Великий божественный суд династии Цин

Глава 35

Following Dunzi's directions, we saw several kneeling skeletal remains beside him. At first glance, they didn't seem much different from the other skeletal remains—all so cold and terrifying. However, upon closer inspection, we discovered that the other skeletons were either dismembered by insects or sat cross-legged facing the tall, golden platform in the center of the tomb. These remains, however, were kneeling. Furthermore, the fabric and style of their remaining clothing were clearly different from the clothing worn by the other remains. These garments were unmistakably ancient clothing from the Central Plains region.

"Judging from this, these people should be Han Chinese from the Central Plains. Moreover, judging from the fabric of their clothing and accessories, they should live during the Warring States period, which is many years earlier than the Tibetans from the Tubo period," I explained as I carefully examined the remains.

"This royal tomb is really strange. Not only does it contain burial objects from different historical periods and ethnic groups, but it also contains people from different eras buried with it," Dunzi muttered to himself. "Could it be a 'joined dragon tomb'?" I muttered to myself as well. Dunzi became interested and quickly asked, "A 'joined dragon tomb'? What is a 'joined dragon tomb'?" "In ancient times, people paid great attention to feng shui, and emperors and generals paid even more attention to it. Therefore, most imperial tombs required a master of feng shui to find an auspicious burial site first. Then, the tomb would be built on that site." I looked at them and continued. "But sometimes, when a master of feng shui finds a good burial site, it has already been occupied by someone else. In this case, sometimes they would choose to be buried together with someone already buried on that site. This is what is called a 'joined dragon tomb'." I added, "But this situation of sharing the same burial site is generally very rare. Therefore, I have only seen it in some books about feng shui burial sites. This is the first time I have seen a 'joined dragon tomb' in reality."

“I see,” Jenny nodded in reply. “But for some reason, maybe it’s a woman’s intuition, I just feel like something’s not quite right.” “Yes, we’ve encountered so many incredible things this time, so everyone’s become a bit paranoid,” Dunzi said with a laugh. “Alright, let’s hurry up and go check out the building on the platform. It’s the very center of the entire royal mausoleum,” I urged, glancing at my watch. So, the four of us walked up the gold-painted, carpeted steps to the platform.

The dark red carpet with its gold pattern looked relatively intact, but it crumbled as soon as we stepped on it. It was a real shame, but we couldn't find another way to the platform besides this staircase. So we carefully walked along the edge of the steps, trying to minimize the damage to the carpet.

As I walked, I suddenly heard a very faint "whoosh" sound coming from in front of me. Having explored ancient tombs and dungeons many times before, I immediately realized this was likely some kind of trap or hidden weapon. So I shouted, "Hidden weapon! Watch out!" and immediately lay down on the steps. The others behind me quickly followed suit.

A cold wind swept past my back, followed by a "crack" sound from the pile of bones. I knew it was the sound of a hidden weapon whizzing past us and striking the seated skeletons behind us. After everything calmed down, I turned around to look. In the firelight, I saw that the skeletons that had been seated had been scattered in large pieces, raising a cloud of dust.

Ah Bao, who was at the back of the group, ran over. He rummaged through the scattered bones and debris for a while, finding several sharp copper needles, three or four inches long and as thick as nails. "Looks like there's a trap here. Everyone needs to be careful! The road ahead won't be easy," Ah Bao said to the others after examining the needles.

65. The Underworld

Then, Ah Bao took out his tiger-head hunting rifle and walked in front of me. He said, "I'll lead the way, keep your distance!" He then slowly advanced, using the rifle to probe the path on the steps. Dunzi and I followed behind, protecting Jenny and maintaining a safe distance from Ah Bao, following the trail he had cleared up the steps. The steps weren't actually very long, only a few dozen meters in total, but it took us a long time to climb.

Although the staircase wasn't very long, it was clearly meticulously designed and laid out, riddled with chilling and deadly traps. Within this short distance of less than fifty meters, we encountered a series of traps, including copper needles, spikes, trapdoors, and spinning blades. The spikes were propelled by Ah Bao with his hunting rifle, so they didn't hit us when they suddenly pierced the ground. The trapdoor, however, nearly caused Ah Bao to fall into the abyss. Fortunately, the opening of the trapdoor wasn't very large, and when Ah Bao fell in, his hunting rifle got stuck outside the opening. He held on tightly to the rifle, preventing him from falling directly to the bottom and keeping him hanging near the opening. With the combined efforts of Dunzi and me, we pulled Ah Bao out of the abyss, but we were all drenched in a cold sweat from the fright. Finally, when the spinning blade flew out, Ah Bao, with his superb marksmanship, managed to knock it down with his rifle in time, preventing it from injuring us.

