According to Da Kui, down below, they couldn't tell day from night. After another person went missing that day, everyone started to feel that something was wrong.
The warehouse was huge, filled with many steel racks, like a maze.
Old Man Qu sent people to search separately. They searched for hours without finding the missing person.
Just as everyone returned to the assembly point, someone found some torn cotton jackets.
Soon after, many bones were discovered in a small house. The bones were piled up like a mountain. It was within this pile of bones that they found the two missing people.
Only two bloody, mangled heads remained of them!
This discovery threw everyone into a panic, and fear spread like wildfire.
On the evening of the third day, no one rested. The person in charge of opening the large iron gate worked tirelessly, day and night, while others remained constantly vigilant.
But even then, something happened. Da Kui was with Jiang Lingxi and two others at the time; they were sitting around the entrance.
Around one in the morning, Da Kui needed to relieve himself and went off alone to do so. But as he was, the monster attacked him, and his hand was literally torn in half.
Da Kui said the monster was covered in hair, its torn face was terrifying, and most importantly, it was immensely strong, with a mouth full of fangs. One bite, and not even bone would be left!
"At that moment, I truly thought I was dead..." Da Kui sighed. "I've explored so many tombs in my life, but I've never been this scared."
"How did you escape later?" I asked.
He looked at me, pursing his lips. "That woman saved my life."
"Jiang Lingxi?"
He nodded. "When that monster dragged me away, I yelled. Jiang Lingxi ran over and fired a few shots at the monster. Although she missed, it scared the monster away."
"Was she alright then?"
"She was fine at the time... but from that day on, the monster's attacks on us became more frequent," Da Kui said. "Before, it only attacked us stealthily, and always at night. But after that day, it would attack us whenever it had the chance. We didn't dare to be alone; even going to the toilet required going in pairs."
"What about Jiang Lingxi? She's a woman, what does she do when she needs to go to the bathroom?" I asked.
"When she needed to go, we would form a circle back-to-back to protect her," Da Kui said.
Hearing this, I couldn't help but say, "At least you have some conscience."
Da Kui replied, "Although I'm not a good person, I know what it means to repay kindness. That woman saved my life; I'll always remember that favor."
"What exactly happened to her? Why is she the only one who didn't come up?" I asked.
Da Kui sighed. "Where she went, I honestly don't know. The day we opened the iron gate to evacuate, the monster went mad and attacked us ferociously. The situation was very chaotic... It was then that we realized the monster was completely unfazed by gunfire!"
"Unfazed by gunfire?" I was taken aback.
"Yes," Da Kui said. "I shot it several times, but the monster acted as if nothing happened... We finally reached the exit. Master Qu was the first to ascend, and the monster charged directly at us. It was then we discovered it was after Jiang Lingxi."
"After her?" I was a bit confused.
"Yes. The monster kept its eyes on her. As soon as she started climbing the rope ladder, the monster went mad and attacked us..."
Saying this, Da Kui pursed his lips. "That woman also noticed this, so she ran towards the underground river. The monster chased after her, and we used that opportunity to climb out."
"You just left her?!" I slammed the table, staring intently at Da Kui.
"How could we not?" Da Kui roared. "Tell me how we could have! Damn it, that monster was simply beyond our capabilities! If that woman hadn't bravely led the monster away, we would all have died!"
My chest was filled with anger, but I couldn't unleash it.
Thinking of Jiang Lingxi made me feel uneasy.
She was still down there, and I didn't know if she was alive or dead.
If she was still alive, alone and isolated, what would happen to her?
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to rush down and find her.
But I knew that if I went down now, I'd be walking into my death.
Yet, I couldn't just do nothing.
"Master Xiang, please calm down," Fatty advised me. "What's done is done; getting agitated won't help. I believe Sister Lingxi has good fortune and will be alright for now."
I knew Fatty was trying to comfort me. Taking a deep breath, I irritably grabbed a cigarette from the table and lit it. Looking at Da Kui, I asked, "What are your plans now?"
Da Kui offered a smile, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "You don't need to worry about that. After tonight, if you want to leave tomorrow, I can let you go."
I suddenly realized something. "You want to..."
He nodded. "Boss Xiang, our previous transaction isn't finished. Once things are settled, we'll continue. You pay me the remaining money, and I won't stop you from leaving then."
After speaking, he left the room without waiting for my reply.
Fatty seemed confused and asked me what was going on.
I replied, "It seems like a change of power is coming to the Armor-Piercing Gate tonight."
"Change of power?"
"Old Man Qu lost so many people for this Guandong Army treasure, and in the end, he got nothing. Do you think the people below will be content?"
Fatty suddenly understood. "Master Xiang, are you saying that Da Kui is going to rebel?"
I nodded. "We can't interfere with their affairs. For now, we should focus on how to save Jiang Lingxi."
"Huh?" Fatty blinked and looked at me. "Master Xiang, don't tell me you're going back down to that damned place?"
I looked at Fatty. "Whether Jiang Lingxi is alive or dead, we have to go down... Even if there's a sliver of hope for her survival, we cannot give up."
Fatty looked conflicted. I continued, "Fatty, think about it. If it were you or me trapped down there, and no one was willing to search for us, how desperate would that be?"
Hearing me say that, Fatty gritted his teeth. "Let's go! We have to go down. Damn it, no matter what kind of zombie it is, even if I have to stake my life, I'll bring Sister Lingxi out!"
I nodded. "However, before that, we need to find some capable helpers."
"Helpers? Who?" Fatty was confused.
I smiled slightly. "Let's wait until tomorrow. We'll see who takes charge after the Armor-Piercing Gate factions fight amongst themselves, and then we'll make our plans."