't stand by and watch Miss Yang's precious youth be wasted."

I kicked him again and ignored him.

Shirley Yang, wearing a men's jacket, strode over. Seeing Fatty and me having a lively conversation, she smiled happily, then sighed and said, "You've finally woken up. Welcome back to the human world, you two brave warriors."

I stared greedily at Shirley Yang, took a deep breath, and asked, "Tell me, how many days have we been hovering on the brink of death?"

Shirley Yang's smile was as radiant as spring flowers. She raised both hands, waved them, and said, "Ten whole days. These ten days, facing two white-clothed zombies, have been so boring."

As she spoke, her voice choked involuntarily, and two tears streamed down her face. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve and spat, "Why am I crying? You're all moving around freely now."

Looking at her delicate, tear-streaked face, I couldn't help but be captivated.

It seems that Shirley Yang has suffered quite a bit of injustice these past ten days.

I frowned, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and couldn't help but bend over.

Shirley Yang rushed over, helped me up, and asked with concern what was wrong.

I leaned close to her ear, inhaling the faint, sweet fragrance of her long hair, and couldn't help but be captivated. I whispered softly, "I don't know why, but my heart aches whenever I see you cry."

Shirley Yang was startled, and her face turned red again. She turned her head to steal a glance at the fat man, stomped her foot and muttered, "Pah, you bastard, you spineless scoundrel."

Upon hearing this, I felt my bones melt, and I truly became a spineless wretch.

The fat man asked anxiously from behind, "What's wrong, Lao Hu? Your old injury has flared up again."

I frowned and turned around, saying, "Yes, it's a very, very old wound."

Shirley Yang's face turned completely red. I actually let out a loud "Ouch!" and almost jumped up. It hurt! Shirley Yang had secretly pinched me, and it was painful.

I suddenly remembered that when I looked up and gazed into the distance, the cargo ship that Black Jack and his crew had sailed on was no longer visible on the sea.

Shirley Yang glanced at me and said, "No need to look anymore, they've already left."

It turned out that after Fatty and I bombarded the giant poisonous toad underwater with our hand grenade backpacks, we were poisoned by the toad's venom and were on the verge of death. Although the giant poisonous toad was eventually dismembered on the spot and blown into pieces, Fatty and I were like dead fish, floating on the surface of the water, half-drifting and half-conscious.

Fortunately, Shirley Yang sensed something was wrong and immediately kidnapped Blackjack, forcing the foreigners to pull Fatty and me ashore. Unfortunately, medicine was scarce, and no matter how Shirley Yang tried to treat us, we were already pale and swollen, with weak pulses, barely alive.

Leaving aside Shirley Yang treating me and Fatty on the shore, let's talk about what happened back then. Seeing that the giant poisonous toad had been eliminated, Black Jack ordered his men to arm themselves and follow him and Steve, who was skilled in psychic abilities, into the lake. They swam to the base of the underwater tower tomb, preparing to open the tomb door and collect their riches.

Unfortunately, fate intervened. They painstakingly found the tomb entrance, but the moment they pulled the lever, they triggered a mechanism. An underwater tragedy ensued, killing over ten people, including psychic Steve. In just over ten minutes underwater, only two heavily wounded team members and Blackjack escaped; not a single body ever surfaced. Once ashore, one of the team members went insane, screaming incessantly, "Devil! Devil! Satan!" before disappearing into the dense forest.

After a short rest, Blackjack finally decided to back down. Perhaps the underwater trauma was too great, Blackjack had a change of heart and, together with another team member, helped Shirley Yang drag the half-dead Fatty and me back to the beach campsite on the island.

Unexpectedly, after boarding the ship, Black Jack and several crew members changed their minds and refused to allow Shirley Yang to take me and Fatty away. It turned out that after witnessing the turn of events, these crew members were reluctant to take in the two injured people on the island, fearing that they would take away what they called the island's vengeful spirits.

Shirley Yang angrily disembarked and stayed with me and Fatty on the island, watching helplessly as Black Jack's crew set sail and quickly disappeared in a sorry state.

Even more worrying things were yet to come. Seeing that Fatty and I were on the verge of death, she was helpless.

Later, in the chaos, Shirley Yang pulled an exquisite copper box from her backpack. She shot off the copper lock and found more than ten large, yellowish-brown leaves resembling fish scales inside the box. Each leaf was about the size of a scallop, heavy, and had a strong aroma, quite similar to the traditional medicinal smell of Chinese herbs.

With nothing to lose, Shirley Yang ground it into powder and mixed it with the herbs she had collected to make a decoction. She applied it three times a day, both externally and internally, to treat me and Fatty. Surprisingly, the medicine was quite effective; after three days, the swelling and sores on both of us completely subsided, and our complexions returned to normal. Five days later, our breathing was steady, and our pulses were calm, but we remained unconscious, showing no signs of waking up.

This was tough on Shirley Yang, a young girl. She was busy all day and on edge at night. Seeing me and Fatty so lethargic every day nearly drove her to a mental breakdown. Thankfully, in the last two days, a large group of dolphins returned to the nearshore waters, and she spent her days swimming and playing with them, which made her feel quite at home.

As she spoke, Shirley Yang took out a bronze box depicting the Five Blessed Beasts from her backpack. "Isn't this the very box the King of Dolphins gave us that day?!" Opening the box, the fat man picked up a curled, dried leaf and examined it closely in the sunlight, asking, "What's this, Old Hu?"