"If a single staircase is this terrifying, who knows what other terrifying designs are hidden in the pavilions and buildings on this high platform?" Dunzi said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. I patted his shoulder and comforted him, saying, "We've spent so much time and effort to get here. Are we really going to give up now that we're about to unravel the mystery of the Xuanjing?" "I... I didn't say I was going to give up, I was just... just complaining a bit," Dunzi said. "Hehe, that's good. Trust me, brother. We'll succeed!" I said with a smile.

About half an hour later, we finally stood on the golden platform. A closer look at the ancient building on it revealed its carved beams and painted rafters, inlaid with gold and silver—truly breathtaking. Bathed in the firelight surrounding the tomb chamber, the entire structure appeared magnificent and imposing, exuding an aura of unapproachability and oppression. After walking around the building, we discovered that apart from the door directly opposite the high steps, there were no other passageways leading into the interior.

“I don’t know why, but I always feel this building is a bit strange, but I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Dunzi said. I laughed and replied, “Let me tell you, it’s strange because, apart from a large door, there are no windows at all.” Hearing this, Dunzi slapped his thigh hard. Then he said, “Right! That’s it! Why doesn’t it have windows?” “I think it’s because this building is a haunted house, a place for the dead. Ordinary houses have windows for ventilation and light, but ventilation and light are unnecessary for a dead person. Therefore, we don’t see any windows in this building,” Jenny speculated, examining the strange building. “Oh, I see. But this door?” Dunzi continued. I looked at him and laughed, “This door is obviously used to carry the body of the deceased into this haunted house; otherwise, how would the body be put in?” “Hehe, I’m so stupid,” Dunzi laughed.

After inspecting the building, Ah Bao didn't find anything suspicious, so he asked, "We haven't found anything suspicious yet, shall we go in and take a look?" "Okay, but I suspect there are definitely traps set up inside. We must be very careful when we go in," I said.

We slowly approached the gate. Upon reaching it, we realized it was a very ordinary carved wooden door. We just didn't know what kind of wood it was, but after so many years, the entire door was still perfectly preserved; apart from being covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, there was almost no sign of damage.

Ah Bao was at the front, while the three of us stood a certain distance apart to the side. Ah Bao gave us a look, signaling us to get ready. Then, he slowly extended his hunting rifle and gently pushed the wooden door with the barrel. The door moved slightly, releasing some dust. Although it wasn't pushed open, no hidden weapons or mechanisms were activated.

So, Ah Bao gripped the gun barrel tightly, increased his strength, and used the gun to push against the wooden door again. The wooden door seemed unlocked, because after Ah Bao pushed hard, the wooden door creaked open. As the wooden door opened, a cold, damp wind rushed in, penetrating my skin like needles, making me shiver involuntarily.

Because there were no windows to let in light, the building was completely dark. We turned on our headlamps and examined the interior. The first thing we saw was a large quantity of gold and silver artifacts, along with pearls, jade, and agate. These were packed in eight boxes, arranged in a row in black lacquered, carved wooden chests. The walls were covered with brightly colored and lifelike murals depicting birds, beasts, and figures. The content seemed to depict stories of reincarnation and ascension.

Reaching the innermost part, we found another staircase spiraling upwards, leading all the way to the second floor of the wooden building. "No wonder this building looks so tall; it's a multi-story structure," Dunzi said with a smile. His smile hadn't faded since he'd seen so much jewels and gold. I looked at Dunzi and said, "Actually, it's a tower, a real underground tower. It just doesn't have windows like a typical tower, and the firelight only illuminated a limited distance, not the upper part, so we didn't notice it at first."

After hearing my explanation, Jenny seemed a little puzzled, muttering to herself, "A tower built inside a tomb? That's the first time I've ever heard of such a thing." Indeed, during this exploration, we've encountered far too many unexpected situations. We can only hope that once we reach the final point of the tomb—the top of the tower—we'll discover some crucial clues and unravel all the secrets. So, although I shared Jenny's doubts, I didn't dwell on them. I examined the wooden staircase, deciding to go upstairs first.

