"Never mind thеm, lеt's gо nоw!" Diаo Zhuo handеd thе gun in his hand to Dа Qin for self-dеfеnsе, whilе thе оther two сonfiscated guns were hеld bу Bаyunуе. Аlthоugh evеrуоnе сouldn't sеe cleаrlу what wаs happеning in the Gravе Mound Мushrооms, thеу аll sеnsed a suddеn сrisis. At this mоmеnt, flеeing wаs the bеst оption.
Аftеr onlу a few steрs, the ground tremblеd. Тhе Gravе Mound Mushrооms аll turned bright rеd, slоwlу swеlling аs if sоmething bеnеath thе eаrth was abоut to brеаk thrоugh. Thе grоuр hаd no time to invеstigate what was haрpening and stаrted running, but onе by оnе, like thе criminals earlier, they tripped over bones that suddenly emerged from the soil.
The number of Grave Mound Mushrooms surged wildly, spreading in all directions from the dense area like a superbug's rapid reproduction. Within seconds, almost the entire hillside was covered by Grave Mound Mushrooms. All grass, trees, and sulfur azaleas were buried under the Grave Mound Mushrooms, which had turned from grayish-white to bright red.
This bizarre phenomenon filled everyone with terror. Bayunye rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. Diao Zhuo also stared around in disbelief, his eyes filled with confusion.
The strange events had occurred once again. How many clues had been laid earlier? No one could figure it out at the moment.
This is impossible. Diao Zhuo told himself again, but the scene before him was terrifying.
The first batch of Grave Mound Mushrooms had been pushed into a small mound by something underground, and with a "bang," they exploded. Several bloodied, humanoid objects sprawled on the ground like blooming chrysanthemums, their limbs trembling slightly.
This defied everything everyone had known for decades. Although no one believed their eyes, those eerie and terrifying creatures crawled up one by one—faceless, featureless, and emitting a strong stench of decay.
"Are the Japanese crawling out from underground?!" Xiang An exclaimed in fear.
Da Qin clutched his wound, feeling as if he were in a dream. He shook his head repeatedly. "How is this possible? This... isn't scientific!"
"The teacher never taught me this problem!" Bayunye said, stepping back. "Diao Zhuo, what do you think?"
"Think nothing! Run!" Diao Zhuo waved his hand, and everyone released the criminals they were holding, turning to flee.
The monsters were closer to Red Beard and his men, so they naturally attacked them first. The criminals were no pushovers, and having survived the carnivorous rabbits, their mental resilience might have improved. They opened fire immediately. But these creatures weren't human to begin with—bullets piercing their bodies and heads didn't stop their advance. They were even more troublesome than the carnivorous rabbits.
One criminal was knocked down by a monster, feeling a mass of soft, rotten flesh covering his face. Darkness fell before his eyes, and he couldn't breathe. The strength in his limbs drained away. He wanted to move but couldn't. Unlike the carnivorous rabbits, the monster didn't bite. It clung to him entirely, as if absorbing his spirit and will, just like in some novels, until he was completely drained. The fallen criminal struggled a few times before gradually going still. Everyone watched as his skin rapidly withered, turning into a mummy that looked as if it had been weathered for a thousand years. As for the monster attached to him, it now bore the criminal's appearance, though its eyes were unfocused. It stretched out its hands, searching for the next target.Diao Zhuo and the others had only run a few steps when a cluster of Grave Mound Mushrooms ahead bulged high, exploding to release another swarm of foul-smelling monsters that blocked their path. The Grave Mound Mushrooms were already numerous, and now they multiplied exponentially. One after another, mounds rose high, and groups of monsters surged forth, spreading everywhere like blooming flowers.
"Up the trees! Up the trees!" Bayunye repeated her earlier tactic, but when she looked up, she noticed several monsters crouching in the trees covered with Grave Mound Mushrooms. In the instant she raised her head, they lunged down from above. Their heads, if they could be called that, were a bloody, fleshy mess resembling the open suckers of an octopus.
She reacted quickly, leaping aside just in time. The monsters missed her but seemed to catch the scent of blood, turning instead toward Da Qin and Fat Monkey.
Diao Zhuo pushed Da Qin aside and kicked one monster away, but another immediately seized his neck. He drove his elbow back hard, feeling as though the creature had no bones—its body was entirely soft and yielding. No matter how much force he exerted, it dissipated against its spongy form. He struck again, and the monster collapsed to the ground. A sharp pain shot through his neck, and when he touched it, the skin felt wrinkled, as if drained of moisture.
What was happening? All of this defied the laws of nature and science. Even as he fought, his mind raced—such creatures couldn’t exist in the world, and there were no examples of the dead returning to life. Whether this place held the remains of invading Japanese soldiers or wronged villagers, they couldn’t possibly emerge from the ground.