Actually, I recognized it at a glance; it was the same one that Big Gold Tooth and I had seen at Uncle Ming's house in Beijing. No wonder it could cure diseases.

I said casually, "Runhai Stone, also known as Dragon Scale."

That day, Uncle Ming said he bought it from pirates in Malacca while sailing in Southeast Asia. To prove it to me and Big Gold Tooth, he even soaked a dragon scale in a glass of water. I saw with my own eyes that the dragon scale immediately doubled in size upon contact with water, and its color changed from yellow to green, becoming crystal clear, like a piece of jade soaking in a teacup. It is said that this thing also has the miraculous effect of warding off storms and bringing rain.

Uncle Ming is gone now. I wonder where the King of Dolphins got these dragon scales from. Could they have gotten them from the pirates of Malacca?

Book One: The Ancient Tomb at the Cape, Chapter Thirty-Three: The Phantom of the Tomb Tower – The Gate of Life and Death

Fatty and I recovered quickly, and we're enjoying a leisurely life every day, playing with Shirley Yang and a large group of dolphins. These past few days have been the happiest and most wonderful time of my life so far.

However, one day, Shirley Yang pulled a small, magnetic-like black button from a compartment in her backpack to show us. She explained that it was the most advanced tracker available. Needless to say, it was that old bastard Robert's doing. No wonder he found us so easily.

The fat guy mischievously caught a sea turtle, stuffed a tracker into its belly, and released it back into the ocean. He said he wanted Robert to track it down to a depth of 500 meters, haha.

By the way, let me tell you all, the three of us have been having a blast lately, with dolphins accompanying us at every meal. The dolphins provide us with fresh seafood like fish, sea cucumbers, and sea turtles every day, while we forage in the forest for wild mushrooms, vegetables, small animals, coconuts, and wild fruits to fill our stomachs. It's like every meal is a feast of wild game, making us feel like gods! Fatty even has the ingenious idea of imitating Master Du Kang (a legendary Chinese winemaker), fermenting wild millet and wild rice to brew some kind of celestial elixir, which cracked me and Shirley Yang up.

I've been very well-behaved, especially around Shirley Yang. We chat and laugh together every day, exchanging glances and showing mutual affection. We're practically family now. All that's left is marriage. Sigh, on this remote island, I guess I'll just have to have a passionate love affair first.

Time flies, and half a month has passed quickly. Fatty and I have fully recovered, though Fatty has gained a few extra pounds. Shirley Yang thoughtfully suggested that we build a large raft and have a dolphin formation carry us back to land. That's a really good idea.

However, Fatty and I both thought of the underwater pagoda tomb in the lake on the island.

My eyes darted around, and I secretly kicked the fat man.

The fat man muttered, "We've lost a lot of money this time. I really feel bad for the treasure in that thousand-year-old ice tomb. Is it...is it possible to get some compensation from the tower tomb? Look how badly we're both injured."

I quickly chimed in, saying, "Yes, yes, we'll take the opportunity to visit the pagoda tombs before heading home."

Shirley Yang laughed, "You've already forgotten the pain as soon as the wound healed. I think it's because you two have fallen back into your tomb-raiding ways."

After much pleading and cajoling from Fatty and me, Shirley Yang finally gave in. She agreed to go with us to take a look. Actually, she understood that if she just left like that, Fatty and I might get itchy one day and come all the way back. It was better to settle things once and for all.

Before we left, Shirley Yang laid down three rules for me and Fatty, which were basically things like listening to her and not acting rashly. Fatty and I exchanged knowing glances and readily agreed.

We checked the equipment. Besides the few diving suits and equipment Blackjack had left behind, and three submachine guns with five or six hundred rounds of ammunition, there were some small items like white gauze, black folding cloths, compasses, emergency medicine, wolf-eye flashlights, cold fireworks, and Swiss Army knives. But to our surprise, this guy had also left behind about seventy or eighty withered black donkey hooves, which made us feel particularly close to him.

The thought of going tomb raiding made both Fatty and me tense and excited, even though we'd been relaxing for half a month.

Backpacks on our backs, submachine guns in hand, we quickly entered the dense forest of Luan Ya Zi, following the same route we'd taken before. The path was still there, and apart from the human and animal carcasses buried in fallen leaves after the fierce battle, little had changed. We made our way smoothly, occasionally shooting down a few vipers that blocked our path, and were relatively safe. Calculating the time, we figured we'd reach Pinghu in about ten minutes, and we quickened our pace with excitement.

Suddenly, Shirley Yang cried out in surprise, pointing to the bushes not far away.

Fatty and I, carrying submachine guns, parted the bushes and were shocked to find a man's head hanging alone on a tree branch, staring at us at eye level.

Shirley Yang recognized him as one of Black Jack's henchmen who had run into the dense forest after his mental breakdown last time.

Something was strange. The man seemed to have seen something extremely terrifying; his mouth was agape in horror, his eyes were ripped open, and his hair stood on end, perfectly capturing the expression of someone on the verge of death. Only his head remained hanging from the tree; his body and limbs were completely missing.

I examined the incision on his neck and found bite marks resembling those of a large animal's teeth.

Fatty and I searched the surrounding area but found nothing. Later, Shirley Yang discovered a huge footprint in a pile of fallen leaves about eight feet away, remarkably similar to the footprints we had found near the Bodhi tree some time ago. This person's death was very likely related to the owner of these footprints. It seems there is another giant monster on this island, one we don't yet know about.