The staircase was made of solid wood and was about one meter wide. One side of the staircase was against the wall, while the other side connected to a wooden railing about 1.2 or 1.3 meters high. I tentatively stretched out my foot and stepped on the stairs. The stairs made a slight creaking sound, but nothing else happened. "It seems this staircase is in pretty good condition and should be able to support the weight of us. However, I'm worried about some hidden weapons or traps along the way, so I suggest we send someone up to scout ahead first," Jenny said, looking at me.

Upon hearing Jenny's words, Ah Bao immediately replied, "Then I'll go check it out first. You guys wait here." "You always scout ahead first, let me do it this time," I said, taking a bundle of rope from my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Then I took out the crossbow, preparing to go ahead and scout. Ah Bao knew my temperament; once I made a decision, I wouldn't change it. So he walked up to me, patted my shoulder, and said, "Well then, Brother Si Nan, this time you're going to take the risk. Be careful!" I smiled and nodded. Then I looked at Jenny with deep affection. At that moment, she was also looking at me with concern. In that instant when our eyes met, I saw a look of admiration and worry in her eyes.

66. The burned spiral staircase

I climbed the stairs step by step. The old wooden planks creaked under my breath. Each sound sent a chill down my spine, for within those subtle noises lay the potential activation of traps and hidden weapons. After about six or seven steps, three bronze spears suddenly shot out from the wall beside the stairs. Luckily, I was prepared. The moment the spears thrust out, I instinctively pulled back and dodged. The spears missed me, but struck the railing on the other side of the stairs, shattering a large section of it. With a loud crash, a pile of broken pieces of wood fell to the ground. Although I was somewhat prepared, this sudden turn of events still gave me a fright. "Are you alright, Si Nan?" Jenny's concerned voice came from behind me. "Oh, it's alright, I'm fine," I replied. "There are many traps here, we have to be careful. You should be careful too." Then, I continued up the stairs.

The staircase was intricately designed with various mechanisms and hidden weapons, taking place at its twists and turns. It took me nearly half an hour to traverse these mere meters. When I first reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the second floor, for some reason, I suddenly felt a sense of unease, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Shortly after I reached the top, Dunzi and the others followed the same path I had taken. Because I had destroyed most of the hidden weapons and mechanisms, they ascended much faster than I had.

"Si Nan, is everything alright here?" Dunzi asked as soon as he arrived. I looked at him and replied, "I don't know. I don't know why, but it feels much darker here than other places, as if the light from our headlamps has been suddenly absorbed." Hearing this, everyone noticed that our headlamps, which normally illuminated a distance of twenty or thirty meters, seemed to barely reach ten meters here. "Could it be out of power?" Dunzi took off his headlamp and patted it gently. I shook my head and replied, "No. I've already changed the batteries, but it's still the same." Abao looked around at the pitch-black scene and said, "It looks like there's something strange about this place. Let's search carefully." At Abao's suggestion, we began a thorough search of the second floor. Because we were worried that if we split up, we wouldn't be able to find each other, we stayed together this time.

After about ten minutes, we all started to feel even stranger. The entire second floor was almost completely empty; we couldn't find a single burial item or anything like that, not even a dead rat. "What was the purpose of this entire second floor? Why is it so empty?" I couldn't help but ask myself, but I still couldn't find an answer.

We walked around the building, but found nothing except the ground. So, Ah Bao suggested we head towards the center of the building to see if we could find anything else. Led by him, we each kept a distance of two or three meters and walked together towards the center of the building.

Before long, we made a new discovery. In the center of this spacious two-story building, a massive stone pillar, so thick it would take four or five people to encircle it, stretched all the way to the top. The entire pillar was painted with gold, giving it a magnificent appearance. We walked around the pillar and found many uniformly sized square grooves spiraling upwards. There were also some black marks near these grooves. We then discovered that many broken wooden structures were scattered on the ground around the pillar.

"This stone pillar is so tall, I can't see the top of it clearly," said Ah Bao after shining his wolf-eye flashlight for a while. I crouched down and picked up a piece of wood to examine it closely. I noticed that these broken pieces of wood seemed to have been burned. Then I carefully examined the grooves on the stone pillar, pondering the purpose of these pieces of wood and the grooves at that time.