This wasn’t normal, not normal at all… When had things started to go wrong? The forest illusions? The Carnivorous Rabbits? The flickering presence of Brother Long? The eruption of Grave Mound Mushrooms?
Were the monsters illusions too? No, this was all too real—every blow landed solidly. What kind of magic was this?
To the right, Ge Mingliang fired his gun at a monster. The creature paused briefly but remained unharmed, continuing its lunge toward Fat Monkey. The rotting flesh seemed to flow, the bullet holes healing almost instantly. Fat Monkey, injured in the leg, couldn’t run as nimbly. Surrounded by monsters, he was unfortunately knocked down. Everyone, ignoring their own peril, fought their way through to save him, but it was too late. Fat Monkey’s already thin frame withered instantly, while the monsters atop him seemed to absorb his eyes and lips. Featureless blobs of rotting flesh now bore crookedly embedded noses or eyes, a sight both revolting and terrifying.
"Fat Monkey!!" Ge Mingliang cried out in anguish, momentarily distracted as a monster slammed into him. He curled his legs and kicked the creature away as it pressed down on him, narrowly escaping.
With the first casualty in their ranks, the Rescue Team and the mountaineering association members were deeply shaken. Their minds filled with confusion and bewilderment, grief and fear redoubled, accompanied by waves of despair. Before they could regain their morale, the injured Da Qin struggled to fend off the swarming monsters and was also overpowered. A monster pressed tightly against his face, stifling his cries. He struggled briefly but seemed to lose strength.
"Kick it, Da Qin!!"
"Don’t let it pin you down!!"
"Da Qin! Don’t give up!!"
"Da Qin!!"Everyone fought off the monsters lunging at them while watching Da Qin turn into a withered corpse.
Seeing Fat Monkey and Da Qin fall one after another, Bayunye felt immense sorrow. A mix of frustration and anger weighed heavily on her heart, nearly driving her to lash out uncontrollably. She had no time to glance at Diao Zhuo or even call out Da Qin’s name, as she was surrounded by four monsters, each clawing wildly, eager to claim a part of her body. Their weapons had been confiscated by the bandits, leaving her gripping the only remaining entrenching tool tightly. The pistol she had snatched earlier was long discarded—experience had shown that the entrenching tool could at least force the monsters back a few steps, while the pistol not only failed to stop their attacks but also risked accidentally injuring her companions.
The monsters’ combat strength and lethality far surpassed that of the carnivorous rabbits. The best strategy was to avoid contact with them altogether, but their sheer numbers made complete avoidance nearly impossible. Red Beard and his men fired their pistols wildly, and more than one bandit was accidentally shot, becoming a feast for the monsters. Some of the monsters that drained the bandits grew an arm, others sprouted hair, their half-human, half-rotting-corpse appearances as bizarre as extraterrestrial visitors.
Bayunye swung and hacked with the entrenching tool, unaware of a monster suddenly emerging from the ground behind her and leaping up. As its hands grabbed her shoulders, she ducked low, slipping between its legs, then kicked upward, sending the monster crashing to the ground and smashing several bright red Grave Mound Mushrooms.
“Master Ba, watch out!!” A familiar male voice rang out. Bayunye instinctively spun and kicked, striking a monster that had pounced from a tree. She had no time to identify the voice’s owner before something grabbed her feet. Looking down, she saw a pair of hands made of rotting flesh emerging from the gaps between the Grave Mound Mushrooms, tightly gripping her ankles.
She slammed the entrenching tool down several times, but the thing refused to let go. At the same time, her feet grew numb and tingly, as if half her blood had been drained. Then, another pair of foul-smelling hands landed on her back.
Damn it, I’m done for! she thought.
“Thud!” The monster behind her was knocked aside by Diao Zhuo, who had rushed over. Without hesitation, she used the shovel to viciously jab at the rotten hands clutching her legs. The mass of flesh had no bones, and after a few strikes, the rotten meat shattered. As soon as her feet were free, Bayunye scrambled away. Diao Zhuo fought with brutal, relentless punches and kicks, forcefully clearing a path for her. She ran forward, shaking off several more monsters.
But she hadn’t gone far before several monsters that had just emerged from beneath the Grave Mound Mushrooms blocked her way. Gripping the entrenching tool horizontally, she smashed it against their heads several times, feeling as if she were hitting cotton bundles—utterly ineffective. The monsters merely paused briefly before continuing to swing their arms and lunge at her.
On Diao Zhuo’s side, the situation was equally dire. Monsters kept emerging endlessly from beneath the Grave Mound Mushrooms, multiplying exponentially just like the mushrooms themselves. Even more terrifying, they were unkillable. Whether their heads were blown apart or their feet stomped to pulp, it only temporarily delayed their attacks. At most, within a minute, the piles of rotten flesh would regenerate and become whole again.Diao Zhuo fought the monsters while thinking: if Brother Long had come this way and searched for a signal among the Grave Mound Mush
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