At this moment, Jenny said, "We've thoroughly searched everywhere except the top of this pillar, and we haven't found what we're looking for. Could the mystery be on this large pillar?" "No way," Dunzi seemed to disagree. "This pillar may be large, but it's still just a pillar. How much space can it hold, and how many secrets can it contain?"

“Jenny is right, I reckon the secret is hidden in this thick stone pillar,” I said with a smile, looking at the golden pillar. Dunzi seemed unconvinced and asked, “Oh? What makes you so sure there’s something wrong with this pillar?” I smiled and replied, “It’s simple, just look at these grooves and the pieces of wood scattered on the ground.” Dunzi was even more confused. So I continued, “Do you know what these grooves and these broken pieces of wood were originally used for?” “No idea,” Dunzi said.

I patted the stone pillar and said, "If I'm not mistaken, these wooden pieces were originally a spiral staircase built on top of this pillar. And these grooves are where the wooden beams supporting the staircase were placed. In ancient times, people often used this method to carve walkways into cliffs, and that's where I got my inspiration." "But when we came in, we saw that all the other wooden burial objects were well preserved, so why is this spiral staircase so badly decayed that we can't even find a frame anymore? This seems a bit inexplicable," Ah Bao said.

I walked over to Ah Bao, picked up a charred piece of wood from the ground, and held it in front of him. "Look," I said, "these pieces of wood have burn marks. This means the spiral staircase didn't decay over time; it was destroyed by a fire." "A fire? How could a fire suddenly start in this underground tomb?" Dunzi was even more puzzled. "Because it didn't start for no reason. Someone deliberately set it to destroy the spiral staircase," I replied. Dunzi continued, "Destroy the spiral staircase? Why?" "Don't you understand? Because this stone pillar holds a great secret, and they didn't want others to discover it easily, so they destroyed the spiral staircase with a fire," Jenny said at this moment.

After hearing this, Dunzi finally understood why Jenny and I had said that the mystery we wanted to uncover was hidden on this stone pillar. "But this stone pillar seems very tall, and its surface is gilded and very smooth. It doesn't look easy to climb up," Jenny said, looking at the pillar. Hearing Jenny's words, Abao walked to the pillar and examined it closely. Then he said to us, "Luckily, there are these grooves we can use. I'll climb up first with the rope, then I'll lower the rope, and you can climb up using the rope." We thought this was a feasible plan, so we decided to implement it.

Ah Bao donned his safety ropes and quickdraw bolts, then walked to the rock pillar. He stepped into one groove on the pillar, gripped another, and began to climb step by step. For some reason, although I knew climbing this rock face wouldn't be too difficult for Ah Bao, a former special forces soldier, I had a nagging feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

67. Telescopic Stone Pillars

As Ah Bao climbed higher and higher, my heart pounded with anticipation. Before long, Ah Bao disappeared from our sight, with only the rope hanging from him still swaying.

A few minutes later, Dunzi, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, shouted, "Abao, have you reached the top yet?" "Not yet," came Abao's voice. "I think I've climbed dozens of meters, but I still can't see the top of the stone pillar." His words made us even more worried. Although Abao was quite skilled, he was still only human. If he continued climbing endlessly like this, he would definitely run out of energy. Because there were no safety measures on the smooth stone surface, he could easily fall, which would be extremely dangerous. Thinking about this, I really didn't dare to continue.

"This stone pillar is really strange, how can it be so tall?" Dunzi muttered to himself. After a while, we called out again, asking if Abao was close to the top of the pillar, but from Abao's answer, it seemed that wasn't the case. Not long after, I suddenly realized something and said, "Something seems off." "What's wrong?" Dunzi asked. I replied, "Didn't you notice? The location from which Abao's voice came just now didn't seem to have changed much from where it came from before." "Impossible, Abao has been climbing up without stopping, that's what he said himself," Dunzi retorted. I smiled and nodded, saying, "I know he hasn't stopped, that's why it's strange." As I spoke, I focused my gaze on the thick stone pillar.

I didn't realize what was going on until I looked closely. The stone pillar was slowly sinking deeper into the ground. No wonder Ah Bao couldn't climb higher; as he climbed, the pillar was automatically shrinking downwards. Naturally, Ah Bao couldn't climb any further.

"This won't do. We have to get Leopard down quickly," Jenny said after learning the secret of the stone pillar. So we shouted for Leopard to come down immediately. We thought this would at least get him down and ensure his safety, but we were wrong. Because we soon discovered that the stone pillar, which had been shrinking downwards, suddenly started extending upwards again. It turned out that it moved in the opposite direction to the climber's climbing speed. This meant that once someone reached a certain point on the stone pillar, unless they jumped down immediately, they would be stuck in that position forever.

After learning about this phenomenon, we were all terrified. We quickly notified Ah Bao, telling him to stop climbing blindly, conserve his energy, and then we could discuss a solution. Ah Bao immediately stopped climbing after hearing our words, and the stone pillar indeed stopped as well.

Looking at the massive stone pillar, Dunzi exclaimed, "This mechanism is truly amazing! I've never encountered such a formidable trap before. Once someone gets up there, there's no way to escape!" "No, there must be a way. Let's think about it some more," Jenny said anxiously, deeply worried that Ah Bao might be in danger. At that moment, I remained silent, my mind racing, racking my brains for a way to break through the mechanism and rescue Ah Bao, whose life hung by a thread.

Time ticked by, and although we had told Ah Bao to stay put and conserve his energy, how could we rest on such a steep stone pillar with only a few grooves for climbing? Staying up there meant exerting all our strength, which would drain us quickly, so every minute we wasted increased the threat to Ah Bao's life. Jenny's eyes were already red, and tears were welling up. Dunzi kept sighing, repeatedly saying, "What do we do? What do we do?"

Dunzi and Jenny kept walking back and forth in front of me. The instant they walked past each other, an idea popped into my head. I quickly made them stop and said, "I have an idea, maybe we can try it." "Really? Tell me!" Jenny's eyes lit up with excitement.

I said, "Look, this stone pillar moves in the opposite direction to the climber's climbing direction and speed, which is why it traps the climber, right?" They both nodded. "But there's only one stone pillar, and whether it moves up or down, it can only maintain one speed in one direction at any given time. Since that's the case, let's send another person up. As long as the two climbers' speeds are different, one of them will eventually be moving at a different speed than the pillar. That way, even if they can't reach the top, they can at least return to the ground." "That's true, but when one person returns to the ground, isn't the other still on the pillar?" Dunzi asked. "Good question," I replied, "but don't overlook one fact. The two climbers can freely control their speeds. As long as they adjust their speeds and keep the distance between them not too far, if one person reaches the ground, the other won't be too far off either, and jumping down won't be a big problem." "What if it's the other way around, and they reach the top of the pillar?" Dunzi asked again. I replied, "If that's the case, since the two people can be connected by the rope that Ah Bao brought up, if one person goes up, the other person can climb up using that rope." "That's right, it seems that's the only way," Jenny said after hearing my words.

So, in the following time, we loudly told Ah Bao, who was perched on the stone pillar, what we needed to do. Ah Bao understood our intentions, and I secured one end of the rope to my waist with a quickdraw and began to climb towards the top of the pillar. As I did so, I wasn't entirely sure if my plan would work. The layout of this underground tomb was so bizarre that anything seemed possible. So, the moment my foot touched the stone pillar, I left my fate to the heavens.

Because we had divided the tasks beforehand, Jenny and Dunzi were responsible for checking the movement of the stone pillar when I started climbing. They would immediately tell me if there were any changes so that the two of us climbers could coordinate with each other. When I had climbed to be almost ten meters above the ground, I heard Dunzi shout, "Sinan, the stone pillar is starting to sink."

So I maintained the same climbing speed and then had Ah Bao start climbing as well. Sure enough, as soon as Ah Bao moved, the stone pillar's movement speed changed accordingly. Dunzi and Jenny immediately told us about the changes in the stone pillar's movement and speed, and we coordinated with each other to continue climbing towards the top of the stone pillar.

Because I had to constantly adjust my climbing speed, after about ten minutes I was drenched in sweat. But just then, through the overhead light, I began to see Leopard above me. It seemed this method was really effective. Thinking about this, my confidence grew even stronger.

"Dunzi, check if our location has changed from before," Abao asked, still a little scared. A few seconds later, Dunzi's voice came from the ground. He said, "It seems farther away, and the sound is fainter." Hearing Dunzi's words, Abao and I were even more motivated. Without even wiping the sweat from our foreheads, we continued climbing.

About seven or eight minutes later, I suddenly heard Ah Bao shout, "Ah, I see it! I see the top of the stone pillar!"

68. Ghost Spider

Ah Bao's words immediately thrilled us. It meant we would soon reach the mysterious area at the top of the stone pillar. A few minutes later, Ah Bao reached the top of the pillar first. After he secured the rope, I climbed up along it.

Reaching the top of the stone pillar, I discovered that its base was driven into the ground, while its top protruded into the ceiling of the tomb chamber. Beside it, an inconspicuous, flat rock jutted out, forming a natural platform. We were now standing on this platform. After I climbed up, Ah Bao lowered the rope again, allowing Jenny and Dunzi to climb up, while I used the free time to conduct a preliminary inspection of the platform.

The base of the platform connected to the cave wall, probably more than ten meters away from the front of the platform where we were now. Due to the special environment inside the tomb, things beyond ten meters were beyond our range of light and appeared blurry. For some reason, at this moment, that ominous premonition enveloped me again, and I unconsciously took out the steel crossbow from my backpack and then walked step by step towards the base of the platform.

As I approached, the environment at the base of the platform gradually became clearer. The rock wall connecting to the platform was no longer flat and smooth; here, the rock face was uneven. Protruding rocks resembled jagged canine teeth, displaying sharp, pointed spikes. In the middle of the rock wall, an irregularly shaped opening, about six or seven meters in diameter, appeared before me.

As I approached the cave entrance, gusts of cold, damp wind swept over me, carrying a strong, pungent stench. The smell instantly filled me with dread. Based on my past experience, I knew that caves with such a foul odor often harbored terrifying, monstrous beasts and monsters.

Realizing this, I tensed up instantly, raised my crossbow, aimed it at the cave entrance, and began to retreat step by step. But it was too late. Perhaps the creature inside had already caught our scent and rushed out of the cave. In the pitch-black cave, I suddenly saw six bright green lights emerge from within and move rapidly towards me.

My heart tightened, and I instinctively pulled the trigger. With a "whoosh," the steel arrow shot out, flying straight into the dark cave. Immediately afterward, a violent, piercing sound erupted from within. Perhaps a creature in the cave had been struck by the arrow, groaning in pain. This intense sound, accompanied by a powerful gust of air, rushed out of the dark cave. The impact of this gust caused me to lose my footing, staggering back more than ten steps before barely managing to regain my balance.

At this moment, I had retreated to Ah Bao's side. Ah Bao was also startled by the sudden strange cry, his face filled with fear. Seeing me, he quickly asked, "Si Nan, what was that sound?" I took another steel arrow from my bag and inserted it into the crossbow, replying, "There's a stone cave ahead, and it seems like there's something inside. I fired an arrow earlier; it might have hit it." Ah Bao nodded after hearing my words and quickened the pace of pulling the rope. I stood beside Ah Bao, holding the crossbow, guarding him. After a while, I smelled the foul, fishy stench growing stronger, and then, in the darkness before me, the six bright green lights gradually became clear.

I knew that facing such a monster alone, it would be difficult to defeat it. So I quickly urged Leopard, "Leopard, Leopard, it's coming!" Hearing my shout, Leopard instinctively turned around. In the distance, in the darkness, six green dots appeared like ethereal will-o'-the-wisps, sending chills down my spine.

Knowing danger was imminent, Ah Bao quickly looked around and found a protruding rock, securing it firmly with a rope. Then he said to the pier below, "There's a dangerous creature here. Be careful, and hurry up. Si Nan and I will try to hold it off for a while." "Ah? A monster? Then be careful!" Jenny replied.

With everything ready, Ah Bao quickly took the tiger-head hunting rifle off his shoulder and stood on the left side of the platform, forming a left-right stance with me, aiming at the direction from which the monster was coming.

A few seconds later, a sudden blast of cold air swept through the area illuminated by our headlamps, revealing a long, thin, black leg covered in stiff hair. Then, a grotesque head, the size of a washbasin, emerged. It had six eyes the size of ping-pong balls, and its pincer-like mandibles opened and closed, spewing out puffs of grayish-black poisonous mist. It uttered low, menacing growls as it slowly approached us, its long legs shuffling in.

When its entire body came into view of our light, we could see that the monster was actually a black spider the size of a buffalo, and the steel arrow I had fired earlier was embedded in its massive abdominal carapace. This enormous black spider was covered in stiff black hairs, constantly twitching its two front legs, looking terrifying and grotesque. It seemed like a ghost from the underworld, cold and lifeless. In that instant, a name suddenly came to mind—the Ghost Spider. This was a rare monster described in the book the Mountain Patrolman had given me. It lived year-round in the dark depths of the earth, feeding on carrion and various creatures that fell into its burrows. Its body was covered in black poisonous hairs, and it could spew venom to form a poisonous mist to hunt its prey.

Perhaps due to its earlier carelessness, having suffered at the hands of my crossbow, it had only been intimidating us without launching a swift attack. I knew it was waiting for our moment of carelessness before launching a surprise attack to capture us. Ah Bao and I dared not attack rashly. Our weapons could only fire once or twice in succession; if it dodged both attacks, or if we couldn't kill it with a single blow, it could suddenly attack us while we were reloading. On this platform, we had nowhere to hide and would likely be killed. Thus, we were temporarily locked in a stalemate.

It kept spewing out poisonous mist, making the air around us extremely murky. Ah Bao and I covered our mouths and noses with our hands while anxiously waiting for Dunzi and the others to come up. The four simple gas masks we had prepared were now in Dunzi's backpack. Only when Dunzi came up could we put them on to fight against the Ghost Spider. Otherwise, there would only be one path waiting for us—death.

Two or three minutes later, the spider, perhaps growing impatient or realizing we weren't as strong as it had imagined, let out a howl and suddenly pounced on Leopard. Leopard shifted his weight to the side, simultaneously pulling the trigger and firing a shot into the spider's raised abdomen. In the flash of muzzle flash, the spider groaned in pain again, crashing heavily to the ground, black, viscous liquid oozing from its abdominal wound. Leopard seized the opportunity, giving it no chance to catch its breath, and pulled the trigger again. With a "bang," the second round of the double-barreled shotgun fired, striking the spider directly in the head.

Half of the ghost spider's head was riddled with holes from the shotgun shells and oozing black fluid, making it look even more ferocious and terrifying than before. This continuous attack extinguished the ghost spider's arrogance. It scrambled back into its burrow, letting out a loud, mournful cry as it retreated.

How could this be? If that spider was truly a so-called Ghost Spider, it shouldn't have been so easily defeated. A sense of unease crept into my mind. Based on the fragmented memories I held, the Ghost Spider described in the book was an extremely ferocious and highly intelligent spider king; it couldn't possibly have been so easily defeated. There must be some hidden reason behind this, I secretly guessed.

69. The Real Crisis

The leopard seemed oblivious to all this. After habitually loading his shotgun, he walked to the edge of the platform, poked his head out, and shouted, "Miss Jenny, have you come up? The danger is over!" "Yes, we're up. I can see the bottom of the platform," Jenny replied. Her voice was loud and clear, indicating they were quite close.

Just as Ah Bao pulled Jenny and Dunzi onto the platform, I continued my reconnaissance of the cave's direction. "What happened? Where's that monster you were talking about?" Dunzi kept asking as soon as he reached the platform. Ah Bao, while reeling in the rope, replied, "It was shot twice and escaped into the cave." "What cave? Where is it?" Dunzi pressed. Ah Bao pointed towards the base of the platform and said, "Over there..." But before he could finish, a tremendous roar came from that direction. This sound was even deeper and more terrifying than the ghost spider's cry.

Then an even stronger gust of air hit me, carrying a strong, fishy stench that nearly knocked me over. Caught off guard, Dunzi and Jenny were also blown to the ground by the gust, but thankfully Abao caught them in time to prevent them from falling off the platform. It was then that I realized everything before was just a prelude, and the real show was just beginning.

Immediately after that strong gust of air rushed in, I clearly felt the entire platform begin to tremble. We turned on all the lighting equipment, focusing the lights towards the opening. In the dim light, six green-glowing objects gradually moved towards us from a distance. However, this time the green light was much larger and brighter than the one we had seen before. Upon seeing those six green lights, I realized from their sheer size what was happening.

A much larger ghost spider appeared. Judging from its size, I could tell that the previous ghost spider was just a juvenile, which explained why we subdued it so easily. When it fled back into the cave, it summoned its mother. And so, the scene before us unfolded.

Everything went as I expected. In no time, a gigantic ghost spider appeared in our field of vision. It was about three meters tall, four meters wide, and six meters long. Its body was covered in stiff black hairs, like sharp, fine thorns, gleaming with a cold, chilling light. Its six glassy compound eyes reflected a cold green light, and its iron jaws opened and closed like steel pincers, with a powerful, clanging sound. Its long, black, steel-pipe-like legs pounded the ground with each movement, causing the entire platform to tremble. It continued to move towards us without hesitation. It seemed that in its eyes, we few people posed absolutely no threat.

Upon seeing this, Dunzi panicked and hurriedly took out his crossbow. He fired an arrow at the ghost spider. To his surprise, this adult ghost spider was indeed much more experienced than the previous little one. With a simple flick of its front legs, it deflected the arrow.

"Quick, Dunzi, get your gas masks out! The toxic fumes from these are incredibly potent!" I warned as the Ghost Spider drew closer. Dunzi immediately dropped his crossbow and pulled four gas masks from his backpack, distributing them to everyone.

I had just put on my gas mask when I heard Ah Bao shout, "Watch out!" Then, with a "bang," the shotgun fired. It turned out the ghost spider had begun its attack. In the flash of fire, I saw the spider's offensive finally pause slightly under the pressure of the gunfire. The shotgun ammunition left minor wounds on its two forelegs. But this only further enraged the spider; it let out a piercing screech and lunged at us.

Ah Bao aimed at the spider's chest and fired again. I seized the opportunity to fire a steel arrow at its chest, delivering a more fatal blow. However, to our surprise, this adult spider was not only significantly larger than the young one, but its abdominal armor was also much thicker, making it difficult for even shotgun ammunition to penetrate. Facing our attacks, the spider made no attempt to evade, continuing its initial charge. Seeing its thick, long legs hurtling towards me, I quickly dodged. With a "whoosh," I watched helplessly as its forelegs slammed down in front of me, striking the basketball-sized rock on the platform and shattering it into pieces. Although I had managed to avoid the spider's fatal blow, the platform was cramped, offering little room to maneuver. The sharp, bristly hairs on its forelegs still managed to graze me, leaving small, bloody scratches.

After being scratched by those stiff bristles, I felt an intense burning pain in the wound, as if it were being scalded by fire. Then, the bright red wound gradually turned purple and black, eventually oozing blood as black as ink. So those bristles were poisonous! I couldn't help but curse under my breath, "Damn it!" Then, enduring the excruciating pain, I nocked my steel arrow and looked for an opportunity to continue my struggle against it.

Meanwhile, Ah Bao was also trapped by the Ghost Spider and didn't have time to reload. So he simply turned his gun around, using the butt as a weapon, and fiercely struck the Ghost Spider's eyes. Perhaps the Ghost Spider's eyes were a vulnerable area, because it felt pain after being struck by Ah Bao and took a step back. Seizing this opportunity, Ah Bao rolled on the spot and escaped from the blind spot where he was trapped by the Ghost Spider.

The spider was indeed incredibly cunning. Seeing that Ah Bao and I were quite skilled and couldn't gain the upper hand immediately, it changed its target, focusing its attention on Jenny and Dunzi, whose defenses and offensive capabilities were relatively weaker. Its three pairs of compound eyes gleamed with a green light as it crawled towards Jenny and Dunzi, leaving Ah Bao and me behind.

Seeing the spider crawling straight towards them, Dunzi panicked and quickly drew his steel arrow, nocking it into his crossbow to fire. But the spider wouldn't give him a chance; it leaped in front of Dunzi and knocked the crossbow from his hand with a flick of its foreleg. Seeing the critical situation, Ah Bao and I quickly drew our sharp, cold steel daggers, rolled to Dunzi's side, and covered his retreat.

I gripped my steel knife and slashed fiercely at the ghost spider. Despite the dagger's incredible sharpness, the blows and stabs were utterly ineffective against the spider's hard exoskeleton. Leopard had intended to smash the spider's eyes with the butt of his rifle, but having already learned his lesson, this time it kept its head held high, making it impossible for Leopard's rifle butt to reach it.

The ghost spider, spitting venomous mist and waving its forelegs, gradually led us to the edge of the platform. It looked like we would fall off the platform if we took a few more steps back. In this critical moment, Jenny saw a rope that had fallen from Leopard's backpack during the fight and suddenly had a plan.